Veterans and military spouses enrolled in Nexion Travel Group's Veterans in Travel program have already surpassed their total 2025 travel sales volume in 2026, generating more than $4 million year-to-date. Four program participants have each crossed $1 million in lifetime travel sales, with one advisor exceeding $2 million — milestones that underscore the program's growing role as a viable career pipeline for transitioning service members.
How the Program Works
Launched in 2018 as part of Internova Travel Group, Veterans in Travel offers eligible veterans and military spouses a 50% scholarship toward travel advisor training through the Travel Leaders of Tomorrow curriculum. Nexion also waives membership fees for qualifying scholarship recipients for up to 24 months after they launch their independent agency — lowering the financial barrier at the most vulnerable stage of a new business. The program carries an official endorsement from AMVETS (American Veterans), one of the country's leading military advocacy organizations.
For the hospitality and travel industry, the program represents a talent-development model worth watching. Veterans bring documented leadership, logistics experience, and client communication skills that translate directly into high-touch service roles — exactly the competencies that drive repeat bookings and long-term client retention in leisure and corporate travel.
Advisors in Their Own Words
Mike Capps, owner of Dapper Travels and a program alumnus, noted that the transition from Army staff officer to travel entrepreneur was more intuitive than he expected. "As time went by, I realized how many of the staff officer skills I developed over my career had become indispensable in designing quality trips, communicating with clients, and running the operations of my business," Capps said. "It turns out this is a much more natural transition than I ever anticipated."
Jackie Friedman, CTC, VTA, President of Nexion Travel Group, framed the program's value in both human and commercial terms. "Our members who have come through Veterans in Travel already have leadership skills and resilience," Friedman said. "Veterans in Travel provides the missing ingredient of industry knowledge and support."
Implications for Hospitality Workforce Development
The program's trajectory offers a practical case study for hospitality workforce development leaders grappling with ongoing talent shortages. By pairing structured training subsidies with mentorship and a fee-waiver runway, Nexion has constructed an on-ramp that moves participants from zero industry experience to seven-figure producers within a few years. That scaffold — scholarship, coaching, waived overhead, and community — mirrors best practices increasingly discussed across foodservice and hospitality HR circles as operators compete for mission-driven employees.
With Veterans Day serving as a timely backdrop, Nexion is actively encouraging veterans and military spouses considering their next career chapter to explore the travel industry as an entrepreneurial path. Applications and program details are available at veteransintravel.com.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
