A launch that took more than a year to earn
It's worth pausing on what actually had to happen before any of this was possible. InteleTravel didn't simply decide to open in the UAE and switch a light on. Getting a foreign travel business legally trading in the UAE means working through a genuinely demanding regulatory process: securing the correct legal permits, obtaining a UAE trading licence, establishing a real Dubai headquarters, and building out a local customer service team on the ground before a single advisor could be onboarded.
That process was managed over more than a year by InteleTravel's UK and Ireland Managing Director, Tricia Handley-Hughes, and it included setting up 34 contracted supplier partners across cruise lines, tour operators, hotels, live events, and attractions. New UAE-based advisors also go through mandatory training on the UAE's specific regulatory framework for selling travel as part of their onboarding. None of that is quick or easy, and it's exactly why this launch is such a significant moment rather than just another announcement. This is a company that went through the proper channels, did the legal and regulatory work properly, and built the infrastructure to support it, before opening the doors.
The first open call: over 100 women in one room
Once the doors opened, the response was immediate. Our first Zoom session was an open call for women in the UAE curious about building an income through travel, and more than 100 women joined. The energy in that call said everything: women at very different stages of life, from those newly arrived in the UAE to those who've called it home for years, all asking the same honest questions about flexibility, income, and what it would actually take to get started.
What stood out most was how practical the conversation stayed. Rather than a big sales pitch, it was a genuine walkthrough of how the business works, what the UAE licence and regulatory backing mean for advisors on the ground, and what a realistic first few months could look like. That's the tone we want every session to have, especially in a brand new market where people are right to ask careful questions.
Partnering with Women Who Thrive
Our second session was with Women Who Thrive, a women-led wellbeing community based in Dubai. WWT was founded by Sue and Achasah out of a sentiment a lot of women in the city recognise: that Dubai can feel lonely. Over five years, they've built something that's changed that story, creating a genuinely inclusive space where women connect, feel supported, and belong, whatever stage of life or career they're in.
The community organises its calendar around eight pillars of wellbeing, covering the mental, social, professional, financial, environmental, emotional, physical, and nutritional sides of women's lives, and stays connected between events through the Thrivers app. It's been recognised by publications including Time Out Dubai and Savoir Flair, and was named a winner in the Ahlan Hot 100 for 2026.
Being welcomed into that community for a session felt like a natural fit. Women Who Thrive is built on exactly the kind of professional and financial wellbeing pillars that a flexible income through travel speaks directly to, and the women in that room were thoughtful, engaged, and asked brilliant questions about how the two worlds fit together.
What comes next
Two sessions in, and the picture is already clear: there's real appetite in the UAE for a genuine, well-regulated way to build a flexible income around travel, and real value in doing that alongside communities that are already looking out for women's wellbeing. More sessions are being planned, and we'll keep showing up with the same honest, no-pressure approach that got us here.
Want to be part of the next session?
If you're in the UAE and curious about what this looks like for you, get in touch and we'll talk it through honestly, no pressure, no vague promises.
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