Meet Amanda Schulenberg
LOCAL FOREIGNER’S TEAM OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
This post is part of our series celebrating our Independent Contractors and Hosting Program. The Local Foreigner's Hosting Program provides a platform of systems and support for independent travel advisors.
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A Return to the Travel Industry
In September 2020, Amanda Schulenberg graduated from business school, eager to rejoin the workforce. Before pursuing her MBA, she had built a career in the hospitality industry, working in public relations and operations for international brands like Cachet and Viceroy Hotels. Amanda had always envisioned returning to her beloved industry, but a global pandemic got in the way of her plans.
But a few days after graduation, she saw Emily Pariseau — an acquaintance from her undergraduate years at Wake Forest University — post something interesting on Instagram. Intrigued by Emily’s caption about joining a group of “badass ladies” at The Local Foreigner, Amanda decided to reach out to her old friend to learn more. “After our phone call, I was immediately sold,” Amanda tells us now, “I was like, I think I can do this…and I haven’t looked back since.”
Full Throttle
Since that fateful phone call, Amanda hasn’t missed a beat. She graduated from business school in September, officially joined the Local Foreigner team in October, and was the top producing IC in the month of November. “I have no regrets,” Amanda says, with a smile that’s equal parts happiness and disbelief. “This job was meant for me. I am obsessed with it. And I feel so lucky to be part of this amazing group of women.”
This job was meant for me. I am obsessed with it.
-Amanda Schulenberg
Unique Advantage
A Santa Barbara native, Amanda has always played the role of travel advisor for friends and family. “When you’re lucky enough to live in one of the country’s most sought after vacation destinations, it kind of comes naturally,” Amanda says of her curatorial tendencies. But Amanda feels it’s her background in hotel operations that actually gives her a unique advantage in her role as an IC: “I know how hotels work,” she tells us. “I know the process, I know the lingo, so I know how to talk to hotel partners in order to get my clients exactly what they need.” Having that knowledge garners a certain level of professional respect for Amanda, which allows her to form close working relationships with directors of sales and operations managers — an advantageous position to hold, as a new-to-industry IC.
“I may be my own boss, but I have this huge support system to lean on.”
All in the Family
In her short time with TLF, Amanda has taken advantage of every opportunity. She’s an active participant in weekly supplier and team calls and was even able to join a FAM trip to South Africa at the end of last year — a destination she had never been to before, but is now selling to clients every chance she gets. “Your experiences as an agent are everything, and that trip to South Africa allowed me to step into my clients’ shoes and really get to know the destination from their perspective.”
When Amanda first joined The Local Foreigner, she said she felt clueless about being an IC, but credits her dynamic colleagues with getting her up to speed. “I feel so lucky to be a part of The Local Foreigner,” she says now, as she looks back on her last few months of success. “Everyone works so well together. There’s no hostility. There’s no competition. I know I can approach anyone at any time. I may be my own boss, but I have this huge support system to lean on.”