Drawing on 26 years in international tax and more than a million lifetime flight miles, Hales gives families direct advice about budgets, logistics, and the details that can shape an entire trip.
For Kelly Hales, a successful family trip may depend less on the destination and more on whether a suite really sleeps five, a connection is manageable, or grandparents and children can enjoy the same itinerary at different speeds.
That practical perspective guides Kelly Hales Travel, the Houston-based advisory she founded after retiring from EY in early 2024. Hales spent 26 years at the firm, finishing as a principal leading innovative initiatives in international tax. The work taught her to check details, translate technical information into useful answers, and recognize when one wrong number could cost a client real money.
Hales has always loved travel and loved planning it. She and her best friend used to talk about planning trips for other people once they retired. Hales decided not to wait. She wanted more time with her daughter and more freedom, and Fora gave her a way to build her own business without building a back office.
Those habits now inform how she talks about travel. Her manner is warm and direct, and she has little interest in overselling. If a family’s budget cannot buy the hotel or experience its members expect, she would rather explain that early and help them identify a realistic alternative.
Hales’s approach also grew from traveling as a mother. Her nine-year-old daughter has visited more countries than many adults, and trips with her taught Hales that a destination alone cannot satisfy every member of a family. The days must work for the people taking them.
That becomes more complicated when a trip includes children, teenagers, parents, and older relatives. Grandparents may want to remain in one location while other family members explore, then regroup later. A room that works for a couple and a three-year-old may be frustrating once the child is a teenager. School calendars further narrow the available dates and make the timing of a trip matter more.
Hales therefore starts with the family configuration. During peak weeks, rooms that fit a whole family, such as connecting rooms, true family rooms or a suite that sleeps everyone, are the hardest to find, so she plans around them first. She also considers who will share a room, when younger children go to bed, and whether the planned pace is reasonable across generations.
Photo credit: Kelly Hales
Hales describes her value to clients in four parts. First, she says what does not work. She warns a client when a hotel isn't truly walkable to town, when a seasonal route is unavailable, or when an itinerary is a poor fit, even if that advice costs her the booking.
Second, she plans around room and family configuration rather than choosing a destination first. Third, she addresses flights before hotels. Hales and her husband are both United Million Milers, meaning each has flown more than one million lifetime miles. That experience helps her distinguish between a connection a booking site permits and one a family can reasonably make. She also explains why the least expensive routing may not be worth the added strain.
Fourth, she is clear about the cost. Hotels and cruise lines pay her, so those bookings cost the family nothing extra, and planning fees come up only after a first call shows how complex the trip is.
Hales extends that educational approach through Going Overseas as a Family, a free guide on her website, and destination guides she publishes through Fora, the host agency with which her business is affiliated. Both give families practical information they can use whether or not they become clients.
Although Kelly Hales Travel has more than doubled each year since its launch, Hales does not intend to build a large agency if growth would weaken the work. She prefers a personal, service-focused practice where she can stand behind each recommendation. For families, that means advice grounded in the realities that shape how a trip feels: the budget, the calendar, the rooms, the flights, and each person's needs.
Photo credits: Kelly Hales
