Meet Annie Wade | Founder & CEO of Flight Club VIP

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annie Wade and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Flight Club VIP was started on the premise of fellowship, adventure, and exploration outside of the norm. I essentially combined my love for planning group trips for friends and social organizations with my love for travel which led to forming Flight Club VIP. My mission initially was to unite likeminded travelers while building a sense of community amongst congenial individuals who could share insights on flight deals, travel news, and popular hacks. Following those successful group excursions across the globe, it well positioned FCV for its metamorphosis from a travel club to a travel concierge company.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Flight Club VIP excels at curating top quality vacation experiences, destination weddings, retreats, birthday celebrations, and major international events for its clients and members while further establishing our position as an innovative leader in the travel industry.

Needless to say, the pandemic greatly impacted the travel industry and took us from being booked and busy to cancellations and rescheduled trips for everything we had scheduled for 2020. Not only was this a major blow for business, but even personally I was used to traveling monthly so it was a tough time for us travel lovers and still is to a degree. This led to me conceptualizing the idea of a travel planner as a way to influence a sense of optimism for those who miss the days of traveling freely around the world.

The Dream Without Limits Travel Planner combines our love for planning travel with our desire to ensure travelers who are do-it-yourselfers or have a limited budget will have the tools and resources needed to effectively plan their own trips.

What I’ve learned along the way is that you have to be able to pivot and reinvent yourself when necessary to continuously grow and scale your business in the ever-evolving world around us.

What people should know about Flight Club VIP is that we are a unique travel resource for the cultivated individual seeking to navigate the world. Our premiere suite of integrated concierge services, destination guides, and vacation packages provide the ultimate one-stop shop resource for members and clients seeking travel products to fit every budget. Our specialization is groups, but we are happy to assist with all trip sizes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This would definitely be a fun filled trip which would start off with getting crawfish and daiquiris from the Boil House before heading out to listen to some live music at Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room. The next day we’ll head to the Kemah Board to walk around, eat and enjoy a boat ride before heading to Clear Creek Winery for a wine tasting. The following days will be filled with eating at spots like Lucille’s, Breakfast Klub, Tiny Boxwoods, Rouxpour and Eunice along with lounging and sipping libations at the Sugar Room and Miss Carousel. Outside of this we’ll be making our way to Discovery Green and possibly Miller Outdoor Theatre for some outdoor entertainment, before ending the weekend hopping around town for Sunday Funday at spots like 5015 and Chapman & Kirby.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I most definitely have to shout out my dear friend, business partner and Flight Club VIP’s COO Byron Lundy. This guy is truly amazing at his craft and is also someone whose opinion I have always valued since the launch of my first business venture in 2014. Bringing on this seasoned entrepreneur in 2017 has helped me take things to the next level while transitioning the elevated luxury brand we are today. If you’ve seen the visuals for our Dream Without Limits Luxury Travel Planner, then you’ll know his work speaks for itself!

There’s one other person that I will have to show love to and that is MLK Ski Weekends Organizer Shed Amin, who saw something in me from the organized trips I was putting on before I even knew who he was and gave me the opportunity to be a part of his major international event which brings out nearly 3,000 people to the slopes annually. Wearing so many hats for his events, seeing the end result of an experience I was a part of curating, packaged with Shed’s positive feedback about the value I added and my personal business was the affirmation I needed to take things to the next level.

Website: https://www.flightclubvip.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flightclubvip/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flightclubvip

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theflightclubvip

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK9VfkGfCItVNmiEvbiWPqw

Other: https://dreamwithoutlimitsplanner.com https://www.instagram.com/dreamwithoutlimitsplanner/ Email: info@flightclubvip.com

Image Credits
Harbor Grace Photography – Head Shot and Planner Images
Korey Williams Photography – Group Swimsuit Shot