Lisa Federico, an experienced travel professional, founded Academy Travel as a full-service travel agency in 1996. She established and became one of the first Disney-focused agencies in the country. Not only has she trained thousands of individuals to become travel agents specializing in planning Disney vacations, but she has also consulted with other companies to build successful teams selling various products, from handbags to travel. Lisa has received many accolades and awards; this year, she celebrated Academy Travel’s 25th Anniversary at Walt Disney Worlds Contemporary Resort – the first resort she visited with her grandparents as a child. Academy Travel has once again achieved Disney’s EarMarked Diamond Level Status, the highest designation given to an agency. Lisa is a proud member of the Walt Disney Travel Company (EMTAC) EarMarked Travel Advisory Council.
Throughout the years, Academy Travel has focused on providing quality travel service while working hard to ensure that clients receive the lowest available prices and customized itinerary assistance. Lisa has built a full-time staff and leadership team with years of experience, offering her agents top-of-the-line support.
“Pushing myself to learn and grow. Focusing on customizing my agency, developing a strategy using imagination and original ideas every day, and investing in people, to me, your company’s greatest investment is people. I am extremely proud of my amazing staff and my team of agents, who, to me, are the best out there. They are all a big part of our success. We are one team in a business that is always in motion – 25 years has brought many changes, and we must all evolve and adapt. The future is amazing, and together as a team, success is unlimited” Lisa Federico, CTIE, President + Owner
Throughout the years, Academy Travel has focused on providing quality travel service while working hard to ensure that their clients receive the lowest available prices and customized itinerary assistance. Lisa has built a leadership team with years of experience and a team of agents across the country who genuinely care about their clients.
As one of the original “EarMarked” travel agency partners with Disney Destinations, Academy Travel has earned EarMarked status every year. They are extremely proud to be one of only three DIAMOND-level Disney EarMarked Travel Companies in the country; their team of agents is trained to always provide the lowest available pricing to Disney or anywhere in the world. Check out this gorgeous award they received for being a Diamond-EarMarked Agency in 2024!
Academy Travel also has an award-winning division focused on worldwide travel with a team of agents who specialize in other destinations, such as Hawaii, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand; plus, all major cruise lines, the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, and other destinations throughout our beautiful world.
In October 2024, Academy Travel hosted its annual AEP (Agent Education Program) and a spectacular celebration at the Walt Disney World Resort that both educated and praised their team for so many incredible years at the top of the business! The team teed off with an early morning at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course; breakfast sandwiches were ready to feed the golfers as they headed out for a beautiful day on the green. If they were lucky, they even got to drive the Mickey golf cart!
Night one was wrapped with a Disney Villains-themed party that was absolutely SPOOKTACULAR from start to finish! The agents loved the opportunity to dress up in their wickedly fun costumes, take photos with hard-to-find villain characters, and indulge in themed food, sweets & treats made especially for our event! Take a look at all the fun:
The next morning was the first official meeting in the conference hall at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, where agents got to hear from several wonderful speakers who both entertained and educated our team to take their business to the next level! Guest speakers such as Author & Motivational Speaker Scott Deming, Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Connie Podesta, and marketing expert Sara Lamason came out to speak to everyone! The agents learned so many actionable takeaways and were left with excitement to grow & thrive over the next year! The Walt Disney Company was even kind enough to send out Miss Minnie Mouse with a celebratory 25th Anniversary cake just for Academy Trave; it was definitely the cherry on top of the day!
On the third and final day, a delicious breakfast buffet spread awaited everyone back in the conference hall bright and early! Agents enjoyed a hot meal with a dash of Disney magic before heading to the Trade Show, which featured vendors and travel partners, such as Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Visit Orlando, Disney Destinations, and more! Afterward, everyone headed next door for a Q&A session with our media team at Academy Travel and The Kingdom Insider. It was a very productive session full of questions from the agents about how to use social media for marketing themselves and how they can best use the media team’s social media content!
After Lisa Federico’s closing remarks, the agents headed back to their rooms to start primping for the evening Gala! This was the most anticipated event of the year for Academy Travel, and it was held at the World Showcase in EPCOT. Words can still not even express how elegant and wonderful this Gala was. Everyone looked stunning in their formal wear, and the ambiance was breathtakingly beautiful. Everyone enjoyed a candlelit dinner while enjoying live entertainment and an open bar. After dessert, awards were handed out to top-selling agents, and the host was so entertaining (definitely the comedy of the night!). Congratulations to all the agents again for their hard work and success!
After the awards were handed out, Lisa Federico had a wonderful surprise waiting for agents and their guests. Everyone rushed to the front of the stage with tears in their eyes as Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel) was announced! She performed several of her most popular and iconic songs from Broadway, the animated movie “Thumbelina” and, of course, “The Little Mermaid.” Her daughter, Delaney Benson, also came out and performed with her! It was truly the most magical and nostalgic moment for everyone, and it was a gift that will never be forgotten by anyone who attended.
Afterward, another surprise! So many Disney characters came out for meet and greets, and everyone had so much taking pictures with Beast and Belle, Tiana and Prince Naveen, Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, and so many others. Everyone had the biggest smiles on their faces as they made core memories with their loved ones while taking fun photos, dancing in front of the stage, and chatting at tables. It was truly a magical night that will never be forgotten.
The next day, everyone, tired but fulfilled from a few days of productive fun, checked out of their hotels to head back home. It was an extremely successful event and so it was filled with so many wonderful moments. Cheers to 25 magical years of Academy Travel!
Are you ready to book your Disney vacation? Leave all the details to our friends at Academy Travel Agency & let one of their Disney experts take it from here! Just click here to select your Disney destination of choice, fill out the quick & easy questionnaire, and your personalized, free agent will be in touch soon! Take a look around our website in the meantime, and read all about resorts, cruises, dining, entertainment & more! Be sure to follow us @thekingdominsider on Instagram & The Kingdom Insider on Facebook for updates & Insider info on what’s not to be missed! Get excited; the countdown to your vacation is ON!
