Monday Minute: Renee Blokzyl of Red Orchid Travel

The Monday Minute is a weekly feature in PAX that highlights the movers, shakers, leaders and rule breakers of Canada's travel advisor community. Wanna be profiled? Wanna nominate someone? Email newsroom@paxglobalmedia.com!  

Name: Renee Blokzyl 

Name of business: Red Orchid Travel

Where do you live? Springwater, Ont.

How long have you been a travel advisor? 

Seven and a half years professionally, although travel planning has been part of my life for decades.

What is your specialty? 

While the majority of my business is built around luxury ocean, river, expedition and small-ship cruising, I also create custom FIT itineraries and organize all types of group travel.

A big part of my business is Red Orchid Women’s Travel. I work with women from all walks of life, many taking their first solo journey. For widows, quite often their spouse had always been the planner. After losing them, they simply don’t know where to begin. They want the confidence to travel independently while enjoying the comfort, friendship and safety of a supportive group.

In 2021, I branded my kids’ red wagon, filled it with drinks and flowers and organized weekly park meetups. It was pivotal in creating the “women’s community” I wanted, rather than simply a “women’s travel club.” We have since expanded to luncheons, a breakfast club, summer dinners, weekends away and other meetups. Supporting women has become about more than travel. It also means supporting women-owned small businesses and the friendships we’ve formed.

I also have a special place in my heart for anyone with complex medical needs. Having walked that journey with my husband, from a rare lung disease through a lifesaving double-lung transplant, I understand the planning, patience and advocacy these clients often require.

What inspired you to become a travel advisor?

I don’t think travel found me. I think life eventually pushed me toward where I was always supposed to be.

Years ago, I worked as a medical office assistant before becoming the bookkeeper for a thriving building contractor. All the while, I planned travel for our very large family. I have eight children and many grandchildren. I organized everything from family vacations to large group adventures, and I knew I wanted travel to become my career. I even completed my training years before officially entering the industry, but then life intervened.

Two moves across Canada for my husband’s career postponed that dream. During one of those moves, our neighbour happened to be Holly McBean from TravelOnly. While our daughters looked after their horses, Holly unknowingly reignited my passion for becoming a travel advisor. 

My husband’s rare lung disease eventually made caregiving my full-time role. While helping our family navigate the unknown, I began organizing day trips, city tours and weekend adventures for neighbours, friends and groups of women I belonged to. Those outings slowly grew into something much bigger.

In early 2019, I joined Expedia Cruises, then called CruiseShipCenters, and launched Red Orchid Travel. Soon afterward, Red Orchid Women’s Travel was born. As my vision evolved toward luxury, experiential and hosted travel, my journey eventually led me to Trevello and my affiliation with Virtuoso, where I truly found my home. Looking back, every delay happened exactly when it was supposed to.

What’s the first trip you ever took?

Travel has been part of my story since I was two years old. My mother was born in Virginia, where my father met her while playing professional baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Before bringing her home to British Columbia, he promised her parents that, no matter what, he would bring her home every two years. Those early journeys connected me with family, culture and memories that remain with me today.

My first true international holiday as an adult was to Puerto Vallarta with my husband. We had never really taken a honeymoon, so when an opportunity arose to get away, this was our chance.

One day, we accidentally boarded the wrong bus back to our hotel. Instead of panicking, we experienced the real Puerto Vallarta. We met families living in modest homes, watched children playing happily in the streets and saw a side of Mexico most tourists never experience. It changed us. We came home and booked another trip, this time with our children.

Travel isn’t just about beautiful places. It’s about understanding people and respectfully immersing ourselves in their cultures.

What travel trends are you seeing these days?

People are travelling more intentionally than ever before. Rather than rushing through destinations, they’re slowing down, seeking authentic experiences and looking for meaningful connections. Italy continues to be one of my busiest destinations for custom FIT itineraries, while back-to-back cruises, Antarctica, Croatia, Japan, Colombia and Southeast Asia continue to grow rapidly.

Luxury has also changed. Today’s traveller values time, flexibility, service, authenticity and peace of mind just as much as five-star accommodations. Many women are no longer waiting for someone else to travel with and are instead seeking the confidence that comes with travelling as part of a supportive community.

Of all the bookings you’ve made, which itinerary are you most proud of?

Two immediately come to mind. Early in my career, one cruise booking became the highest-commission transaction ever processed through my office at the time and was featured nationally within our company.

The second was an independently customized five-month journey through Asia involving 14 flights, multiple countries, hotels, transportation and experiences, with a value of more than $200,000. Watching that itinerary come together and execute seamlessly reminded me why I love designing complex travel.

What was the most memorable trip you’ve ever taken? 

Several destinations have changed me. French Polynesia redefined tropical paradise and helped inspire the Red Orchid Travel brand, while Cambodia and Colombia reminded me that headlines rarely tell the full story.

However, one journey will always remain closest to my heart. On the day my husband visited Toronto General Hospital and signed up to become a lung-transplant candidate after a gruelling series of tests, I asked if he wanted to spend the night in the city. It would be our last-hurrah mini-vacation while we awaited what lay ahead.

He suggested something completely unexpected: “Let’s stay at the Ritz.” I almost fell over. One night at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto? We stayed on the concierge floor so he wouldn’t have to walk very far with his walker.

The following morning, he wanted to go home because he wasn’t feeling well. I convinced him to stay a little longer because we had a late checkout. We were at the Ritz, after all!

When we finally arrived home, the phone rang. His lungs were ready. Last month, we celebrated eight years since his transplant.

Luxury changed forever for me that day. Sometimes luxury isn’t marble bathrooms or five-star service. Sometimes luxury is simply buying yourself a few extra hours that change your life forever.

Where do you see your business one year from now?

Growth has been incredible, and I believe the next chapter involves building a solid, committed group of like-minded professionals who can work together as a community.

Since becoming fully home-based on March 7, 2020, I’ve missed welcoming people into an office, chatting with supplier partners and simply sitting down over coffee to dream about someone’s next adventure. I’m such a people person, and I’d love to create a beautiful travel space where people walk in feeling inspired before they’ve even left home. 

What’s one new skill you’ve acquired recently?

I recently earned my Elite Cruise Counsellor designation through CLIA, something I’m incredibly proud of because I believe education never stops. It was a personal goal that I have now achieved.

I’ve also embraced YouTube, video storytelling and photography. I’ve always been a scrapbooker at heart, and I believe our photographs are proof that we lived fully. Life’s memories don’t belong hidden away on a camera roll. They’re meant to be shared.

What’s one thing you would change about the travel industry? 

I’d love to see our industry remember that everyone is someone.

Early in my career, another advisor asked who my host agency was while we were on a FAM trip. When I answered, she stood up, smiled politely and said she wasn’t allowed to spend time with me because I belonged to a different host. I’ve never forgotten that moment.

We’re colleagues, not competitors. Travel is a remarkably small community, and there’s enough business for everyone. When we lift each other up, the entire industry becomes stronger.

What’s the secret to being successful in this business? 

Relationships always come first! Determination. Grit. Never giving up. Never stopping learning. Technology can book a trip. Trust builds a lifelong client. Review your goals often.

What is your motto?

Every day is a good day! Life is all about perception, perspective and the experiences that teach us gratitude. The simple things often become the greatest luxuries.

What is your number one piece of advice to other travel advisors? 

Never, ever give up! Never stop learning. Travel changes constantly, and so do our clients. Invest in your education. Invest in your relationships. Invest in yourself. Get a mentor. People will always remember how you made them feel long after they’ve forgotten the itinerary.

Where are you travelling next?

I have a lot of travel coming up. I’m currently exploring Greece aboard Regent Seven Seas Splendor before continuing to Turkey. Scotland is just around the corner with my women’s travel group, followed by Cruisefest with Trevello, a river cruise in Colombia aboard AmaMagdalena and an exciting lineup of hosted journeys already planned well into 2027.

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