Learn five essential travel hacks for salon educators by Blake Reed Evans, Sam Villa Ambassador and owner of Shear Art Salon.
“Traveling frequently can be rough…but it doesn’t matter, it’s so worth it! I’m driven by a dream that every stylist can love the place they work, the people they work with, the hair they’re doing, AND the people they’re working on. Every cancelled flight, change of plans, airport marathon, gas station dinner (yes, that’s a thing) IS WORTH IT to see this industry grow,” explains Blake Reed Evans, Sam Villa Ambassador and owner of Shear Art Salon (Tampa, FL) @blakereedevans. Get a glimpse of a couple trips here and here.
Evans travels constantly (at least three times a month) and has tried and true hacks to help make traveling as smooth as a silk press for any road warrior.
Travel Hacks
- Sign up for a loyalty program with an airline and hotel chain. You are working hard traveling for work, that means you need to earn points for an awesome vacation. The higher status you have, the faster you earn points. Equally important, if there is ever an issue (weather delays, a dirty room), your loyalty will be rewarded with quick action. I love American Airlines and Hilton Hotels.
- Pack intelligently! I use Sam Villa Professional Beauty Cases for everything, and I keep the tags attached to keep organized. I have one for brushes, one for pins/clips/combs, another for product, one for irons, and another one for digital accessories like cords and things like that.
- Look for something fun to do in the city you are visiting! I look on Ticketmaster for a concert or check TikTok for a cool restaurant!
- When booking guests in the salon, only book out 3 months at a time. When you travel like we do, opportunities pop up last minute, so don’t stress by booking the entire year out!
- When you’re trying to time how long it will take to get somewhere, use the Waze App. You can plug in an arrival time, and it provides a recommended departure time based on traffic patterns for that specific day and time.
More from Evans can be seen on TikTok. Learn valuable information from Sam Villa and team here. Including “Mannequin Mondays,” “Transformation Tuesdays,” and “Wellness Wednesdays” on Facebook @SamVillaPros and YouTube @SamVillaHair.
Sam Villa is Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of the Sam Villa Company (Allvus, LLC), a leading education and styling tool company for the professional hair industry.