PlanNet Marketing is pleased to welcome Karen Stewart to the 20/20 Club! Karen currently lives in Austin, Texas. She says, “We moved to Texas over 30 years ago from northern Virginia. We love the people here and their warm hospitality. This has become home and where our three children were born. I homeschooled my children and now wish I had been involved in the travel industry; we would have had some amazing lessons.
I was born in Washington, D.C. at Bolling AFB. My father was an amateur bowler who won many state championships. For years I told friends that I was born in a bowling alley, because my mum said I was born at Bolling. Much to my dismay, at 12 I found out that it was an Air Force base.
I love to travel and have been traveling since I was 18 months old. I was born into an Air Force family, married an Air Force officer, mom to an Air Force officer, and MIL to an Air Force officer, so you could say I bleed “blue.” My first travel experience was to move to Germany at 18 months old. German was my first language and I lived there off and on for ten years. I moved to Berlin, Germany one year after the wall was built and it was interesting going in and out of Berlin by train. I haven’t had the opportunity to go back now that the wall is down. I’m hoping that will change in the next few years.
My dad met my mother in England on his first tour of duty. Half of my family still lives there and we love meeting up with them. With this amazing company, this will be more of a reality and we can meet in some amazing places. I also lived in Taipei, Taiwan as a child and learned Mandarin Chinese. I lived through two typhoons and many earthquakes. Because I lived in Europe growing up, I was able to travel to many great destinations. As a teenager I was able to go to Switzerland every January with a bunch of friends. I’ve traveled to Holland/Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, and Switzerland. My bucket list is to travel to Italy, Greece and the old Eastern Bloc countries (since they were not available to travel to when I lived there), Egypt, and Israel. I’ve been to all but five states (Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire) and would love to cross them off my list.
I love helping others and that’s why this business was a win/win for me. How can I not share the opportunity with others to travel less expensively and make a nice side income as well? This coming summer we will be able to see our SIL, who is going to be stationed in Korea, and then go to Japan. Without the benefits and income from PlanNet and InteleTravel, we wouldn’t be able to afford such a fantastic trip. (Note: this was written before the COVID-19 travel restrictions.)
My biggest tip is to be enthusiastic and excited. This is such a great opportunity. We owe it to our friends, family, and others to share it with them. This is what has helped me get to 20/20 quickly. I also have a list of goals that I want to achieve. It’s fun crossing them off (Bronze, Silver, Gold, 20/20, DIT, One Star Director, etc.).
I love doing things with our church and youth. I love to read. I worked in an orphanage in Taiwan when I was 12 years old. I used to own a brick and mortar gift shop for years. I owned it with my mother and sister and we sold wholesale, as well as retail. We were approached by Cracker Barrel to sell our country crafts to their business. I also owned a catering business in Washington, D.C.
I love this industry because I don’t have the overhead that a traditional brick and mortar requires. I can actually do business on my phone. When I took my eldest son to Disneyland I was helping one of my team members via text while standing in line for Space Mountain. How many jobs allow you to do that? I am so thankful that one of my daughter’s bridesmaids had the courage to approach me about this amazing business. I am so happy to be in the best place on the PlanNet.