Carla MacKay
Travel Our Way, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
“I have known Carla for over 16 years. Her drive and passion for travel is unwavering. She is dedicated to her team, clients and community. She is a fun and gutsy woman who, with her business partner and co-owner, Terri Lee Arbuckle have built a strong and respectable travel agency. She is a very deserving nominee for the Canadian Travel Press’ Travel Agent Appreciation issue.”
Ken Nickerson
Trafalgar and Costsaver Senior Sales Manager for Atlantic Canada
Meet Carla MacKay
Tell us a little bit about yourself, how long you’ve been in the industry and what made you want to become a travel agent?
In 1996 I began my career in travel with Fraser & Hoyt Worldwide Travel. Twelve years later, in 2008 following the birth of my second child I entered a partnership at Travel Our Way, our small independent agency in New Glasgow, NS. Within four years our sales landed us in the top agencies in Canada with the TRAVELSAVERS Consortia and in 2016 year, my partner and I opened our second storefront in Antigonish, NS. Currently we have five travel agents, three home based agents, and two support staff.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
For many reasons travel is inaccessible to many women. I am most proud of our “There She Goes,” agent escorted travel experiences, which has bridged some of these gaps. We began taking women to destinations that without a travel companion or knowledge of the location they would not attempt on their own. We are empowering women through travel. On these trips women conquer fears and push through anxieties. We are there to witness their expressions and it is wonderful! A few of our recent trips include a widow travelling for the first time without her partner and a woman who gleamed with pride as she used her passport for the first time and boarded an international flight. Women have met on our trips, forged friendships that lasted upon return and booked further trips together. We did that! To date we have booked trips to Ireland, Scotland, Prague/Vienna, Budapest, Paris and nine NYC trips.
How has travel impacted your own life?
Travel has allowed me to see the world and educated my children on different countries and cultures. As a business owner it’s how I support my family and many community, school, and sport team initiatives. Besides my family – travel is my life!
How are you coping in this crazy COVID-19 world? What are you focusing on right now?
To cope with our COVID-19 world, I have moved my computer to my home to isolate. I continue to monitor emails but things have slowed down after the initial three weeks of chaos. To fill my time I have been training on new software, pricing packages for next year and rebooking our 2020 “There She Goes” trips to 2021. I am used to being busy so I am honestly finding this downtime stressful.
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?
I noticed more people taking cruises and self guided European vacations. The all-inclusive client bookings remain strong but I find people are looking for more from their travel; they want experiences and education.
Have you had any interesting or strange requests from clients?
Yes, I have had several different requests over the years. One trip I arranged stands out, it was a family reunion of 27 people who were meeting for Christmas in the Dominican Republic. They were travelling from Dublin, Calgary, Halifax, Boston, and Mauritius. Logistics wise were pretty straight forward but it made me very happy to know the results of my work was bringing this family together.
How many countries have you been to and where would you like to go next when we can travel again?
In total I have been to 28 countries, some of which I’ve visited multiple times. I am busy when I travel as I always want to get as much exposure to a destination as possible. Two recent groups I was to escort were to Nashville and the second was a 12 day tour of Italy so I have these rescheduled for 2021. With all this said, if I were to travel personally I would choose (again) the island of Jamaica and much time on one of its beautiful beaches.
What’s a big misconception people have about travel agents?
A misconception is that we are more expensive to use but in most cases we are the SAME PRICE or less expensive than booking online. I’ve found the times we are more expensive tend to be cases of not comparing apples to apples. A second misconception is that all agents are the same. This is not true for travel agents as it is not true for any other profession. I encourage consumers to find a knowledgeable agent with experience and a commitment to deliver a quality service. I suggest contacting multiple agencies, talking to agents and finding the person who best suits your needs.
Do you have anything to add?
One aspect of our business model we are adapting is moving towards the trend of home based travel agents. Travel Our Way is excited to grow this division and bring on additional experienced agents looking for a change in how they do business. We have added technology to allow agents to operate from their homes while still being dedicated to their clients. We continue to change as the times change while staying true to our core beliefs.
