Name: Tonya Matthews
Company: Starstuff Travel by Tonya
Hometown: Monticello, Mississippi
Favorite Bible Verse:
“But seek first the Kingdom of heaven and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
— Matthew 6:33
Favorite Destination: It’s a tie between Alaska and Australia
Hobbies: Matthews’ favorite things to do are spend time with her husband and three kids. As a lifelong music lover, she also loves to sing.
Tonya Matthews’ path to being a travel planner and group travel leader was a circuitous one. She was raised in Louisiana and became a teacher. For 21 years, she taught a range of age groups and topics from show choir to Louisiana history. Along the way, she realized that one of her favorite teaching experiences was taking her students on trips she organized.
“I’ve always loved planning trips,” Matthews said. “I used to take my eighth-graders to New York and Philadelphia. My husband is a pastor, and we’ve done mission trips around the world from Tokyo to Honduras. I’ve always loved to travel, and I loved planning trips so much that I decided to try being a travel planner on the side to see if I could do it. I had no idea that God was going to call me to do this full time and grow a business from it.”
For two years, Matthews tried to balance her teaching career with planning trips for people as a member of a host travel agency called Starstuff Travel. But, as she said, God had other plans.
“It was just very clear that the Lord was asking me to step out on faith and do this full time. I’ve done this for six years now, and up until about a year and a half ago, I was just planning individual trips, family trips, and group trips for people. But then I discovered I love and am really gifted with actually leading group tours.”
Matthews takes a ladies group trip to New York City every January. “We miss the New Year’s crowds but still see all the beautiful Christmas decorations and the Rockettes,” she said. And this year she’s also taking a group on a Mediterranean cruise from Paris to Marseille, France; a ladies group trip to Cabo; and a faith-based group trip to Branson, Missouri.
“I love to problem-solve — it’s like a ministry to people,” she said. “I have clients who had an autistic son who needed full-time care. They are just traveling for the first time and just got back from Ireland. I was able to use all my networks to make this a phenomenal trip of a lifetime for them. It brings me great joy for people to be able to see God’s beauty and know they’ve got a little pixie dust in their back pocket should they have any issues or need anything — I’m there to advocate for them.”
Matthews said her travel career has allowed her to have some incredible travel experiences. Her popular social media channels serve as evidence of this — she’s gone to Saudi Arabia, Australia, Alaska, Cabo San Lucas, the Bahamas, Hawaii and Disney World, to name a few.
“I’ve realized that faith is a huge part of who I am, and I want to offer opportunities for people to engage in faith-based travel,” she said. “When I see new places and new countries, I’m blown away by the history, by God’s creation, how beautiful it is and how it moves people that I get to meet along the journey. The biggest joy for me is leading a trip to a place I’ve been before so I can share the joy a place brought me. A huge part of ministry for me is being able to provide that to others.”
Matthews is clearly doing something right — in just a few short years, she has become one of a small group of Starstuff Travel’s agents who have booked more than $1 million dollars in sales and mentor their teammates. She calls herself an encourager and is dedicated to help her fellow travel agents grow their own businesses. She’s now doing that for agents who specialize in group travel. She’s Starstuff Travel’s top producer and has learned to navigate every challenge and pitfall the travel industry can dish out, from delayed flights to power outages, with grace — and see it all as part of God’s plan.
“It is eye-opening to see how big God is and how small the world really is,” she said. “It strengthens our faith. Travel changes us when we get out of our bubble and meet people from other cultures — the Lord uses that to change us. I sell the world now, and Christ just keeps opening doors. Travel opens up your prayer life, when you’re a believer — it changes you to your core. It gives you such great encouragement but also challenges you.”
Travel Tips from Tonya Matthews
1. Be flexible — life happens even on vacations, so take a deep breath and enjoy the journey.
2. Always buy the travel insurance.
3. Leave a place better than how you found it.
