A luxury travel advisor has shared the secret to how she's been able to secure a succession of high-value bookings after only just over a year in the industry.

Grace Shay has built a lucrative business since joining Global Travel Moments in January 2025, specialising in a niche area that attracts an affluent clientele.

After studying science and Spanish at university, Shay freely admits a career in travel sales – prior to 2023 – had not been on her radar.

She had already spent her early twenties working in marine ecology before taking a career break in 2022 to backpack around South America with the aim of discovering more places to explore and practice her passion – deep-sea diving.

It wasn’t until a “serendipitous” encounter on a Quark Expeditions cruise, a trip Shay describes as “life-changing”, that she began to consider merging the two passions.

“While I was backpacking, my twin sister and I had this random opportunity to hop on a ship heading to Antarctica,” she recalled. “We had just 24 hours to drop what we were doing, sprint to the port and get on the ship."

And it was during this fateful voyage Shay not only met her future partner, but also Duncan Greenfield-Turk – owner of Global Travel Moments, now her employer.

While the cruise itself didn’t convince Shay to change careers overnight, the experience introduced her to the possibility of working in travel. “I was so impressed with how seamless it was, and I wished I could recreate that for others,” she explained.

Once the trip was over, Shay returned to the US to complete a research project on sea turtle conservation. But she was unable to shake the yearning to share her Antarctica venture with others.

“I just couldn't stop thinking about it,” she said. “I thought, 'I need to help others experience something that literally changed my life'.”

Unsure where to start, Shay messaged Greenfield-Turk to ask for advice on pursuing a career in travel. Coincidentally, Global Travel Moments – which specialists in luxury LGBTQ+ trips – was just beginning to recruit its first independent contractors.

“After a long chat, Duncan told me that if I’m still thinking about joining the industry in six months’ time, he might have a space for me.”

Six months later, Shay took the plunge. “I called him and said, ‘Duncan, I’m ready to go for it’,” she said. “He took me onboard and he's been my mentor angel this whole time.”

Diving in

From the outset, Shay was determined to specialise in diving and expedition. “I don’t think I could be a travel advisor for anything else long-term,” she admitted. “I just don't think my heart is in it for all places, but I’m so passionate about diving.”

As a Padi Divemaster, the Wisconsin native is one of the only travel agents in the world certified to supervise dives and assist with classes. This licence, widely recognised as the most respected diving qualification in the industry, has also taught her to identify unsafe and potentially life-threatening practices.

“Diving is inherently risky,” Shay explained. “People have accidents and sometimes even die. Clients might not realise they’re in danger unless they have qualified people there to guide them.”

Commissions, add-ons and fees

Just 15 months into her career, Shay’s diving credentials have already landed her a number of lucrative bookings – including a £100,000 trip to Isla Mujeres, Cancun.

The ocean enthusiast attributes this success to the “expensive” nature of diving holidays, with luxury liveaboards often exceeding £600 per day. There’s also the cost of equipment rental and specialised insurance, as well as the long-haul flights and transfers often required to reach diving hotspots.

Shay added diving naturally “lends itself to luxury” because clients can typically afford high-end hotels and business travel. “They are usually affluent, and they’re already paying a lot to do this. So they might as well make it even better.”

Shay has also found commission rates to be higher among the diving community, with most suppliers paying agents at least “15% to 20%” for selling their services. “A lot of the operators just haven’t worked with travel advisors yet,” she explained. “So there is a really good opportunity to negotiate.” 

Pre- and post-trips are another way to increase the value of a diving trip, which require clients to remain grounded for a minimum of 24 hours after the expedition.

“Post-trips are huge because you’re literally not allowed to fly after diving,” Shay said. “You have to let the nitrogen leave your body first. For multiple dives, you might have to wait 48 hours or more.”

To make the most of this "no-fly" window, she often books clients on “sea safaris” such as whale-watching tours. “This is a great add-on idea because it’s pretty hard to dive with a whale, and it’s illegal in most places too,” she explained.

Shay also “highly recommends” organising pre-trips, which allow the client to complete “refresher dives” if they haven’t dived in a while. “It’s like riding a bike but it does take a few minutes to get back into it,” she said, before adding these warm-ups are “especially important” if you’re jet-lagged.

With such complex itineraries sometimes taking days to build, Shay is adamant about the importance of agents charging for their services. Clients make a non-refundable payment to cover her planning time, which ensures she is fairly compensated regardless of the commission rate.

Shay says she has received no backlash for requesting fees – and is even starting to increase them. “Sometimes, I think I care too much because I’ll spend far more time than I probably pay myself planning these trips!” 

What's to come? 

Shay’s “ultimate goal” is to accompany clients by hosting trips for experienced divers. Working alongside a “handful of dive shops”, she intends to organise liveaboard expeditions to diving hotspots such as the Galapagos, the Maldives and the Philippines, with the US and Germany serving as her key markets.

She’ll also be expanding her destination knowledge by taking individual trips to all of the above places, as well as the Red Sea in Egypt once the conflict in the Middle East end.

While global politics remains unpredictable, Grace is certain of one thing: the popularity of diving within the luxury travel sector isn’t going anywhere.

“I think the ocean is very alluring to a lot of people, and as people become more affluent, they seek activities that are more experiential and a bit more difficult,” she said. “People are really intrigued by it. It’s amazing – it’s my favourite thing on Earth.”
 

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