Joined in June 2023
Based in St. Louis, MissouriMegan Smith spent the early part of her career on the account side of creative agencies—managing clients, timelines, and moving pieces across complex projects. After living in Australia for two years with her husband, she returned to the United States in 2018, had her son, and spent several years at home with her kids.
When both children started full-time school, Megan was ready for something new. She’d always been the one in her social circle to build the itineraries, do the research, and send the maps links, so travel advising was a natural next step.
“When I decide to do something, I’m all in,” she said. “I want to learn everything, know everything.”
She joined a small, local host agency of about five advisors. It was a fast way in, but eventually it became clear it wasn’t the right fit for the clients she was targeting. She went on the hunt for a new host with a more robust training program and a few key priorities top of mind.
Supplier relationships that fit her client base
Megan realized quickly that her agency didn’t offer access to what her clients wanted out of their trips, like a preferred partnership that would offer complimentary breakfast, hotel credits, and room upgrades.
“I felt like I was leaving something on the table,” she said. “I knew those amenities were out there. I wanted to be able to offer them.”
When she was a new advisor, Megan saw preferred partner perks as an immediate, tangible value-add. Without them, she felt limited both in what she could offer clients and in how she could differentiate herself from credit card concierge services.
Once she started researching Fora, the contrast was immediate. Fora’s access to essentially every major preferred partnership—Four Seasons, Virtuoso-affiliated properties, and more—was exactly what she’d been looking for.
“Fora is choose-your-own adventure,” she said. “You can book through direct preferred partnerships or through consortium partners. All of these options are available to you. It’s just really valuable.”
Megan gets clients VIP treatment with Fora Reserve partners
Fora’s 7,000+ preferred partners offer unmatched travel experiences through upgrades, welcome amenities, free breakfast, and more.
A platform that grows with the business
Over three years as a Fora Advisor, Megan has watched Fora’s platform expand into something that handles more of her workflow than any outside tool.
The in-house flight desk was a game-changer. Previously, Megan had cobbled together solutions using third-party flight desks to meet client demand for full-service trip management. Having that capability under the Fora umbrella made her offering feel more cohesive.
On the itinerary and CRM side, Megan had tried different solutions, but found them expensive, difficult to maintain, or clunky to use across her full client workflow. Fora’s expanded itinerary builder and new CRM tools are ones she’s been anticipating.
I think [Fora] truly eliminates the need for any other software programs.
Megan Smith
joined June 2023“I’m so excited about the inquiry form and just having everything live in one place,” she said. “I think it truly eliminates the need for any other software programs.”
From part-time to top 100
When Megan started, she wanted the flexibility to scale on her own timeline. Fora’s self-paced structure made that feel achievable without pressure. “I loved that Fora was positioned as ‘Build the business you want,’” she said.
But it didn't stay part-time for long. In 2025 and 2026, Megan was named a Fora Centum honoree, placing her among Fora’s 100 highest-producing advisors. The group collectively generated more than $200 million in travel sales and 200,000 room nights in 2025.
Her client base grew steadily, almost entirely through friends, family, and referrals within one or two degrees of separation. One of her most memorable bookings started as a simple trip to Australia to visit a son studying abroad. By the time she was done, it had expanded into a month-long itinerary spanning New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. The client texted her throughout: This is the best hotel we’ve ever stayed at. No, wait, this one is.
“That showed me that once people start working with you, they realize the value of what you bring to the table as a travel advisor,” Megan said.
She also credits Fora’s annual Live Forum event with accelerating her supplier relationships. Being based in St. Louis means fewer roadshows and sales visits than advisors in major markets get. “The fact that Fora facilitates that opportunity has skyrocketed my career,” she said.
How Fora made success possible
Fora’s preferred partnerships and platform gave Megan the tools to build a competitive, full-service business from day one:
Fora Reserve access: Fora’s relationships with more than 7,000 preferred partners, including Four Seasons and other top suppliers, mean clients get amenities that advisors at smaller agencies can’t match.
Platform tools: Fora’s itinerary builder and CRM reduce reliance on outside software.
Supplier events: Live Forum and other in-person events create relationship-building opportunities that would otherwise require significant independent effort, especially for advisors outside major markets.
In-house flight desk: With Fora Flights, advisors can provide full-service trip management without routing clients to third-party services.
