Traveling around the world and back home

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HURON — A desire to own her own business has driven Tasha Stahl and has led her to open her own travel agency in Huron.

Stahl is one of those selected to the Women in Leadership group for 2020.

Stahl lived in the Heartland region throughout her youth, planting roots in Woonsocket, Alpena and Hitchcock.

“Most of my elementary school days were in Hitchcock,” she said. “Most of the time I was the only girl in my class! I graduated from Alpena High School in 2000, and was one of only three girls in that class.” She continued her education at Mitchell Tech and Lake Area Tech, for her degree in computer sciences.

Then she set out to realize her dream of being a business owner, but really didn’t know what that would be.

“I did, I have always wanted to be a business owner,” she said, “although ‘travel agent’ wasn’t on the radar.”

That changed, she said, on her first airplane trip, to New York City, for training on a previous job. “I absolutely fell in love with traveling,” she said, “and after that I could not wait to plan my next trip!”

After more trips over the next few years, Stahl said that she decided that this could be a career for her.

“When I told people I got lots of funny looks,” she said. “Most people said, ‘Well, there’s the internet; why do people need a travel agent?’”

That was the turning point, she said, as she started a mission to prove that she could and would work so hard for her clients, that people would want to come to her agency to make their travel arrangements.

She began her first agency with a group out of Ohio, who helped mentor and train her. That set her foundation and in 2017, Stahl decided to strike out on her own and created TLS Travel SD, LLC.

“I never ever though it would grow as it did,” Stahl said, “but I am thankful every day to the clients, my staff members, my agents and other agents in the industry, who have helped me make my travel agency — Pack and Play Travel — what it is today.”

She opened her first office in 2016 on Dakota Avenue, as has grown to include a pair of full time employees, one part time and three independent agents. “We can book all seven continents and we focus on the experience and work to put heart into every booking,” Stahl said.

She has established many contacts and friendships through her career. “Rick Zimmerman was with the Ohio agency that helped me get started and Rick had a HUGE impact on my career in the industry,” Stahl said. “He and a woman named Lucretia Webb from Delta Vacations. Lucretia has been my rock, always checking in on my and my family and has helped me grow in the business. Without the support of these two in particular and hundreds of others in general, I don’t think I would be where I am today!”

She said that the travel industry is similar to a family. “Technically, we are all in competition with each other, but the travel agent community always seems to be the biggest cheerleaders for each other,” she said.

That has been a good thing, as the coronavirus pandemic has forced some tough decisions to be made.

“We’ve temporarily closed our office and, as many others, are working remotely,” she said. “Most of our clients have rebooked for later in the year, but as we operate strictly on commission, the restricted travel requirements have put a damper on our cash flow.”

Stahl said she and her staff stay focused on the positives and are continually striving to find a way to make things better for their clients and how to make their business better. “We’re also using this unexpected break to catch up on training and certifications,” Stahl said.

She and her husband Roger, who farms near Yale, have four children, including a special needs 18-year-old son, and three daughters — Summer, Autumn and Reese — who are students at Wolsey-Wessington School.