kabarsula The power of podcasts: How one travel advisor sold out an India trip in six weeks bandar SLOT INDONESIA

One message to the hosts of a lifestyle podcast led to a sold-out India trip in just six weeks. Now TravelManagers’ Michelle Nicholas is turning the unlikely partnership into a growing group travel business, with Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Antarctica on the agenda.

In an industry increasingly obsessed with social media followers, TravelManagers personal travel manager Michelle Nicholas has found a different way to turn an online audience into bookings.

And it all started with a simple message.

After returning from a trip to India, Nicholas was listening to Over the Back Fence, a lifestyle podcast hosted by longtime friends and neighbours Nicola Dale and Di Edwards, when an idea struck.

What if the pair took their listeners on holiday?

“I was looking for other ways to market myself and to get more clients, and I really like group travel,” Nicholas tells Travel Weekly.

“I thought, when I get home, I’m going to reach out to them and ask them: have they thought of taking their followers to a destination that would suit them, like India?”

Nicholas already knew Dale through trekking training on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, although the pair rarely saw each other socially.

Her initial message was simply to tell the hosts how much she enjoyed their podcast, before floating the idea of travelling with their listeners.

“They straight away came back and said, ‘Yes, we have thought about it. We just don’t know what we should do.’”

Within three days, they were meeting. A week later, Nicholas had presented an itinerary and, within approximately six weeks, the 14-person India trip had sold out.

From podcast to passport

The podcast, which Nicholas says has around 25,000 followers, centres on connection, friendship and the experiences of everyday people.

Its hosts, who have been neighbours for around 40 years and quite literally share a back fence, had already built an engaged community of listeners.

What they didn’t have was the travel industry expertise to turn that community into a group holiday.

Nicholas, who specialises in tailor-made itineraries and group travel, brought exactly that.

She developed an India itinerary featuring four- and five-star accommodation, working with the hosts to refine the route and ensure it matched their audience’s expectations.

The resulting trip, marketed under the podcast’s Over the Travel Fence offering, attracted 14 guests, including two couples.

And the partnership is already expanding.

Nicholas is now working with the hosts on further group trips to Bhutan and Sri Lanka, alongside an Antarctic expedition aboard Seabourn Venture in 2028.

She has also appeared on a special episode of the podcast alongside Seabourn’s Jennifer Compton to introduce the Antarctic offering to listeners.

Selling travel without being an influencer

Perhaps the most interesting part of Nicholas’ story is that she doesn’t consider herself particularly good at social media.

While many advisors are working to establish their personal brands online, Nicholas has built her business predominantly through word of mouth.

“That’s something I’m not very good at. I’m terrible at it,” she admits when asked about her online visibility.

“So having Nicola and Di fill these trips is all because of their visibility, not mine.”

Rather than attempting to build a large following herself, Nicholas recognised the potential of an existing audience whose interests aligned with the kind of travel she enjoys organising.

And the arrangement makes commercial sense for both parties.

The podcast hosts promote the trips to their listeners and accompany guests on the journeys, while Nicholas handles the travel arrangements, working with guides, hotels and suppliers to ensure everything runs smoothly.

She earns her income through the commission generated by the group bookings.

“I’m the background person. They’re the lead on it,” she explains.

It also allows the hosts to concentrate on enjoying the experience with their guests, while Nicholas manages the practicalities, from adjusting itineraries to accommodating different preferences within the group.

Why connection sells

Although the podcast has a strong female following, Nicholas says the trips are deliberately open to both men and women.

She believes the appeal of hosted group travel lies in the combination of familiarity, connection and the freedom of having someone else organise the details.

“People like to meet new people, but they don’t necessarily get the opportunity to. They don’t necessarily have the friendship group that they could travel with.”

For those who might be hesitant about travelling independently, joining a group hosted by familiar voices offers an added sense of reassurance.

“You can go and just be yourself and be free within the safe confines of a group, knowing that the itinerary is looked after,” she says.

And while the success of the partnership might encourage other advisors to approach podcasters or content creators, Nicholas believes the key is finding the right fit.

“It has to be a good fit. They have to be the right client,” she says.

For her, that instinct was immediate.

“I just saw that and immediately when I was in India, just went, this would be perfect for them.”

It’s a reminder that successful marketing doesn’t always require an elaborate digital strategy or a huge social media following of your own.

Sometimes, it simply requires recognising an opportunity and being willing to make the first move.

As Nicholas puts it: “I went to them solving a problem of theirs.”

You can listen to the podcast here.