Travel Job Series: Alle Pierce
If you follow my travel adventures on Instagram, you won’t be too surprised to see who’s next in my Cool Travel Job Series. Alle Pierce and I became instant friends through the TravelCon event in Boston. She stood out from a crowd of hundreds (literally) by wearing a bright yellow dress in the photo contest for Singapore Airlines. We clicked and are now close friends who have worked together in many ways.
She has developed a unique personal brand while not taking herself too seriously, and she’s genuine to the core. I’ve worked with Alle to execute campaigns for my clients at the American Society of Travel Advisors and speak at another TravelCon, because she’s a true professional, and I trust her implicitly. I decided to interview her for this series as I thought people could benefit from learning how she went from her broadcast TV dream job to owning her destiny as a host, travel advisor, and creator when she walked away from it all.
Meet Alle Pierce.
Alle Pierce is an Emmy Award-winning host, producer, emcee, content creator & travel advisor. She is the founder of Gals Abroad Getaways where she plans and hosts bespoke group trips for independent, self-identifying women tired of waiting for the “right moment”, the perfect partner or their friends to finally commit, to explore the world on their terms.
Her 8+ years of working in TV, combined with a platform of more than 32k travel lovers has earned her the opportunity to host & produce content for the 2024 Olympics, the US Open, Dunkin, Microsoft, HBO Max, AT&T, AmaWaterways, Choose Chicago, and Visit Greater Palm Springs.
Alle and Gals Abroad Getaways have been featured in The New York Times, and Forbes, among others. The video series she hosts with Visit Greater Palm Springs earned her an American Advertising Award.
What is your background and education?
I'm proud to say I attended one of the best journalism programs in the US & earned a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri. After graduation, I had one goal: move to California & work as an Entertainment News Reporter. Just a few months after graduation, my dreams came true (or so I thought!).
I landed a job as a TV news anchor and entertainment reporter in Palm Springs where I had the opportunity to cover everything from wildfires to celebrity red carpets and earned an Emmy award in my first year at my TV station. I was what you'd call a one-(wo)man-band. I shot, edited, and produced my stories for that evening's newscast and even sometimes operated my live shots if a cameraman wasn't available. I woke up every Saturday & Sunday at 3:30 a.m. to anchor the weekend morning shows and quickly got used to having my weekends on Monday & Tuesday.
That job was a grind, but it taught me SO much about working under intense pressure, improvising on the spot, telling compelling stories, understanding how to capture scenes, and most importantly, how to deal with, how should I put this lightly...a**holes who thought very highly of themselves.
TV news is NOT as glamorous as you might think, and while I'd never change a thing about my experience and am grateful for all that I learned, I quickly realized that the TV news work environment was not a place where I would flourish. So in 2018, when my contract was up, I decided to take a massive leap of faith & walk away from the career I thought I wanted and into the one I was most passionate about: TRAVEL.
Since then, I've transformed my career into three main pillars:
I work as a freelance on-camera host/producer for brands & live events.
I am a travel & lifestyle content creator.
I am the founder of Gals Abroad Getaways.
What I love most about what I do now is I have the freedom to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and most importantly, say yes to the projects that bring me joy and no to the ones that don't.I would have never imagined I'd be doing what I'm doing nearly 10 years ago when I graduated college, but I can say with complete certainty, that I have created my dream career.
What's a typical day for you on the job?
Aside from cuddling my four fur babies Camden, Mykonos, Stella and Palmer all day you mean? A typical day in my life depends on where in the world I am and what project I'm working on. I often find myself living two lives - one at home in Chicago and one when I'm traveling the world hosting Gals Abroad Getaways trips or researching new destinations.
When I'm hosting a trip, my day is all about my gals. I'm making sure everyone knows the agenda for the day, and I'm working with our team on the ground to ensure everything is seamless. We're going on tours, visiting sites, capturing content from the trip, enjoying meals together, and if we're running a Greece trip - dancing the night away to ABBA. I try to be as present as possible on these trips because at its core, our trips are about connection and the friendships fostered on each trip. I'm incredibly grateful to have my mom Linda (infamous to my community) join us on every trip as my co-host & Brea, our Gals Experience Manager (who we just brought on in 2023) running the show at HQ in Chicago.
Speaking of home...When I'm resting and recharging between trips I crave routine, especially in the morning. The first thing I do immediately after waking up is tongue scraping (look it up, it’s wild), then I meditate, journal, feed the kitties, squeeze in a Peloton ride and I do all of this before I check social media or emails. Then, I dive head first into my day. I try to batch my work for different aspects of my business by day - Monday is for calls and emails, Tuesday is Gals Abroad Getaways, Wednesday is for my hosting clients, Thursday is a creative day & Friday is admin and tying up loose ends. However, some weeks I have to throw this schedule out the window. I usually end my day around 7:30pm, and that's when I cook myself a gourmet dinner (a Factor meal!) and re-watch Gilmore Girls for the 475th time.
What are some of your current projects & wins?
One of the biggest wins of 2023 was being asked to be one of the Gymnastics producers for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. I NEVER imagined I would be working in the sports world because I'm not a big sports fan. However, I fell into working as the on-camera lifestyle correspondent at the BNP Paribas Open (a big tennis tournament in Palm Springs) telling fans on the jumbo screen where the best places are to eat, drink & have fun, and that led me to work at the US Open, The World Games in 2022 & now the Olympics.
“Say yes to new opportunities & figure out the details as you go along.”
Gals Abroad Getaways group trip.
For Gals Abroad Getaways, some of my biggest wins of 2023 were having 51% of our ladies who traveled with us in 2022 (our first year of business) return to travel with us in 2023. That is one of the biggest compliments and measurements of our success. We're so excited about our upcoming trips to India and the UAE in 2024!
What do you feel is your biggest career risk?
Walking away from a career as a TV news anchor and into the world of entrepreneurship. It was also one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Do you have career advice or a tip you can share?
Always bring value before you ask for any favors.
This has served me in both my career as an on-camera host as well as my career as a travel expert and entrepreneur. I find that humans are far more likely to go out of their way to help someone who has in some way (genuinely) helped them first.
What are some of your career highlights? 💃🏼
Winning an Emmy Award at the age of 24
Selling out our first Gals Abroad Getaways trip in under 24 hours
When Gals Abroad Getaways was featured in The New York Times
Being asked to work at the 2024 Olympics
What's your most memorable trip and why?
Hands down my first trip to India in 2018 right after I left TV news. This trip was meaningful for many reasons, but most importantly, because it marked the beginning of my career in the travel industry. Looking back, that trip taught me so much about the type of travel I wanted to help others experience when I launched Gals Abroad Getaways. Traveling to India touches your soul, makes you think, and rewards you for taking risks. India is a destination that will challenge most visitors but for those who are willing to visit with an open mind and heart, it will forever change you as a traveler.
I LOVE bringing our Gals to countries like India because I know that they might not get the chance to experience this country on their own, and if I get to help them experience it in "Alle Style" even better.
What would you tell your younger self?
Being different is your superpower.
As I've gotten older, I've learned that "fitting in" isn't really my thing. Instead, I'm leaning into what sets me apart and gaining confidence in living my "unconventional" life out loud and not apologizing for it. I LOVE focusing on my career and travel, I'm not in any rush to get married (if ever) and I don't want children. 10 years ago, I might have never been brave enough to admit that, but now I say it all the time because every time I do, I find at least 1 woman who tells me she feels the same. Being honest with yourself is often the scariest thing to do, but once you are, it sets you free.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I've done the running man with Justin Bieber.
What are you looking forward to in 2024? Any other thoughts on closing out the year?
I'm excited to return to India with my gals. I'm looking forward to living in Paris in the summer (and hopefully improving my French), and I'm excited about all the new friendships I'll form with all The Gals who join us on trips in 2024. I'm also looking forward to the parts of 2024 that aren't planned or scheduled yet (there's excitement in the unknown).
One of my big goals for 2024 is to focus on growing Gals Abroad Getaways by creating a new website, honing in on our social media presence, and doubling the number of trips we offer. I also plan to live abroad for a month. I'm not sure where yet but I'm putting this out there to hold myself accountable!
Come to India with us April 13-24, 2024?
Alle, Thank you so much for sharing your gift of being different, genuine and inspiration. Most important question, where are WE living for a month? Cause we’re a package deal!
Come with us to India and her UAE extension. It’s my 40th birthday gift to myself, so we’ll get to celebrate together.
Every itinerary and trip Gals Abroad Getaways puts on is absolute magic. I can’t wait to explore India with the Alle & Linda touch!
