2025 Next Gen: Frank Stroup
Frank Stroup is one of the 2025 Next Gens, as nominated by Groups Today readers for making a difference in the industry with his fresh, progressive perspective.
An Account Manager for Travel With Barb, Frank Stroup is a fresh face in the travel world! Since joining the Travel With Barb team, Stroup has used his experience as an award-winning music teacher to create an efficacious training program to set teachers and other leaders on the path to travel success.
"My experiences in musical ensembles, fraternities, and education have shown me that one of the most powerful ways to connect people and create lasting memories is through unique shared experiences," said Stroup, who blends pragmatic and emphatic approaches in order to help trip leaders and travelers leap the hurdles of travel planning and ensure their travel experiences are truly memorable.
Stroup shared that upon looking back on his own travel experiences, he realized that what he did, where he did it, and who he did it with are some of the most clear and elaborate memories he has.
"The relationships I developed with many of these people endure to this day," he said. "Realizing these things made me interested in facilitating travel for others to help them have the same type of great experiences I have had while traveling!"
From an intellectual perspective, Stroup is intrigued by the interesting and unique challenges the travel industry presents each day.
"Two trips are rarely the same! I think this is because each trip we craft and the way we assist them is based on people, communities, seasons and trends—all of which are ever-changing!" Stroup said. "It's very interesting to see how many different experiences people take away from the same destination."
According to Stroup, his favorite accomplishment so far in his travel career is how much the industry at large has accepted him.
"When I left my seven-year career in education to begin in the travel industry, I felt like I was leaving my identity and all of my connections to start from scratch," he said. "In particular, the many people I have met through the Student & Youth Travel Association have made me feel so welcome and very much a part of the travel world. As I began my second year in the travel industry, this feeling of acceptance came to a peak during the SYTA conference this summer when I played trumpet with the SYTA All-Star Band for the closing night event at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square!"
Though he's still early in his travel career, Stroup has his eyes set on some future goals.
"My primary goal is to keep my eyes and ears open and continue learning about the travel industry—and what travelers need from us—to make group travel approachable and enjoyable," he said. "More concretely, I'd like to continue to develop my trip leader training program to not only help the people on the ground in charge of trips but also communicate to other industry professionals what trip leaders need from us in order to feel supported, secure and successful when they travel."
Frank Stroup is one of the 2025 Next Gens, as nominated by Groups Today readers for making a difference in the industry with his fresh, progressive perspective. Click here to see the January/February feature.
Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for Groups Today.
Photos courtesy of Frank Stroup.
