Meet Steph Worth of Travelworthy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steph Worth.

Steph, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Before starting Travelworthy, I worked as a tax accountant for twelve years at a large public accounting firm. I started there as an intern when I was in college finishing my BA in Accounting and MBA, and continued to climb the corporate ladder intending to reach the top and become a partner. I spent those years leading teams and working on a variety of high-intensity projects that took me to many places around the world. I loved the people I worked with and experiences/travels the job afforded me but ultimately came to the realization that I was not doing the work or living the life I truly wanted. With the support of my husband, cat, family, friends and a life coach I made the leap from CPA to entrepreneur and haven’t looked back.

There are a few key things that inspired me to start Travelworthy:
– My passion for globetrotting over the years had earned me a reputation among friends and family as the go-to person for all things travel. I remember a few times after providing a relative or pal with an extremely detailed email about a destination they responded with “OMG, I feel like I should pay you for this!” Now, they do! 🙂

– Several “bad” travel experiences sparked a passion for traveling based on my preferences, tastes, and style. There are a lot of generic, big box type vacations out there and they often don’t provide the fulfillment or relaxation that a trip should (at least for me). When I travel I throw out the rulebook and do what’s right for me, except when I am going through security/customs of course! This approach brings me JOY and its super fun to share it with others.

– The coach I worked with to help me find a more authentic career, (Gina Marotta – The Genius Guru) encouraged me to be mindful of the areas that I really geeked out on and to pay attention when I found myself spending hours getting lost in a task that didn’t really feel like work. For me, this always happens when I am planning a trip!

– The time I spend traveling or even just exploring new places around Chicago is always full of growth, meaning, and impact. It’s when I get pushed out of my comfort zone and overcome challenges. It’s where I gain more empathy and understanding of people and places I don’t see daily. It’s oftentimes where my relationships with my husband, family, and friends are rejuvenated and deepen. Taxes are important and all, but for me, this is really where it’s at.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Leaving behind a career I spent twelve years building to do something completely different was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had to let go of all the prestige, success and security that I had achieved as well as the future goals I had been working very hard towards for years. Oh, and how could I forget – a really nice paycheck – not east to give up at all. It took me probably two years to admit to myself that it was no longer the right job for me, and summon the courage to jump. It was uniquely terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time, but I just knew it was something I had to do. Starting over was certainly a risk, however staying put in a job that wasn’t working for me anymore felt like a much bigger gamble.

I made the right choice, without a doubt, but it comes with its own moments of fear and doubt. I’m an extrovert, so working from home as a solopreneur (a term I only learned when I became one) is sometimes a struggle. To ensure I get enough human interaction I joined a coworking space (Second Shift in Logan Square) and I’m also a member of a networking group that meets weekly.

Additionally, coming from an industry where working insane hours was the norm, it’s hard to not fall prey to the same bad habits but still embrace the hustle mentality of entrepreneurship. I want to build a thriving and successful business, but it’s very important to me that it operates at a sustainable pace for myself and future team members. It’s easy for me to fall back into burnout behavior so I often must remind myself that slow and organic growth is the goal! I also recently completed my 200-hour yoga teaching certification, which I started at the same time as I launched Travelworthy. Yoga has been a great compliment – it’s a source of balance for me in my daily work and my teaching skills help with client interactions as well as trips that I plan/guide!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Travelworthy is a custom travel planning company that encourages you to ‘Let the trip take you!’ Unlike a traditional travel agent – we work for and are hired directly by you – the traveler. This model allows us to remain independent and to provide you with a robust and detailed itinerary that best suits your needs. Not one that best suits our bottom line. Our planning services are tailored specifically to your personality and travel style and allow you to optimize those precious vacation days. Your final itinerary is delivered using an application accessible on your phone, online, or printable PDF so you can easily find your next stop, sight, location, etc. We eliminate the stress, anxiety and most importantly time that often goes along with planning travel. All you’ll have to do is pack your bags, relax and have fun – we take care of the rest!

We also offer a variety of services outside of your typical vacation. This includes things like planning a staycation, spicing up the weeknights/weekends with fun activities, hosting family or friends from out of town, helping small businesses host retreats/conferences, and optimizing work trips for business travelers. Additionally, this fall we hosted our first guided trip took a small group around Iceland’s ring road. More tours are scheduled for 2018 and we’re happy to provide guided services for Iceland and other select destinations if travelers would prefer someone do the driving and navigating.

While our standard approach is to work with clients from start to finish on a trip, we’re also happy to customize the scope of services we provide and only help our clients where it makes sense. For example, a client could come to us with a flight and hotel already booked and we’ll fill in the activity/dining details, or other times we help a group figure out their destination and book lodging and airfare and they fill in all the daily to-dos. Getting to know our clients and their specific needs is always our top priority. For us, there is nothing more rewarding than when a client returns home and says “The trip was amazing, thank you! I could have never planned this myself!”

What were you like growing up?
I was always very extroverted and social, much like I am today. My mom tells the story of not being able to take me to the grocery store when I was very young because I would say hello to every person we passed, and they would stop and chat and derail her schedule.

I liked being in charge, planning, and organizing – I would create mini itineraries and use maps to navigate my family around when we visited amusement parks or went on a trip, loved offices supplies and daily planners and designed and rearranged the furniture in my room a lot. I wanted to be a “successful businesswoman” of some kind when I grew up, the specifics of which changed frequently. Hindsight makes these things hilariously wonderful and super appropriate now!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.travel-worthy.com
• Email: info@travel-worthy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sotravelworthy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelworthy/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/so_travelworthy

Image Credit:
Julie Dietz Photography

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