Sarah Groen – Wild Business Growth Podcast #118: Luxury Travel Insider, Founder of Bell + Bly Travel

What makes a vacation truly unforgettable? That’s where this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest makes travel magic. Her name is Sarah Groen. She’s the Founder of Bell + Bly Travel and a top luxury travel advisor. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur or innovator joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the crazy creative and unusual ways they grew their business, and provides tips for you to do it, too. Hear the woman who became the voice of Siri, the man who’s reinventing the sandcastle, how GaryVee’s partners are turning the wine world upside down, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

Episode #118: Sarah Groen – Luxury Travel Insider, Founder of Bell + Bly Travel

Sarah Groen, the Founder of Bell + Bly Travel, joins the show to share her journey from rolling out Uber Eats in Houston and Phoenix to becoming a top luxury travel advisor. Hear how to dig deep into the minds of your customers, build a network of all-star partners, provide stellar customer service, create unforgettable experiences, and the craziest thing Sarah has ever seen while traveling. This episode covers everything from entrepreneurship lessons to travel tips. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What did Sarah do at Uber Eats
• How do you go about rapid prototyping
• What makes an experience luxury
• How do you find a channel partner
• What makes Bell + Bly Travel different
• What are the most unforgettable travel experiences
• How was Sarah’s trip to the Gates of Hell
• How do you get over jet lag

Connect with Sarah at BellAndBlyTravel.com, her Luxury Travel Insider podcast, and on Instagram at @SarahGoesGlobal.

Enjoy the shooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Uber Eats
  • [0:17] Oh, Hello
  • [0:29] Email me at for help using your podcast as a business-building tool
  • [0:45] Connect with Sarah at BellAndBlyTravel.com, her Luxury Travel Insider podcast, and on Instagram at @SarahGoesGlobal
  • [1:40] Luxury Travel
  • [2:02] Podcast Movement Virtual aka #PMvirtual
  • [2:26] Uber
  • [2:33] What was Sarah’s role at Uber Eats
  • [2:41] Finance, Tech (Technology), FinTech
  • [3:10] Startup
  • [3:17] Entrepreneurship
  • [3:24] Product Team
  • [4:01] Iterative Process
  • [4:11] How do you go about Rapid Prototyping
  • [4:34] Product, Service
  • [4:44] Customer
  • [5:00] Engineering
  • [5:10] Code
  • [5:37] What is something surprising about Uber Eats
  • [6:16] iPad
  • [6:32] Cross-Dispatch
• The Bell + Bly Travel Story
  • [7:46] Transportation
  • [8:00] How did Sarah get into the travel space
  • [8:11] Travel Bug
  • [8:17] SURGE Accelerator
  • [8:58] Study Abroad
  • [9:12] How to visit 10 countries in 10 days
  • [9:26] Red Eye
  • [9:44] Investment Banker (I-Banker)
  • [10:04] Equity
  • [11:08] Trip Planning
  • [11:40] Why should you work with Bell + Bly Travel
  • [11:52] Executives, CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [12:13] Blog
  • [12:34] Client
  • [12:45] Sales
  • [13:13] Hey! Early Pet Peeves
  • [13:57] Pattern Matching
  • [14:09] Google
  • [14:44] How do you dig deep into the minds of your customers
  • [14:53] Podcast Interviews
  • [15:00] Podcasting
  • [15:24] Boutique Hotels
  • [16:00] Feedback Calls
  • [16:42] Why does Sarah focus on luxury
  • [16:55] Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Language Immersion in Nicaragua
  • [17:45] Network
  • [17:50] Sales Process
  • [18:05] Profitable
  • [18:26] Markos Chaidemenos of Canaves Oia, Santorini on Luxury Travel Insider
  • [18:29] Dana & I’s trip to Santorini
  • [18:58] How do you build a network of all-star partners
  • [19:21] Channel Partner
  • [19:39] Virtuoso Consortium, Travel Advisor, Hotelier
  • [20:13] Virtuoso Conferences
  • [20:27] Email
  • [21:00] One&Only Mandarina, GM (General Manager)
  • [21:24] Podcast
  • [21:36] How do you build a travel advisor business
  • [22:03] Small Businesses
  • [22:12] Income
  • [22:33] Customer Service
  • [22:46] Luxury Traveler
  • [23:28] Train Strike in Italy
  • [24:07] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [24:46] What makes an unforgettable vacation
  • [25:21] Weekend Getaway
  • [25:35] Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, Greek Gods
  • [25:45] Cost Rican Leftover Turkey Recipes
  • [26:51] How do you make something memorable
  • [27:38] Dana & I’s cooking class in Mykonos
  • [28:18] What memorable experiences have Sarah and her clients had
  • [28:48] Etsy Santa Claus Letters
  • [30:03] Ice Fishing, Snowmobiling
  • [30:41] Excel File
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [31:24] Lindblad
  • [31:51] National Geographic Explorer
  • [32:01] Galápagos Islands
  • [32:22] Plankton
  • [32:34] Zodiac Boats
  • [32:38] National Geographic (Nat Geo)
  • [32:45] Lindblad Project Experiences
  • [33:00] Alaskan Cruises
  • [33:41] Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants
  • [33:58] Geology, Microseismic, Inc.
  • [34:08] Ba-dum chh!
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [34:17] What is Sarah’s favorite place she’s ever traveled to
  • [34:44] Colombia
  • [34:54] The 5 Stans – Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
  • [35:03] Stan
  • [35:12] The Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan
  • [35:57] Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Las Vegas, NV
  • [36:37] How do you get over jet lag
  • [37:21] What is Sarah’s biggest pet peeve
  • [38:06] Connect with Sarah at BellAndBlyTravel.com, her Luxury Travel Insider podcast, and on Instagram at @SarahGoesGlobal
  • [38:36] What are Sarah’s final thoughts
  • [39:05] Subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast
  • [39:08] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [39:17] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • [39:19] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but dreading the time commitment? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Sarah Groen on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!