The Highway Goes Ever On with this Travel Advisor

When Flights & Fables proprietor Rocky Dimico tells individuals he’s residing out the adage of whenever you do what you’re keen on for a residing you’ll by no means work a day in your life, he’s not simply speaking in regards to the pleasure he finds in serving to his purchasers have the most effective trip potential.

It’s his distinctive area of interest that makes his life a dream come true.

“I’m that guy who’s super nerdy,” he stated. “The whole reason I went to New Zealand was ‘Lord of the Rings.’ And I’ve been to London three times and all three times I went to the ‘Harry Potter’ studio. All the castles, Stonehenge… That’s me!”

Like when he went to Munich and made positive to go see the props and backdrops from “The NeverEnding Story.”

That’s his ardour when he’s touring. And it’s one thing he’s discovered different individuals wish to do as properly.

Catching the Travel Bug

Growing up in a army household, Dimico developed a style for journey early.

“My first beach was the Red Sea,” he tells TMR, including that he’d hung out residing in Yemen and Finland, and touring throughout Europe by the point he was 18. His travels didn’t cease there. He joined the army himself after graduating highschool and added to the listing of nations that he bought to reside in and journey by means of.

After leaving the army, he spent 5 years working for the state of Washington, however he missed journey. For a time, he thought-about changing into an air marshal or a diplomate, simply so he might get again to touring.

When he got here throughout a deal to go to New Zealand for “dirt cheap” he jumped on the likelihood.

“When I got there, I was like this is what I like. I just want to keep doing this for the rest of my life,” he stated. “So, it really started with, how do I travel for the rest of my life?”

Turns out he had a highschool buddy who was a journey advisor.

“We sat down, had a conversation, and she led me down the path.”

If helped that a number of aptitude assessments he’d taken when he was getting out of the Army indicated he ought to go into entrepreneurship.

“That’s really where it matched up, when I started exploring the travel advisor world and knowing that that would be me getting to be an entrepreneur… and then my passion for travel. Oh, this is it.”

Finding a Niche

Once Dimico made the choice to open his company, discovering a distinct segment was a cinch. It was clear virtually from the beginning that a lot of the touring he’d carried out in his personal previous at all times had a “nerdy element to it.”

“That’s my passion. Every time I go to these place, I find these unique things that I love from movies, books, video games and so on. That’s my niche.”

What took a bit of longer to study was the best way to say no to issues outdoors his area of interest.

“There was time in the beginning where it became, do you sell cruises? Yeah, I sell cruises. I’ll sell the Caribbean, whatever.”

But he added that he discovered rapidly that he didn’t do properly at promoting these merchandise or these locations that he didn’t know as properly.

“I’ve been to 63 countries, but I’ve only spent a little bit of time in the Caribbean. I don’t like cruises… I started realizing, if you know what you sell and you’re really comfortable with it, you’re going to do a lot better,” he instructed TMR.

As an instance, he instructed TMR a few shopper who requested for a Hawaii trip. Because he’s been to Hawaii he stated, sure, nevertheless it’s not a vacation spot he’s fully acquainted with. When the shopper requested off-handedly if he additionally offered New Zealand, he was capable of discuss extra expansively about it.

“He told me, you are night and day different from when you are talking about Hawaii. You’ve got me wanting to go to New Zealand so bad now.”

Dimico added, “That was the first time it really registered. If you’re passionate about what you sell, you’re going to sell it. If you are middling about it, you’re doing to be doing a disservice to your client, rather than adding value.”

These days, he says no, if requested by potential purchasers if he sells cruises, the Caribbean, or different locations he’s not acquainted with. (With repeat purchasers he turns to different advisors at his Host company for assist with issues he’s not acquainted or snug with as he’s afraid to lose them.)

Finding His People

When you could have a distinct segment as distinctive as Dimico does, discovering purchasers has to take a novel strategy as properly.

“Where am I going to find my people? Obviously, Comic Cons, card shops, comic bookstores, places that are heavily in the fandom. Because those are the places I go,” he instructed TMR.

While not everybody who goes to those locations is available in the market to ebook a visit, many didn’t even know such journeys had been potential till they had been launched to the thought of them by Dimico.

It comes proper again to fundamental advertising — the extra your identify is on the market, the extra individuals know who you might be and what you do, he stated.

He additionally attends equally theme occasions in his native space – Geek and Grub in Raleigh, the Nerd Market in Fayetteville. To unfold a wider internet for individuals who aren’t actively within the fandom neighborhood, he additionally attends non-themed occasions domestically, the place he, once more, introduces the idea of fantasy-related journey to individuals.

“People’s natural love of “Harry Potter,” their pure love of “Lord of the Rings” come out,” once they see him, Dimico stated.

Because he additionally sells Italy, having lived there for plenty of years, he additionally attends the native Italian competition, which has introduced him a whole lot of enterprise, as properly. Even there, he added, individuals uncover his “inner nerd” after which they get occupied with his fan journeys too.

(Most of the journeys he plans for purchasers have a contact of fandom, somewhat than being 100% fan-driven. For occasion, 90% of the individuals he sends to New Zealand wish to go to Hobbiton however don’t want the remainder of the journey to be about Lord of the Rings.)

It’s these native occasions that he says have had the very best ROI for him. Whether fandom-themed or not, individuals are not usually anticipating to see a journey advisor at these occasions, which makes him stand out.

Expanding His Niche

Because Dimico’s area of interest – and hook – is fandom associated journey, he pays shut consideration to the place followers are occupied with visiting.

“I listen to what people are asking for. I want to expand into the areas that I think are going to match up with what my clients are going to want.”

For occasion, Japan isn’t simply scorching with “regular” vacationers. It’s large with followers of anime who’re requesting journeys in large numbers.

“I started hearing it at these conventions… I wouldn’t sell it until I went there. I’m a firm believer that you don’t sell something unless you’ve been there and experienced it yourself. That was one of the best decisions I ever made was to go to Japan. Japan is my number one seller as of right now.”

His subsequent large enlargement, he says, is into Romania for the vampire side.

“That’s the one I get a lot of interest in,” he stated, including its’s additionally considered one of his favourite journeys he took whereas within the Army – “to go do all the Dracula stuff.”

Other “mystical” and “spooky” locations he’s bought on his listing are Peru for Machu Picchu and Egypt.