When Angela Burgess retired from a fulfilling 25-year career in law enforcement, she didn’t slow down. Instead, she embraced a new chapter, one where her love for travel could blossom into something more. "I’ve always wanted to be in the travel business," she says, reflecting on her journey. What followed was the creation of Beautiful Morning Travel, a company that reflects Angela’s passion for helping others discover the world.
As she neared the end of her career, she started thinking seriously about the next chapter. "What do I want to be when I grow up?" she mused. She knew her next step had to involve her passion for travel, something she’d always kept close to her heart.
In November 2021, she took the leap and started a home-based travel business. By May 2023, she had officially retired from her career in law enforcement and was looking to dive deeper into her new career. In January 2024, she began looking for a physical location for the business and, just two months later, opened the doors of her new office. “I need to take this leap of faith and just do it,” she reflects on her decision to commit to this next big step. Within two weeks, she had put everything together and hosted her first open house in March 2024.
She reached out to trusted people in her life, such as Roi G. Williamson Jr., who had experience in motorcoach tours and is now the manager of Beautiful Morning Travel, and Pam Gaunt, a childhood friend, who is now the executive administrator and tour director. “You always have to find the right people,” Angela says, and she certainly did.
Her clients quickly became more than just business transactions—they became family. Angela’s favorite part of the business is interacting with clients while traveling with them, whether on bus tours or international trips. "You get to interact with them and see what they’re experiencing. It’s all of their excitement and anticipation when you’re with them," she says.
Her love for travel is obvious. Angela has explored some of the most beautiful and culturally rich places around the globe. "If you asked me where I absolutely have to go back to, it would be the United Kingdom and Budapest," she shares.Angela’s travel experiences shape the recommendations she makes to her clients. A beach girl at heart, she also has a soft spot for Turks and Caicos, and her anniversary trip to Serbia, Croatia, and Budapest was a highlight of her travels with her husband.
Her roots in travel trace back to childhood, though her family didn’t go on big vacations. “In high school, we didn’t do big family vacations. My parents only had one or two weeks of vacation a year, and we used it to visit grandparents in Montana and Nebraska,” she remembers. But her wanderlust was strong. “What can I do to get to these places?” she asked herself. That question led her to college and, eventually, to the police department, where she built a successful career before pursuing her true passion for travel.
Today, Angela is not only building a growing business but is also making time for what matters most in life: family. She loves spending time with her grandson, a fellow roller coaster enthusiast, and hopes to take him to Rome and Greece one day. Her goals for the future include growing the business to the point where she’ll need to hire additional staff to help manage the demand.
It’s about more than just the cost of a trip; it’s about the value clients receive and the memories they make. “I’ve been very blessed to take different trips and go to different places,” she says. And through Beautiful Morning Travel, she’s helping others do the same.
I’ve been very blessed to take different trips and go to different places.