From a young age, KENDRA THORNTON was taught to love travel. Her parents, who owned a leisure travel agency they founded in 1972—Royal Travel & Tours—took her all around the world with them. This appreciation for other cultures followed her well into college, where she received a BA in English and French in 1996 from Northwestern University. She also spent a year studying art history and French literature at La Sorbonne in Paris to fine tune her language skills. Eventually, Thornton would go on to become a second-generation family business owner and expand the luxury travel brand across the North Shore. “It was my husband who gave me the courage to take the step from running my own travel PR company to buying Royal Travel from my parents,” she says. “Even with the insane stress of COVID this past year, it has still been the most rewarding step of my career. I have so much respect and gratitude for our incredible team, and I pinch myself every day that I get to work in this amazing industry with such lovely people and loyal clients. I know we owe so much of our success and sustainability through COVID to being part of this special North Shore community.” It’s easy to see why her mom is her role model: “She showed me by example that it was possible to be a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a successful business woman all in one,” Thornton says. After all, the apple never falls far from the tree!

For more information, call Royal Travel & Tours at 800-747-7695 or visit royal-travel.com. Thornton can be reached at [email protected], or on Instagram @royaltravelandtours.