Fairfield, CT
Nancy Yale launched her business 22 years ago as a cruise-only agency focusing on honeymoons and has since branched out. Her specialties are cruises (“I was the first CLIA Master Cruise Counselor in Connecticut.”), Africa (“I’ve been there five times.”), the Caribbean, family travel and “FITs to exotic destinations.”
Yale, who brings in $4 million in annual sales, attributes her success, in part, to “never selling something I don’t believe in. If a client asks for something that I don’t think is appropriate or where I think their children would be bored, I tell them and suggest alternatives.”
She also believes in the value of firsthand experience. “I have taken my three children since they were six, eight and 10, around the world. Traveling with kids has made me knowledgeable about the family and multigenerational market.”
Yale is justifiably proud of the many positive reviews on Virtuoso.com under her name— “Fifty-six reviews, thus far, which is in the top 5 percent for all Virtuoso advisors.”
Among the many honeymoons she has put together, she most fondly recalls one that “encompassed romance, adventure and culture.” The couple married in France, “then flew to Mnemba Island Lodge on a private island with only 10 cottages off the coast of Zanzibar. From there they went to Tanzania and Kenya, staying in the best lodges, and ended in Maia, another luxury resort in Mahe.”
She has supported a child in Kenya by paying for his education every year through America Shares, an effort also contributed to by Micato Safaris. “They also pay for a child to go to school for every safari booked. I have booked many of their safaris,” she informs. She also helps a local cancer support research group and a home for the elderly by getting hotel nights and donations for their fund-raisers.