Patricia McLemore stops at nothing to ensure that her clients’ experience with her is a stellar one. For example, she’ll go to their house to strategize with them and she’s on hand 24/7 to make any trip alterations they need, no matter how large or small.
This trendsetter became a travel nomad early. Born in Bryn Mawr, PA, she grew up all over the country, attending six different schools between kindergarten and graduating high school. She now lives in Scottsdale, AZ, having moved there three years ago from Laguna Beach to be closer to her clients, friends and family. Spain is her home base in the summer, where she heads to Sotogrande in the Andalusian region of the country.
The beauty industry was McLemore’s focus before starting a career in private travel. She worked in the store fixture and display industry, acting as the broker between retail stores and the design and architectural team. “They would come to me to have displays and full store fixtures built. Some of my clients included Sephora, Estee Lauder, Chanel, Macy’s, DFS and numerous luxe cosmetic brands,”she tells us. So how did she get into travel? She ventured to ILTM, the big luxury trade show in Cannes, France one year. There, she met David Rubin of DavidTravel, who asked her to join his ‘mini-agency’ within the host agency, Montecito Village Travel (MVT) and its parent company, Your Travel Center (YTC), where he is an independent contractor. Rubin’s agency is called The BET (Bespoke Experience Team). McLemore says this relationship enables her to operate completely independently as an IC with MVT / YTC as a host agency. “I have the best of both worlds!” she says.
DavidTravel, based out of Corona del Mar, CA, focuses on designing customized luxury vacations, often for travelers looking for more adventurous trips and off-the-beaten-path destinations. In keeping with the agency’s philosophy, McLemore has accompanied clients on trips in small groups to events such as Monaco Grand Prix, Ice Driving in Norway, Cannes Film Festival and even a luxury camp at Burning Man music festival.
McLemore has been a travel advisor for 11 years with a client base consisting of professional athletes, CEOs, entrepreneurs, an occasional celebrity, socialites and mainly “high net worth” families and individuals. She works to design travel globally, however most of her clients favor Europe. “My niche is taking care of the clients from start to finish. I meet them in their homes, get to know them, and take care of them the entire time they are traveling. I’m always on call and can change things around with little notice,” she says.
McLemore, also passionate about charity work, has created a business model where she assists with the travel arrangements for consumers who are the winning bidders of trips donated by professional sports team charity foundations. This provides an introduction to those who may eventually become new clients. “David has been excited by the programs I’ve developed for fundraisers that have helped my business grow and thrive. Plus, we have great mutual respect for our shared drive to be different, tenacious and always think out of the box,” she says.
So what’s next? “I’m working on CEO symposiums for groups of 10 at fabulous locations all over the world. I’m handling all logistics and travel, working along with one of the world’s top CEO trainers.”
A new hobby for this trendsetter includes hosting talks on the humorous side of travel, in particular testimonials and requests from clients. She’s also keen to keep up her efforts on the charity front and attends as many functions as possible. “It’s also a great excuse to wear a gown!” she says.