Ian
McClure

Ian was recently named to Travel Agent Central’s “30 Under 30” for 2023.

When my parents were deciding which elementary school to send me and my sister to in Austin, Texas, one of the most important criterions was that we would be able to take time off to travel the world. My family has always seen travel as an integral part of our education, not just a way to spend holidays and breaks in between classes. As much as I value all of the time I spent learning and studying in school, some of the most important and impactful life lessons have come from our global family adventures.

My parents promised me and my sister at a very young age that by the time we both turned 12, we would have been to every continent in the world. Apparently, they were not satisfied with that goal, as I made it not only to all seven continents but also both poles before my twelfth birthday! To say that my experience with travel has been privileged would be a massive understatement.

After spending my childhood traveling with my family, I gained the confidence to explore more of the world on my own. My sister and I started traveling without our parents as soon as we turned 6 years old, and every year we would fly across the country alone to visit our grandparents. By 14, I was ready to leave home to attend The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. At 18, I set off for the opposite coast to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where I spent the next decade before returning to Austin and joining the Small World Team.

Growing up, I never intended to end up in the ‘family business.’ The 26 years leading up to this career involved forays into acting, directing, writing, and producing. Throughout it all, the one constant was travel. Every few months I found myself in a new exotic, exciting, and eye-opening part of the world. I was taken by the beauty of the Galapagos Islands, the timeless classics of European tours, the culture shock of China as a pre-teen, and the absolute awe and wonder of an African safari. Each destination brought us close to nature, people, and ways of life that were new and thrilling.

After working for nearly five years in a part time hosting job on the other side of the travel business, I realized I had a knack for enhancing and curating a memorable experience for travelers. I couldn’t think of a better place to continue that mission than with the business that my mother started, which I watched grow step by step through my own eyes as we traveled the world as a family.