TAMMY LEVENT
Founder of Elite Travel Management Group | Creator of T.A.S.K.™ | Inventor | Philanthropist
TAMMY LEVENT
Founder of Elite Travel Management Group | Creator of T.A.S.K.™ | Inventor | Philanthropist
Early Days
Tammy Levent didn’t just build a travel business - she rebuilt a life.
Born to Greek parents and raised with a deep love for family, food, and adventure, Tammy started traveling at two years old. While other kids were learning their ABCs, she was learning airport codes, cultures, and how it feels to be small in a big world - and still choose curiosity over fear.
Travel became her classroom and her escape. It showed her that life can look different than what you are handed, and that reinvention is possible when you’re willing to do the work.
Elite Travel Thrives
Tammy’s path to becoming a recognized travel industry leader wasn’t easy. She faced personal and financial setbacks that would have caused most people to quit. Instead, she made a decision: if she had to start over, she would build something that created freedom, stability, and a future for her family.
With no investors and no safety net, she launched what would become Elite Travel Management Group, Inc. Through hard-earned experience - every negotiation, every vendor relationship, every client issue - she built systems that turned pressure into process and problems into profit.
Elite Travel grew into an award-winning agency responsible for more than $190 million in travel sales, known for high-touch service, strong supplier partnerships, 24/7 support with real people answering the phone, and the kind of client loyalty you can’t buy - you earn.
In the late 1990s, Tammy became one of the first travel professionals in the United States to specialize in destination weddings. At a time when the concept was still new, she saw the opportunity to create full, turn-key wedding experiences in beautiful places around the world. Her work led to features in bridal magazines nationwide, appearances as a go-to expert at bridal shows, and the management of 300+ weddings per year, year after year.
In 1998, when her business surged from $500,000 to over $5 million in sales almost overnight, Tammy was featured on the front page of Travel Weekly. This milestone confirmed what she already knew: when you understand positioning, marketing, and structure, everything changes.
The Seasons That Shaped the Mission
Along the way, Tammy also faced serious health challenges, including breast cancer and other medical crises. Those seasons didn’t break her - they sharpened her. They clarified what matters most: time is precious, experiences matter more than things, and your work should mean something beyond a number on a spreadsheet.
That mindset became the heartbeat of how she leads: build with integrity, serve with excellence, and use success as a platform to lift others.
The COVID Rebound
Then came COVID - the moment that shook the travel industry to its core.
While the world hit pause, Tammy went to work. Instead of waiting for the industry to come back, she built for the comeback - strengthening supplier strategy, modernizing operations, leaning into digital systems, and investing heavily in visibility and luxury branding so her business wouldn’t just survive; it would be found.
She guided clients through cancellations, rebookings, and constant changes with calm, real-time support from real people. And when travel returned, Elite Travel returned stronger - proof that resilience isn’t a personality trait; it’s a practice.
Why She Built the Travel Agent Success Kit (T.A.S.K.™)
As Elite Travel grew, other travel advisors started asking the same questions: “How are you doing this?” “How are you getting these clients?” “How are you staying profitable when everyone else is struggling?”
Tammy realized something important: travel advisors were being taught how to book travel, but not how to run a real business. They weren’t taught profit structure, marketing, systems, supplier strategy, or how to qualify clients in a way that protects time and increases conversion.
That’s when she created the Travel Agent Success Kit (T.A.S.K.™), a nontraditional, tell-you-the-truth training program designed to help advisors build agencies that operate like profitable enterprises - not hobbies.
T.A.S.K.™ teaches advisors how to qualify clients properly, build cash flow without relying on service fees, develop strategic vendor and supplier relationships, and structure their businesses for longevity. What started as a solution for a few became an award-winning program recognized across the industry.
Today, Tammy is also a national TV travel correspondent and educator, featured across major media outlets, known for delivering practical strategies with honesty, heart, and a deep commitment to raising the industry's standards.
Today
Tammy’s story has never been limited to one lane. The same grit and creativity that built Elite Travel also fueled her work as an inventor and entrepreneur.
Rooted in her Greek heritage and love of unforgettable experiences, Tammy created LukuPuffs - an original concept inspired by the joy of loukoumades and the indulgence of Italian zeppole, reimagined with endless topping possibilities. It’s more than a product; it’s culture, comfort, and celebration in one bite.
At the same time, she continues to curate elevated travel experiences - including luxury group journeys and Blue Zone-inspired travel focused on longevity, wellness, and connection. Whether she’s building new ventures or guiding clients across the globe, Tammy leads with the same philosophy: create something real, make it excellent, and let it impact people’s lives.
Humanitarian Impact
Tammy’s heart has always been bigger than business. She founded It’s My Bag, a charity that ensures children in foster care never have to move their belongings in trash bags. Since its launch, the organization has delivered more than 17,000 suitcases across the United States with the support of suitcase manufacturers, travel partners, and local communities.
For Tammy, success has always been about impact, not just income - building something that serves families, strengthens communities, and reminds people that dignity matters.
What She Stands For
Tammy Levent is a builder, a mentor, and a woman who has proven, repeatedly, that you can start over without losing who you are. She has lived the hard chapters, and she’s used them to create opportunity for others.
Her work is driven by resilience, leadership, and a mission to help people experience the world - and to help travel advisors build businesses that change their lives. If there’s a common thread through everything she does, it’s this: you don’t have to choose between success and heart. You can have both - and you can bring others with you.
Tammy's Personal Message to You
To every travel advisor out there… I want to say something that’s been sitting heavy on my heart.
I created TASK for a reason and that reason is bigger than any one program.
Because travel isn’t a transaction.
Travel is a life chapter.
When someone hands you their vacation days, their savings, and their hopes… they’re not buying a hotel room. They’re buying a memory. They’re buying a “first time.” A “we finally did it.” A “my kids will remember this forever.” And that means what we do is personal. It’s emotional. It’s legacy work.
We don’t just book trips.
We protect moments.
And with that kind of impact, we do not get to be casual about our responsibility.
Our job is to protect people not just with “a deal,” but with the best fit. The best destination for their season of life. The right experience for their family. The right expectations. The right support when things go sideways. Because what we’re really selling is peace of mind… and the ability for our clients to be fully present in the moments they’ll talk about for years.
That’s why I’ll say it louder every year:
Integrity matters. Standards matter. Mentorship matters.
Because the travel industry has been spiraling in ways that should concern every true professional. We’re watching more and more “quick-entry” models pop up multilevel recruiting, host-hopping culture, and business practices that reward volume over values. We’re watching the title “travel advisor” get thrown around like it’s something anyone can claim… instead of something that’s earned through professionalism, education, accountability, and care.
I’m on platforms every day reading posts about advisors jumping from host to host to host… and it breaks my heart, because stability should not be rare in a career this important.
Do you know I have advisors who have been with me since day one close to 35 years?
That doesn’t happen by accident.
That happens when you treat people with respect. When you train them the right way. When you help them build confidence, profit, and a brand that lasts. When you choose mentorship over manipulation… and community over competition.
And listen people can argue about what’s “ruining” travel. Some people blame AI. Some people blame online booking engines. Some people blame consumers.
I’m not worried about AI.
I’m not worried about online.
I’m worried about corruption.
I’m worried about structures that allow people to enter this business with no real training and no real standards while the industry pretends it’s fine because everyone is getting paid.
And I’m worried about compensation structures that don’t match the work we do.
I’m worried that tour operators are making double and triple of what they’re paying you, while you’re the one managing the client, the expectations, the details, and the emergencies. And then on top of that, many advisors are working under host models that take an even larger percentage, while money is being made on the back end sometimes through incentives, overrides, volume bonuses, and other revenue streams without you even knowing what’s being earned in your name.
That’s not transparency.
That’s not partnership.
And that’s not how professionals should be treated.
I’m worried about the rising cost of travel and how we can still deliver value, protection, and unforgettable experiences for our clients… without cutting corners, without selling something that doesn’t fit, and without letting our standards slide.
That’s exactly why I built TASK.
Because I made a commitment years ago:
One agent at a time, we change the industry by raising the standard.
TASK isn’t just a training program.
It’s a family and a mission built around values values that protect our clients, protect our businesses, and protect the integrity of what it means to be a travel professional.
So here’s my message to every advisor reading this:
Commit to learning. Commit to applying. Commit to standing for something bigger than quick money and quick titles. Commit to being the advisor who elevates the client experience and elevates this industry with every booking you touch.
Because if we don’t make a change… this industry will dissolve quickly not because people don’t want to travel, but because the meaning of professionalism will get diluted until clients no longer know who to trust.
And I refuse to let that happen.
If anyone from TASK is reading this: thank you for being part of the TASK family. Thank you for caring enough to grow, to learn, and to protect the standard. Keep showing up. Keep raising the bar. Keep leading with integrity.
Because whether you call yourself a travel advisor, travel consultant, or travel agent… you are the standard when you choose to act like one.
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