Meet Angelina Lalau

We were lucky to catch up with Angelina Lalau recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Angelina with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I started working at age 16. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, so I had to start work at a young age to pay for things. I went to college after high school and had to pay for my own way. I applied for grants, but also had to take out loans to be able to support myself while I attended college. I worked full-time and went to college at night – took me 7 years, but I graduated with a BS Degree in Information Systems. During those 7 years, I also got married and had two boys. After I graduated, I got my first job in Information Technology and worked full time. I also had my daughter – so we had 3 kids at this point. My husband also graduated college with a BS in Finance and worked full time. While our kids were young, we both worked full time to support our family. Living in California is expensive!

My parents divorced when I was 15 and my mother worked 2-3 jobs to support my sister and I. She also went back to school and graduated with a Master Degree. So I definitely got my work ethic from her.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

After working in Technology for 15 years, I left the corporate world to join my husband in our family business in 2014. My husband had left the corporate world in 2009 and had built a business in the Pet Industry. In 2016, I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. I had to get a double mastectomy and the reconstruction process took two years, In 2020, we sold part of our pet business and moved to Henderson, NV from Los Angeles. In 2021, I had another cancer scare and had to have a full hysterectomy.

In 2024, I decided I wanted to start a new venture and I joined a host company to start my travel business. It has been a great learning experience for me and I’ve learned so much about how the travel industry works in just a few short months. We love to travel and I love sharing my experiences with my clients. We have been to several countries and have done several roads trip within the USA – so I’m able to share my travel expertise as well.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three important skills that I feel have helped me be successful is: communication, organization and kindness. I prefer to pick up the phone an call, rather than email. I’ve found that I get a better response from vendors if I call and talk to them.

Organization is extremely important. I add everything to my calendar – appointments, to do lists, etc. I also keep my house organized, as I feel it helps keep my life organized. With 3 kids and 3 grandkids – we have a lot going on!

One of my favorite quotes is “don’t judge someone unless you’ve walked in their shoes”. You never know what someone is going through or what happened before your encounter with them, so I always try to be kind and respectful no matter what the situation is.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I usually have a lot going on, so I do get overwhelmed. When I get overwhelmed, I try to communicate that I am feeling overwhelmed. I used to never ask for help, as I wanted to show people I could handle everything myself. However, I’ve learned over the years, that people want to help. For example, when I would plan a birthday party for one of my kids, I learned to give people jobs to help alleviate feeling overwhelmed – ask Dad to pick up the cake, ask Uncle to pick up the ice, ask auntie to coordinate the jumper, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.luxrallytravel.com
• Instagram: angelinaluxrally
• Facebook: angelina lalau