Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Watson.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My first experience in the travel/hospitality industry was working the front desk of a large hotel while in college at Middle Tennessee State University. After about 1 year I was promoted to night manager and oversaw the entire hotel from guest check-ins to large multi-event functions on a regular basis.
After college I moved back home to Illinois where I once again found myself working in a hotel setting. This time I was the Catering Director for the Hilton Garden Inn in Champaign, IL. I absolutely LOVED this position and all of the details that went into planning social and corporate events for my clients! In 2006 I married my husband Aaron and in 2008 we welcomed our first daughter. It was at this time that I knew I wanted to find a way to continue my love for detail planning while being able to stay home to raise our daughter. Through my work at the Hilton Garden Inn I had met Jennifer Wayland, owner of Island Bridal, Inc and began learning the travel agent side of planning. During my time at Island Travel Group I learned SO much from Jennifer and her wonderful team.
In 2019 my husband and our family (of now 3 girls) decided to relocate to our “happy place”…Coastal South Carolina (just outside of Charleston in the “sweet” town of Summerville). Since relocating it was on my heart to open my own Travel Agency and in 2020; amidst a global pandemic that slowed the travel industry almost to a halt, I opened Our Sweet Tea Life Travel. The first 2 years were hard as there was still a lot of uncertainty and fear around international travel but I am SO proud that we have now grown into a successful full-service agency with 9 amazing agents & are continuing to grow each year.
I have been recognized as a top Romance Travel Agent and attended the exclusive Romance Travel Forum in both 2022 and 2024. In 2023 I attended an Apple Leisure Group giveback trip to Mexico where we served by bringing donations and supplies to a Mayan village. In 2025 I was nominated to attend the Apple Leisure Group Kindness Connection where they invite a small group of advisors with 20+ years experience in the travel/hospitality industry and a small group of advisors under the age of 40 together for a week of connection, service, mentorship, and empowering workshops. This year for the Kindness Connection we served in Miches, Dominican Republic at Escuela Aquiles Peña school and did some repairs and lots of painting. I am also honored this year to be one of 18 Agency Owners to be selected to be a part of the Apple Leisure Group’s Owners Advisory Panel and work alongside the top executives at ALGV. The mission of the ALG Vacations Advisory Board is to bring travel advisors and ALG Vacations leadership together to grow their joint businesses while delivering exceptional vacation experiences. The board, consisting of travel agency owners and managers, represent the travel advisor community at large, working together with ALG Vacations leadership to develop policies and make strategic decisions affecting their joint businesses and mutual clients.
Although I LOVE my job and feel so blessed to get to help my clients plan memorable and amazing trips my most important role is being a wife to my husband of 19 years and mom to my 3 beautiful daughters, who I also homeschool. One of the reasons I love living here in South Carolina is the supportive and amazing community we live in…we have found a wonderful church family, a great homeschool community, friends who are more like family, and supportive and loving neighbors. Southern hospitality is a way of life here in the lowcountry and we truly feel that we are living the “Sweet Life” here in Summerville.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, owning a business is never “easy” and opening a travel agency amidst a global pandemic certainly had it’s challenges and if I could go back there are certainly things I would have done differently. I feel proud and blessed that our agency made it through because I know many that had to close their doors during and after the pandemic.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At Our Sweet Tea Life Travel our team of dedicated agents strive to ensure that each client has a vacation experience customized to their needs, budget & desires. We know how precious your time is which is why it is our goal to make sure you return home from each vacation with memories that will last a lifetime of time spent with your family, friends and loved ones. A superior client experience is our #1 goal.
I feel that our client experience is what sets us apart from others, this is the heart of our company, we start out by taking the time to listen to what our clients want, what type of vacation experience are they looking for, what have they experienced on previous vacations that they didn’t like, and what is their budget. After they are booked we fully “service” their booking by ensuring that they are well-prepared for their trip with a detailed digital itinerary, we confirm their reservation details with the airlines/resorts prior to their arrival and we help with any excursions/activities that they may want to book prior to arrival. During travel we are working behind the scenes checking flights, transfers, etc to ensure as smooth of a travel day as possible.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people are surprised to know that I don’t eat seafood…I live on the east coast and I travel to beautiful Caribbean destinations. Both have amazing (even award winning) restaurants/chefs that prepare amazing seafood but I just don’t like it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oursweettealife.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/our_sweet_tea_life_travel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oursweettealifetravel
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-watson-b5074093/
