The Quality Makers: Henley Vasquez’s of Fora

After nearly two decades in the travel industry, Henley Vasquez saw a massive opportunity: to make the role of a travel advisor more accessible, flexible, and future-proof. In 2021, she co-founded Fora, a modern travel agency, built to empower a new generation of advisors. Following the pandemic, when 1.5 million women lost their jobs and many others began seeking more flexible, meaningful work, Henley saw a major opportunity. What if the role of travel advisor could be reimagined? What if passion for travel could become a career, no matter someone’s background or life stage? That’s the idea behind Fora, which now boasts a growing network of advisors – 86% of whom are women, and nearly half of whom are parents.

In our conversation, Henley shares what it’s really like to be a founder, mom, and self-proclaimed hotel junkie.

TQE: As a mom, a founder, and a world traveler, what does a day in your life look like right now?

HV: We are an in-person office, so I’m there every day (unless I’m traveling). I typically head to our TriBeCa office after school drop-off, and it’s off to the races as soon as I step out of the elevator doors. It can vary day-to-day, but I’m in constant communication with my co-founders, my team, our travel advisors, and our hotel partners. In my perfect world, I end each workday at the boxing gym, but things don’t always go according to plan as a co-founder. 

When I’m traveling, a normal day can include visiting a brand new hotel, meeting with suppliers teams, hosting local chapter events for our fabulous Fora advisors, and hopping on the phone with an agent or client to help them navigate a particularly complicated trip.

TQE: What’s something people are surprised to learn about you?

HV: I think that most people would be surprised to learn that I am a chronic over-packer. Checked bag, all the way. I travel so often that at this point, I just want my things with me – all my things. And I’m terrible with jet lag.

TQE: Fora is a fresh take on travel booking. Can you explain how it works and what makes Fora different from traditional agencies and platforms?

HV: My co-founders and I have always believed in the power of great travel advisors, and now, with Fora, we're combining that human expertise with smart technology to make it easier for more people to do this work, and to do it really well. Fora's platform is designed to enhance human expertise with technology, rather than replace it. 

The emphasis is on empowering advisors through tools that streamline operations. These include an integrated booking platform where advisors can compare, quote, and book (as well as monitor price changes), thousands of hours of live and on-demand training, a collaborative community app for real-time support, and a finance team that handles all the work of the advisor back office. This tech-forward approach allows advisors to focus on personalized service, setting Fora apart in the industry.

For travelers, working with a Fora Advisor guarantees extra perks and VIP treatment – think free breakfast, room upgrades, spa credits, and more. Our incredible tech also gives us major advantages, like the ability to provide our clients with the best, lowest rates possible.

TQE: How do you see the future of travel evolving, and where does Fora fit in?

HV: We believe technology will keep making life easier for travel advisors—streamlining the admin and ops work that used to cap how much they could grow their business. With Fora’s platform handling the busywork, advisors can scale their businesses dramatically: serving more clients, spending more time on marketing, building stronger books of business, and ultimately unlocking greater earning potential. And travelers benefit, too. 

For the first time, more people can tap into the magic of working with an advisor—across budgets, trip types, and travel styles. From that first spark of inspiration to planning, on-the-ground support, and even follow-up after the trip, the experience will feel seamless. Fast, personal, human. This is the future we’re building together.

TQE: What’s a common misconception or mistake you see people make around travel, and how does Fora correct that? 

HV: One of the biggest misconceptions about working with a travel advisor is that many people assume they’re expensive and/or reserved for the ultra-wealthy. But in reality, most of the time, the traveler does not pay anything extra to work with an advisor.

Travel advisors make a commission that is built into the price of the accommodations (hotel, cruise, etc), and that is paid by the booking partner. So, by planning with a Fora Advisor, you’re paying the same price you’d pay if you booked on your own, but getting the added benefit of perks, a truly personalized and curated trip, and of course, major time saved.

TQE: What sort of feedback have you received? Have any comments in particular stuck with you?

HV: There are so many stories that advisors share with us, it’s hard to pick just a few. But we recently had an advisor plan a trip to Hawaii for a client who was facing the end of his battle with cancer. The trip was planned and canceled because of hospitalizations, but they ultimately were able to make the journey. The advisor sent me a photo of the family smiling, standing in the ocean making final memories. Immediate tears.

Another one of our advisors was recently featured on CBS News Bay Area talking about her personal experience booking accessible travel, as an accessible traveler herself. Beyond planning memorable trips for her clients, Karen is dedicated to making travel more inclusive for all travelers requiring accessible accommodations, whether that’s travelers with mobility needs, multi-generational families, or individuals with other accessibility considerations. And she’s taken the lead in educating our Fora community on how to do just that for their travelers as well.

TQE: As a self-proclaimed “hotel junkie,” what are your non-negotiables when booking a hotel or other travel plans?

HV: I’m a true hotel junkie, so I love all kinds of hotels, but I have a few things that are non-negotiable: a great hotel gym and good bedding. I credit the new Shelborne in Miami, which recently gave me the first nights of non-insomniac sleep I’d had in a while (hello, new most comfortable bed), and I’ll call out the recently-opened Jumeirah Masra Al-Arab for having a gorgeous gym that let me sneak in a jetlag-busting workout while I was in Dubai. It makes all the difference.

TQE: What destinations are having a moment in the spotlight right now? And what destinations do you think deserve more attention?

HV: Greece is really having a moment. We’ve seen a 171% increase in bookings from last summer to this summer at Fora! But you can still find relatively undiscovered nooks - and Folegandros is one of them. A small island with white-washed buildings, bougainvillea-lined paths, and quiet beaches, Folegandros is your ticket to a Greece summer, save the crowds.

Umbria is a destination that deserves a lot more attention. Everyone talks about Tuscany, but I’m dying over two amazing hotels I visited in neighboring Umbria recently (Vocabolo Moscateli and Reschio). They’ll take on the best of anywhere in Italy.

TQE: What’s one hotel you’d love to live in?
HV: It depends on the day! Some mornings I’m wishing for my dream country life at Brush Creek Ranch, others I’d like to be a beach bum waking up at Hotel Esencia in Mexico. I will say that from a service perspective, I love that whenever I check into a Four Seasons, they’ve got everything on lock that will make my life easier (queue Toronto who recently stocked my room with Coke Zeros and managed to source a notary for me in 30 minutes from arrival). I wish I could come home to that kind of personalized caretaking on a daily basis.

TQE: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

HV: Yes! If you love travel, and you’re serious about learning and customer service, you can become a travel advisor. Fora doesn’t discriminate based on experience in the industry. We have a really strong focus on training and development, so if you come eager and ready to learn, we will teach you everything you need to know about the travel industry, including partners, travel planning and bookings, as well as entrepreneurship and business building. And if what you want is to level up your travel style, let us match you with the best advisor. Vacation upgrade!