Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Ambrose.
Hi Mark, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey into travel advising actually started as a client. For several years, I relied on an MVP travel advisor to help plan my family’s Disney vacations — mostly Walt Disney World trips — while I was working full-time in the tech support and customer service industry. Back then, Walt Disney World used to offer a free dining promotion every summer, and securing it meant sitting on hold for hours the moment it dropped. That simply wasn’t possible with my job. Having someone in my corner who could do that for me was a game changer, and I quickly realized just how valuable that kind of personalized service really was.
After using her services for several years, I was invited to join MVP as a travel advisor myself — and that’s where everything began to shift. I started by helping friends, family, and coworkers who already knew and trusted me, and from there, my business grew beyond Disney and Universal into cruising, all-inclusive resorts, Hawaii, Europe, and pretty much everywhere in between.
Shortly after joining MVP in 2018, I received a severance notice from my corporate job in Dallas. That was the moment I decided to go all in and make travel advising my full-time career. And honestly, things were going really well — until 2020, when COVID hit and effectively wiped out everything I had built. I had to start over from scratch.
I won’t sugarcoat it — those years were tough. From roughly 2018 through 2023, I was juggling rideshare driving, food delivery, and whatever other odd jobs I could find just to make ends meet, all while continuing to support my clients and keep my travel business alive. I never stopped. When travel came back, so did my business — and then some. The persistence paid off in a big way.
In late 2024, I was offered the opportunity to apply for a Team Leader — or mentor — role at MVP, where I now help aspiring travel advisors launch and grow their own businesses. And I want to be clear — I’m not stepping back from my clients to do it. I still actively plan and manage travel for my own growing client base every single day. In fact, my business has seen double-digit percentage growth year after year, consistently breaking and exceeding every goal I set for myself. I take a lot of pride in that, because I know firsthand what those early years look like. Everything I’ve learned came from the guidance of my own advisor, the mentorship I received along the way, and the incredible community of fellow MVP advisors I’ve had the privilege of working alongside for the past eight years.
By 2025, I was finally able to let go of every side gig and focus 100% on this business — the one I truly love.
Every single day I get to help people plan the most magical experiences around the world, and it never feels like work. You hear people say, “When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.” I used to wonder if that was really possible. Now I live it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Not even close — and I think that’s actually part of what makes this journey meaningful to me now.
The most obvious answer is COVID. But for travel advisors, it wasn’t just a slowdown — it was months of canceling trips we had spent countless hours planning, with zero compensation. Most people don’t realize that travel advisors are only paid a commission after a client completes their trip. If something cancels before they travel, we don’t see a dime. So I wasn’t just watching my bookings disappear — I was actively working harder than ever, processing cancellations and supporting stressed clients, with nothing coming in. That’s what led me to rideshare driving, food delivery, and whatever else I could piece together just to keep the lights on.
But honestly, 2020 hit me harder than just financially. At the height of COVID, my son’s mother unexpectedly passed away. Up until that point, we had shared a 50/50 custody arrangement that, while we were never together during my time building the business, gave me the flexibility and support system I needed to manage everything I had going on. Losing her meant becoming a full-time single parent overnight — grieving, figuring out an entirely new normal, and bearing the full financial weight of supporting my son and myself, largely on my own. There were moments where it felt nearly impossible to see a path forward.
What kept me going was the community around me. My fellow advisors at MVP, the mentorship I had access to, my own family — they were the foundation I leaned on hard during that stretch. I pushed myself outside my comfort zone in ways I never had before. I joined local networking groups. I got active in online communities. I doubled down on referrals from existing clients. And in 2021, I did my very first bridal show in Irving, Texas — a real leap for me at the time. That one event connected me with honeymooners and brides-to-be who became long-term clients I still serve today. It was proof that when I bet on myself, it paid off.
I’ve also had my share of difficult client situations over the years. I’ve never lost a client I couldn’t find a solution for, though I’ll admit not every guest has chosen to continue working with me — and that’s okay. I’ve learned something from every one of those experiences that made me a better advisor.
The other thing people rarely understand about this industry is the timeline of patience it demands. It can be one, two, sometimes even three or more years between the work you put in and the paycheck you receive. And at any point along the way, a trip can fall apart — a family loss, a medical crisis, a job change, a hurricane, a war, an economic shift. Factors completely outside anyone’s control can erase months or years of work in an instant. Learning to build a business with that kind of uncertainty underneath it is its own kind of discipline.
But here’s the thing — I never quit. And looking back, I’m grateful I didn’t.
We’ve been impressed with Magical Vacation Planner by Mark Ambrose, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is Magical Vacation Planner by Mark Ambrose — also known as Vacations by Mark — and you can find me at MarkTAmbrose.com. I’m an independent travel advisor operating under the Magical Vacation Planner host agency, which means I run my own business and my own client relationships, with the backing and resources of one of the most respected travel networks in the industry.
What I do, simply put, is help people plan and book incredible vacations — and I do it at absolutely no cost to them. My services are 100% complimentary. The travel companies and vendors I work with compensate me directly, so my clients get a dedicated, experienced advisor in their corner without paying a single extra dollar for it. I save my clients time, money, and stress — and that’s not just a tagline, it’s what I hear back from them consistently.
My specialties span a wide range of travel experiences. I work extensively with Disney and Universal theme park vacations, ocean and river cruising, all-inclusive resorts, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Europe, and beyond. Over my eight-plus years in this industry, I’ve built a deep certification portfolio across virtually every major brand and vendor I sell — including Disney, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Viking, and numerous all-inclusive resort brands, among others. What I take particular pride in is that these aren’t one-time credentials. I actively maintain and renew my certifications on a yearly basis, because this industry changes constantly and my clients deserve an advisor who is always current.
Beyond my client work, I also serve as a Team Leader and mentor within the Magical Vacation Planner organization — a role I stepped into in early 2025. In that capacity, I help aspiring travel advisors launch and grow their own businesses, guiding them through the early stages of building something sustainable. It’s a role I don’t take lightly, because I lived those early years myself.
What sets me apart is pretty straightforward — I treat every client like they’re the only one I have. I build real, lasting relationships. Many of the guests I started with years ago are still booking with me today, year after year, for every kind of trip imaginable. That kind of loyalty doesn’t come from just booking a vacation — it comes from showing up, solving problems, and genuinely caring about the experience someone has from the moment they reach out to me until the moment they get home.
If you’re ready to start planning your next vacation — or even just dreaming about one — I’d love to hear from you. You can visit me at MarkTAmbrose.com, reach out on social media, or contact me directly by phone, text, or email. There’s no obligation, no fee, and no reason not to have an expert in your corner.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I just want to say to anyone reading this — if you’ve ever thought about using a travel advisor but talked yourself out of it because you assumed it would cost more or add unnecessary complexity, I hope my story changes that perspective. There is genuinely nothing to lose and everything to gain. You get someone who knows these destinations, these ships, these resorts, and these brands inside and out — and it costs you nothing extra.
I also want DFW readers specifically to know that travel is closer than you think. One of the most exciting things happening in my business right now is a group cruise I’m hosting on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, sailing out of Galveston in August 2027. Icon of the Seas is the largest and most incredible cruise ship in the world, and the fact that it sails right out of our backyard makes it incredibly accessible for anyone in the DFW Metroplex. I have group rates available that are actually lower than what you’d find booking directly with Royal Caribbean — so if a cruise vacation has ever been on your bucket list, this is the perfect opportunity to make it happen with a group of like-minded travelers.
And that’s not the only major group adventure on my calendar. This July 2026, I’ll be personally escorting a group of over 60 guests to the Dominican Republic for a destination wedding — and I’m honored to say that the bride and groom invited me to be there with them on their special day. That’s not something that happens because of a transaction. That happens because of a relationship. Getting to stand alongside clients who have become friends, celebrating one of the most important moments of their lives, is honestly one of the greatest privileges this career has given me.
Beyond that, I just want people to know that this job is my passion and my purpose. Every trip I help plan — whether it’s a family’s first Disney vacation, a honeymoon, a milestone anniversary cruise, or a multigenerational adventure — means the world to me. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. When you trust me with your vacation, you’re trusting me with your memories, and I never forget that.
If I can leave readers with one thought, it’s this: don’t wait for the perfect time to travel. The perfect time is now. Reach out, let’s start planning, and let me show you what’s possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.MarkTAmbrose.com
- Instagram: @VacationsByMark
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MVPMarkAmbrose
