Veterans Carve New Paths in Travel Entrepreneurship
Nexion Travel Group is giving veterans and military spouses a different kind of battleground—one where the prize isn't a medal, but a successful travel business. With their Veterans in Travel program, they've hit milestones that deserve more than just a polite nod.
Surpassing Last Year's Benchmarks
Let's cut to the chase, folks. The numbers are speaking, and they're brag-worthy. The advisors in the Veterans in Travel program have already blown past their total travel sales seen in 2025. We're talking more than $4 million in sales for 2026, year-to-date. That's no small potatoes. And it's not just a couple of lucky players either—four advisors have hit over $1 million in lifetime travel sales. One of them's even sitting pretty at over $2 million. Now that's what I call moving the needle.
A Program Backed by Purpose
Started in 2018, this venture wasn't just about filling business ranks with new blood. Nexion found a way to build a bridge for folks who spent years in service, letting them march into entrepreneurship with a few battle-tested skills in their back pocket. The 50% scholarship to hustle through travel advisor training, business coaching, and mentorship—it's all part of the package.
“When I entered the Veterans in Travel Program, I thought being a travel agent would be entirely different than anything I ever did in the Army,” Mike Capps, a program success story, admits.
Turns out, those military skills have a place here, perhaps more than Capps, or anyone, expected. Talk about an unexpected homecoming.
Cultural Shift in the Travel Universe?
It's not just about helping veterans find a post-military career—it's a savvy play on how experiences from the field can enrich travel services, not unlike infusing a storied layer to a vanilla itinerary. The fact that the program's endorsed by the heavy-hitters like AMVETS speaks to its clout.
Jackie Friedman, the big cheese at Nexion, puts it like this: "Our veterans and active military spouses have a chance to break into travel... Our members who have come through Veterans in Travel already have leadership skills and resilience." And you know what? She's probably onto something.
Looking Beyond 2026
Skeptical eyes might narrow on the fancy numbers and endorsements. But hey, if you caught a whiff of these sales trends alongside economic bumps, you'd start to believe there's something in the way this travel gig unfolds. It's a respectful nod to a future where veteran entrepreneurs continue to find a sweet spot in the commercial world.
As Veterans Day looms, it's worth noting how doors are being opened for veterans and spouses pondering their next big leap. Beyond feel-good headlines, there's a concrete path unfolding that deserves more than just the spotlight moment of a single day.
For those veterans wrestling with "what's next?", maybe it's time to think outside the foxhole: Start a travel legacy, leverage those built-up life skills, and maybe even rewrite the playbook for what post-military success can really look like.
