itravel names Griffith advisor as 2026 TiME scholarship recipient

By Grace Kim

itravel has named Lauren Zanesco of its Griffith store as the 2026 recipient of its third consecutive Travel Industry Mentor Experience (TiME) scholarship. The six-month program matches one advisor with an experienced industry professional for individualized mentoring.

Zanesco follows Jade Garlick, a hybrid mobile advisor and Roast & Roam founder, who received the scholarship in 2025, and mobile advisor Linda Hogan, its 2024 recipient. Across the three years, participants have represented mobile, hybrid and franchise businesses.

What does the scholarship deliver?

The program pairs each participant with a mentor for one-on-one work shaped around that person’s goals. itravel invites expressions of interest across its network annually, and both home-based advisors and store owners can apply; Zanesco began with mentor Sue Graham.

The initiative sits alongside itravel’s training and business-support services for members. At Zanesco’s induction evening, CEO Steve Labroski and COO Joe Karbo attended, putting the network’s senior leadership behind the program.

Labroski said: “When our members succeed, itravel succeeds. That’s why we invest in opportunities that support their development and help them build stronger businesses.” He added that members’ growth and success drive the network forward.

For sellers, that argument matters because advisor development can support productivity and retention within an independent distribution network. But the announcement provides no bookings, revenue, commission or staff-retention data, so it does not establish a commercial return. Takeaway: The scholarship is a member-development and retention initiative in intent, but its financial value remains unmeasured.

What has mentoring changed?

Zanesco entered TiME seeking to work smarter, build industry connections and grow her confidence. Since starting, she has imposed more structure on her days at the Griffith store.

“Being in a shopfront it can be challenging to stick to a plan, but having a clearer structure has helped me stay focused, minimise distractions and make better use of my time,” she said. “Knowing that itravel was investing in me and supporting my development meant a lot.”

Garlick joined the 2025 program to strengthen leadership and strategic thinking and find a better balance between working in her business and working on it. With mentor Kelley Wacher, she said she became more deliberate about running Roast & Roam.

She became more intentional about setting goals, creating boundaries and making decisions aligned with the future she wanted to build, rather than reacting to events around her. Garlick also said itravel invested in her as well as in her business.

Hogan’s 2024 aim was better time management. Working with mentor Michael Schischka, she said she gained a clearer sense of her value and learned to reserve time, charge a fee and know her worth. Hogan said she would not have taken the time to complete the course without that support, and she valued her time with Schischka. Takeaway: The testimonials show personal change, not measured commercial gains.

Can itravel prove a network return?

itravel describes itself as Australia’s leading independent travel network, designed for experienced Australian travel professionals seeking to grow their businesses. The claim matters to distribution because a stronger support proposition can help networks recruit and retain advisors equipped for complex travel sales.

Yet the company disclosed neither its membership base nor bookings, revenue, commission rates or participant outcomes. A third scholarship and a six-month program show continuity, not proof that mentoring changes advisor productivity, sales conversion or revenue.

The commercial test for sellers is straightforward: did participation increase sales conversion, revenue per advisor or retention, and did the program cost less than the value it created? None of those figures appears in the announcement, so the network’s return remains a pitch rather than a measured result. The scholarship also sits within a wider offer of training and business support, which could improve member engagement and make joining more persuasive to experienced advisors. Takeaway: Mentoring may strengthen itravel’s distribution reach, but only transaction and retention data can show whether it adds measurable value.