What’s your favourite part of the job? 

Without a doubt, it’s the excitement that I absorb from my clients. Every time a trip comes together, or when clients return and tell me all about their experiences. I love dealing with people, and being able to turn people’s wishes, dreams, and expectations into reality is without a doubt, exactly what brings me back to my office day after day.

How has travel impacted your own life? 

Before I began my career in travel, I tried my hand at many different industries, and while I often enjoyed the work I did, there was always something missing. After joining the travel industry, I began to travel myself, and as the world opened up to me, my perspective on everything changed. I became much more in tune to the world around me, from different cultures, different sites, and of course, a wide variety of different people. Travel has changed my life in ways I can’t even begin to describe.

How are you coping in this crazy COVID-19 world? What are you focusing on right now? 

Wow, now this is the million-dollar question. Once the initial shock to my system subsided, and once I had all my clients on their way home, I volunteered my time to assist others with getting themselves or family members home. While I was successful with some, but not others, just being able to try and help people, certainly helped me cope with the first few weeks. Now that everyone is home, future trips are mostly cancelled, I’m moving on to figuring out how we survive this, and beyond that, how we can thrive in the post-COVID world. There is no doubt in my mind that our industry will be forever changed by COVID-19, so my goal is to anticipate what kind of changes are ahead, what travel trends will be most important to consumers, and how can I not only maximize my profits, but how can I maximize the service I offer. There will probably be some tough self reflection moving forward, but I think we are going to have a reset once this is all over, and I hope, I can make the best of a good opportunity to start over, and improve the way that I do business, and the service I offer to my clients, for this new era ahead.

Prior to all this, what were some of the big trends you were noticing in travel or that your clients were looking for from a getaway? 

Without a doubt, the biggest travel trends I was seeing, were the desire to take a step off the beaten path, but also to do so sustainably. I was getting a ton of requests for far flung places, that would give my clients bragging rights among their friends. Antarctica, Iceland, Croatia, India, and Africa all continue to be big draws. It does seem that as for sustainability, that has become a brag worthy aspect to traveling. Clients want the hybrid ship, or they want the tour operator that isn’t using any single use plastic, or they want to go on tours that can be transparent with how much of their money remains in local communities. I hope going forward, once this pandemic is behind us, that sustainability continues to be a driving force behind many consumers’ travel decisions.

Have you had any interesting or strange requests from clients? 

Aside from very specific requests regarding room locations, amenities (bathtubs in the rooms etc.) I can’t think of anything really bizarre. I’m sure bizarre requests have made their way to concierge desks in destination, but my clients seem to leave those odd requests out of my inbox.

How many countries have you been to and where would you like to go next when we can travel again? 

 I believe I’ve been to 21 countries over five continents. As for where I would like to go next, I had a few trips planned for this year, so depending on how long this situation persists for, I’m hoping New Zealand and Iceland are my next two trips – fingers crossed!

What’s a big misconception people have about travel agents? 

I would say the common misconception is that it costs more money to use a travel agent. While it’s true that we sometimes have to charge fees to manage complex bookings, for the most part, clients end up paying the same with us as they would with an OTA, and in most cases, where they do pay a bit more, they are usually benefiting from some great value adds, as well as our expertise, and care and attention.

Do you have anything to add? 

The only thing I really want to add, is that I know we are all in this situation now, where we are stressed, concerned about our next paycheque, or maybe lying awake at night wondering why we ever chose to be in this industry, but even as it may seem like there is no hope, or that we may not last through this, just remember that we will. We are part of one of the most resilient industries around. We have survived countless global catastrophes, we survived the dawn of internet booking, 9/11, Icelandic Volcanoes, and more. Beyond survival, we have shown that our industry is not only resilient, but also flexible and able to evolve. I’m confident that we will not only survive this, but will thrive, and come out of this better than ever. Even on the darkest of nights, the sun will always rise. We’re in for a beautiful day!