Kristi Gordon
Owner, Fuzed Travel
East Harlem, New York
Moonlighting at a popular music venue in Seattle called “Showbox” Kristi Gordon recalls hearing several band members complain about travel experiences. Kristi worked at a leisure travel agency during the day, so it was fitting that she would help some of the bands with travel, until the owner of the agency, busy with leisure market segments, asked Kristi to refrain from assisting the bands. This prompted Kristi to leave her day job without notice, starting her own travel business: Fuzed Travel, eleven years ago.
Kristi Gordon
Owner, Fuzed Travel
East Harlem, New York
Moonlighting at a popular music venue in Seattle called “Showbox” Kristi Gordon recalls hearing several band members complain about travel experiences. Kristi worked at a leisure travel agency during the day, so it was fitting that she would help some of the bands with travel, until the owner of the agency, busy with leisure market segments, asked Kristi to refrain from assisting the bands. This prompted Kristi to leave her day job without notice, starting her own travel business: Fuzed Travel, eleven years ago.
Kristi spent much of her childhood obsessed with travel. As a second grader, Kristi asked her mother to take her to AAA so that she could review the information presented in the books, check out hotel rates and Kristi would highlight all of the five star properties that she would dream of visiting someday. Later Kristi worked for AAA, assembling their trip route plans. As a youth Kristi would often board planes unaccompanied, bound for visiting her grandparents in Minneapolis or Florida.
With no explicit business plan when she walked out of her leisure travel job and with a passion for the arts, Kristi dropped in to see one of her friends who owned a business called “Fuzed” managing bands and operating venues. She explained to him that she left her job with ambition to start her own business handling travel for bands. He graciously sent what would be Kristi’s first and last “advertisement”, an email promoting Kristi to his colleagues within the industry and he gave her three months of money, advising her to “quickly figure it out” which is exactly what Kristi did.
Kristi researched host agencies, determining that Travel Leaders would be the best fit for her business. She learned the ins and outs of band travel such as bus parking and credit card authorizations. She familiarized herself with “entertainment friendly” hotels and quickly learned to handle flight ticketing.
Presently, in any given week, Fuzed Travel manages travel for twenty bands on tour simultaneously.
Out of 500+ travel agents in Travel Leaders program, Kristi was the top producing corporate agent and the top producing travel agent for Delta Airline bookings.
A six year employee of Fuzed Travel, Jessica Drenkel, has considerable respect for Kristi’s work ethic and passion for detail. With twenty years in the industry, formerly a Tour Manager, having worked for venues and private labels, Jessica says this, ensuring that all are rested and well cared for, is her favorite job. “When everything goes well and the performers are rested, there is a ripple effect: a great time and a nice show for the fans.” She and Kristi have quite a rapport, the two valuing client relationships and enjoying a passion for touring.
Kristi now resides in East Harlem; living in NYC has been a dream since elementary school. Of her experience living in New York, Kristi says: “I met myself here.” She continues to dream of travel, with exciting warm weather plans for the winter. In the future, she hopes to visit the Seychelles and Galapagos Islands. Kristi anticipates the she and her employees at Fuzed Travel will continue to expand on their Indie Rock niche.
Written by Vanessa Forster