Meet Kelly Brennan
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.
Learn more about joining our team +
Citizen of the world
Born in London and raised between London, Tokyo, and half a dozen US cities, Kelly was born to travel. In fact, her earliest childhood memories are of transcontinental flights and family vacations in far flung locales like Tunisia and the Philippines. Citing her first solo flight around age nine, Kelly admits she’s always had an adventurous side, a personality trait that isn’t difficult to detect, even if you’ve only known her a few minutes. In a recent team poll that asked TLFers the first spot they’d return to in Europe once borders opened back up, everyone replied with classic destinations across Italy and France. Kelly, on the other hand, said Scandinavia. “I love to go anywhere and everywhere,” she clarifies, “but my natural inclination is often toward more wild, remote, adventurous locales.”
An Unexpected Adventure
It’s this adventurous spirit that drew Kelly to the travel industry over five years ago. Despite having a Masters degree in sports nutrition, she found herself always dreaming about travel. “I couldn’t stop thinking about booking flights,” she tells us with a laugh, recalling the moment she knew she needed to turn her passion into a career. She did just that, by working as a Trip Designer at a high-end membership-based travel company in New York for more than five years. But when the COVID pandemic struck in March 2020 and ravaged the luxury travel industry, Kelly knew she needed to make a quick decision — leave the industry she loved or forge her own path within it. “Prior to the pandemic I hadn’t given much thought to becoming an IC,” Kelly tells us, from her current home base in Vermont. “The pandemic has been an incredibly tough period for travel,” she continues, “but I saw an opportunity with Local Foreigner and I went for it.”
Relying on her intrepid inclinations, Kelly quickly got to work creating her own business, even if she wasn’t entirely sure how the process should look. “To be honest I could have used a crash course called ‘Starting a Business 101’ when I first became an IC,” she tells us now, reflecting on those early days. “I love work, but I had never considered myself an entrepreneur. It’s been a great learning experience. Having Alex Erdman [the director of TLF’s hosting program] and the rest of the team to lean on has been invaluable.”
This industry is ultimately about people.
-Kelly Brennan
People Person
While she was ready to tackle the unknowns entrepreneurship head-on, Kelly was most apprehensive about her new lack of an office. “Admittedly, when the pandemic began I really missed office life (is that crazy?)” she recalls, “I’m someone who likes going into an office. I like being part of a team, with a mission and shared goals. I like meetings on the calendar. I like structure. I like having events to attend.” Separating work life and home life was something she struggled with early on, but after finding her desk within TLF’s virtual office, Kelly forgot all about the physical aspects of the workplace she thought she’d miss so dearly. Thanks to the Local Foreigner’s tight-knit crew, work began to feel “normal” again.
“When starting my business, I knew it was essential for me to partner with an agency that structured their IC program around their in-house team, the way that Local Foreigner does,” she says, “I wanted to start my own business, but I also wanted to feel like I was contributing to something bigger than myself.” Now that she’s part of the team, Kelly is relieved to have that sense of belonging back. She’s an active participant in every virtual industry event and has jumped into life as a Local Foreigner with gusto, most recently taking scouting requests for an upcoming trip to Denver.
“As an IC at Local Foreigner, you are 100% a part of the team, it’s not just ‘watch this tutorial, best of luck,’” she says with a laugh. “This industry is ultimately about people,” she notes, “Some of my best memories and closest friendships are with people I’ve met in this industry, so I’m happy to still be connected to that with Local Foreigner.”
“I knew it was essential for me to partner with an agency that structured their IC program around their in-house team, the way that Local Foreigner does.”
It’s not the destination, it’s the journey
Looking ahead, Kelly’s more than ready to start taking those far flung trips again, but she says the pandemic’s changed the way she wants to travel. “There was a time, not long ago, when I didn’t bat an eye at international jaunts for a long weekend,” she says, recalling her past life as a busy New Yorker. “Those trips are thrilling, but I’m looking forward to reconnecting with the world more thoughtfully. Traveling is such a great way to cultivate empathy, and I think we all need a little bit of that right now.”
Wherever she’s headed, we’re behind her every step of the way!