Building business confidence looks different for everyone, but for Sheival, founder of Bonding Adventures Travel, it meant taking two decades of NYPD discipline, combining it with a genuine passion for travel, and channeling it into a brand-new chapter after retirement.
His story is one of the most compelling we have featured in our case study series, not just because of the results he achieved but because of the mindset he brought to every single step of the process.
From NYPD to Travel Advisor
Sheival spent over 20 years in law enforcement with the New York City Police Department before retiring. When he sat down with his wife to figure out what retirement would look like, the answer came naturally. He and his wife had traveled extensively having visited five countries across Europe, including Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey; ten Caribbean islands; and Alaska — and Sheival had always handled almost all the logistics.
His wife handled the hotels using her work travel points, but everything else was his doing. When she pointed out that he had a real talent for planning and executing travel, he started thinking more seriously about what it would look like to use that skill as something more.
He already ran a transportation business in Orlando, so he understood operations and client relationships. What he needed was proper training and a structured path into the travel industry.
Then he found Careers on Vacation® at Wanderlust Campus.
A Plan and the Discipline to Execute It
One of the things that made Sheival’s journey stand out immediately is the way he approached the program. He didn’t drift through it, but rather, treated it the way he’d treated promotion exams in the NYPD: with a clear strategy, intentional pacing, and the mental discipline to stay sharp throughout.
He knocked out modules quickly, used his wife’s appointments as focused study blocks, and took the 125-question certification exam in a single sitting at the hospital. He scored over 90 on the first attempt. When his coach, Jamie, asked him to do something, he did not just do it; he went further. Every task, every recommendation, every module got his full attention.
For Sheival, building business confidence wasn’t about waiting until he felt ready. It was about doing the work and letting the results prove it to him along the way.
The $50,000 First Booking
Before his website was even live, Sheival closed his first sale, and it was not a starter booking. A long-time client from his transportation business, a lawyer celebrating his 50th birthday alongside his wife’s 50th, their daughter’s high school graduation, and their 25th wedding anniversary, wanted to recreate the Mediterranean itinerary Sheival and his wife had done. The client’s only stated requirement: butler service.
Sheival got to work. He researched Celebrity Cruises, found an 11-day itinerary out of Rome covering Naples, Malta, Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, and Izmir, and built a full proposal from the entry-level suites all the way up to the royal suite. When the client asked if there was anything better than the first options, Sheival went to Celebrity’s 3D room viewer, downloaded the visuals, sent everything through WhatsApp, and let the product sell itself.
The client texted his credit card on a Friday night and told him he trusted him. The booking came to approximately $47,000 before travel insurance added another $3,000. With the hotel still to be added later in the year, the final total will be even higher. The BDM of his host agency even reached out shortly after to congratulate him, and when Sheival mentioned it was his very first booking ever, the response was genuine disbelief.
Building business confidence is often described as something that happens over time. For Sheival, it happened in real time, because the foundation was already there.
Why the Training Mattered
Sheival came into the program with business experience, travel knowledge, and the right mindset. What he did not have was the industry-specific framework to put it all together. Careers on Vacation® gave him that. He learned how to find and work with a host agency, structure client proposals, use supplier systems like Celebrity’s booking platform, and approach marketing, something that was genuinely new territory for him.
His biggest challenge with shifting to travel? Social media. After more than two decades in law enforcement where a personal online presence is a liability, learning to use social media as a professional tool required a big mindset shift.
He worked through the skill labs, studied the AI content, completed supplier certifications with Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity, and earned a free cruise, all during the two-week break between finishing the modules and taking his certification exam.
His coach was a significant part of the experience and Sheival even described her not just as a knowledgeable resource, but as someone whose example inspired him. As he put it, if she could push past her own obstacles and build a successful business, he had no excuse not to do the same. That kind of accountability and encouragement helps make business confidence sustainable rather than temporary.
The Mindset That Makes It Work
Sheival’s closing message to anyone considering this path is straightforward: mindset is everything and failure is part of the process. The people who succeed are the ones who get back up, learn from what did not work, adapt, and keep going. He teaches his sons the same thing: “can’t” just means “I won’t,” and that is not acceptable.
For anyone navigating a major life transition, whether that’s retirement, a career change, or a personal challenge, and wondering whether building a travel business is realistic, his story is the answer. You just need the right training, the right support, and the willingness to do the work.
To learn more about Careers on Vacation® and what the certification program includes, schedule a call and speak with an enrollment specialist.
