Joined in August 2022
Operations, technology, and customer experience
Based in Westchester County, New YorkFinding her passion by accident
Lee Newell spent decades climbing the corporate ladder—operations roles at the National Basketball Association, technology positions, Vice President of Stores and Customer Service at Design Within Reach.
“I spent most of my career in senior corporate roles before transitioning into travel advising,” Lee recalled.
But something shifted eight years ago during her first safari. She returned and told a friend, “I have to find a way to do this for a living.”
It took six more years, but while researching South Africa, she stumbled upon Fora. “I’m like, who is this Fora? I ended up chatting with Evan [Fora's co-founder], and it was 2022, so kind of ground floor. And that was it.”
In just 11 months, Lee made Pro status (selling more than $100K in bookings). Since then, she’s grown her business fourfold and is building the career she was meant for—finally finding her passion “by accident.”
Balancing two careers
Lee maintains a full-time position as an office manager and accountant for a boutique project management firm. Although she would like to do travel advising full time, she appreciates the stability of a regular paycheck and access to a health insurance plan.
“When I started with this current role, I was very upfront about building my travel business,” she explained. Her boss turned out to be supportive.
“I work a lot at night and on the weekends. I literally work seven days a week,” she said. “But I love it so much.”
The tools that make part-time travel advising possible
When you’re managing two careers, efficiency becomes essential. For Lee, Fora’s tools—combined with smart technology choices—make it possible to deliver exceptional service despite time constraints.
Lee saves time with Fora's proposal and itinerary tools
Fora build tools like Itineraries, Price Drop, and Bookable Quote to help advisors save time and be more efficient, while also providing the best service to their clients.
Fora Itineraries. The ability to create proposals and itineraries in Fora’s Portal transformed her workflow. “I used to send hotel options in an email, copy the quotes from Portal,” she said. “The itineraries feature is a game changer. It just shows such a professional look—you’re putting your best foot forward.”
Specialized training. Safari Bootcamp with Claire was transformative. “It was so informative. It wasn’t just about properties, it was truly about Africa. I thought I knew Africa, but there’s just so much to learn—knowing which partners are good.”
Fora community. The advisor camaraderie provides critical support. “I’ve just started putting things out there when I don’t know an area too well, asking for advice. It’s so helpful, and I always pay it forward.”
Advice for part-timers
Lee built her travel business by pairing her corporate project management skills with Fora’s technology, leveraging experience she already had in another field to be successful as a travel advisor.
“Finally finding my passion—this is a story I’m proud to tell,” Lee reflected.
The itinerary feature has been a game changer. It creates a polished, professional experience for clients.
Lee Newell
joined August 2022
For people considering building a travel business while maintaining full-time employment, Lee emphasizes three things:
Training matters: “You don’t just come in and travel for free. Get the lay of the land. Really learn all you can. Attend the trainings.”
Be transparent with your employer: “I was very upfront about building my travel business.”
Charge planning fees from the start: “I’d rather not waste my time if someone’s not serious. When people don’t call you back and you’ve done all that work—that’s a real stinger.”
How Fora made success possible
Itinerary builder: Creates professional proposals and itineraries quickly
Booking portal: Enables secure booking from anywhere
Community support: Provides destination expertise and problem-solving from fellow advisors
Specialized training: Accelerates expertise in destinations and niche travel segments
