Meet Meg Nolan
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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The industry vet
After a successful editorial career, publishing three books with Rizzoli International, acting as Managing Editor for Tablet Hotels, and writing hundreds of articles for the likes of Robb Report, Travel + Leisure, and Town & Country, Meg Nolan found herself planning friends’ honeymoons and crafting neighbors’ family vacations in the spare time between school drop offs and soccer practice. A busy mom of two young boys, Meg never thought travel planning fit within the realm of her editorial skill set — or her busy schedule. But after a trip to Italy with a travel advisor friend, a few conversations, and a few too many negronis — Meg decided to start her own business. A few months later, Friend of a Friend Consulting was born.
What was meant to be a side gig quickly turned into Meg’s full time career. After eight years of affiliation with a New York-based luxury travel agency, Meg found herself craving more. She was tired of the travel industry’s stuck-in-time technology and knew she needed to find a host agency that would boost her business in a tech-forward way.
Travel tech
As Meg’s business grew, strategizing her business model became a top priority, but she didn’t know how or where to access the professional services she needed. “Most travel agencies work with 90s era tech,” Meg recalls with a laugh. “I was immediately attracted to The Local Foreigner because its systems are light years ahead of any other agency.” After TLF onboarding, Meg was immediately enamored with all of the new resources at her finger tips, from the IC Help Guide, to Salesforce, to client preference forms and supplier surveys. “Look, I’m a writer, not an accountant,” she laughs, “keeping track of finances in a spreadsheet wasn’t working for me, so The Local Foreigner’s CRM was a huge draw.” Not only has Local Foreigner’s proprietary systems helped Meg stay organized, they’ve completely reshaped her business strategy. “I was shocked by my change in mindset after joining TLF. I’ve learned so much just from being here, even as a veteran IC.”
“This team has such ambition.”
Hive mind
She may have joined Local Foreigner for the tech, but Meg’s found a lot more than just new operating systems to work with. “To be honest, I don’t know how I would have gotten through this pandemic without TLF’s office camaraderie — I mean, who else would I have talked to?” Meg reflects, half joking, on the last year. She describes TLF’s office banter as a lifeline for ICs, and has come to love the round-the-clock conversations taking place on Microsoft Teams, Instagram, and the group text. “The hive mind here is so valuable. I can be completely confident in the quality of my colleagues’ feedback and recommendations, because I know that everyone approaches client service the same way I do.”
Local Foreigner’s close knit team is a professional resource Meg didn’t realize she was missing before she joined. Reflecting on years of operating in silo as an IC, Meg couldn’t be happier to be part of something bigger now. She loves team TLF’s diversity of experience and expertise, and appreciates the range of ages and talents represented. “This team has such ambition,” she says, “you just want to be a part of it.”
LOOKING FORWARD
Though 2020 was a bit of a rough patch, Meg is confident in the industry’s resiliency. She’s excited for the year ahead, especially as travel seems to be picking back up. “I am excited about growing my roster of loyal and adventurous clients.” Meg tells us. A self described “hotel lover” Meg relishes the prospect of finding the right hotels for the right clients, and considers herself an expert matchmaker when it comes to finding the perfect destination for a client’s trip desires. This year, she’s more than ready to get back into that matchmaking groove: “I can’t wait to send people to discover the world beyond their everyday again.”