Planning a fabulous honeymoon can be a daunting task, but that is exactly what Jim Augerinos does as the president of Perfect Honeymoons & Holidays Travel. When we spoke to Augerinos early last year he was busy selling, mostly to Millennials, trips to places like Bora Bora. “Younger people nowadays are looking for unique experiences that are authentic with less of a touristy feel,” said Augerinos at the time. That concept appears to remain true today. “Couples now more than ever are eager to go somewhere their friends haven’t been — the further away and the more exotic the better,” says Augerinos. “It’s fun for me. For awhile, everyone did the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii. Now that has changed; it’s Seychelles, Bali, Vietnam, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Montenegro and Oman.”
Though the needs of Augerinos’ typical honeymooner hasn’t changed over the last year-and-a-half, the business has evolved. He’s already increased annual revenue from $2.5 million to $3 million in that brief time.
The agency just rebranded and will launch new websites soon. Augerinos has also created two separate divisions that will help sell honeymoon trips and those vacations the clients will take after the honeymoon (like "babymoons"). Augerinos remains a part of Signature Travel Network. “It has been amazing and a huge asset to the growth of my business,” he says.
Another strategy Augerinos is exploring is recruiting more talent into the travel business. He is currently mentoring a Millennial intern and plans to get more independent consultants involved in the agency slowly and strategically. “We are still getting the majority of business from word of mouth and referrals, but [we] will really start ramping up our Instagram and YouTube video presence,” he says.
 |
| February 2014 |
Augerinos is also traveling to areas that may interest his clients; he stayed at The Singular Patagonia, Puerto Natales. Augerinos says he was blown away by the history of the hotel and the significance the property holds for the local community and economy. The best part of the stay sounds like it may have been the floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the mountains and the delicious Chilean wine. Augerinos hasn’t stopped there; he has also visited South Africa, Dubai, Argentina and Italy recently.
The next big project for Augerinos will likely be his most challenging. He is planning his most important honeymoon trip to date — his own (he proposed to his girlfriend on top of a glacier in Argentina). “There is a ton of pressure on me, but I had already started mapping out the honeymoon before I even popped the question,” he jokes.