Kerry Wirkkunen
CAA North & East Ontario, Thunder Bay
“I would like to nominate Kerry Wirkkunen from CAA Thunder Bay. She has been a great supporter of Contiki in the past, and her location supports Contiki with sales, travel talks, training, etc. She supports vulnerable communities in her time off, but also works these activities into her professional life. For example, she attended the IGLTA conference (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association), which is a partner of TTC, to familiarize herself with destinations and suppliers that provide safe & inclusive travel options for clients who belong to those communities. More recently, during the COVID-19 outbreak, she has reached out to anyone who may be vulnerable due to school closures. Her most recent Facebook status asked if anyone needed assistance: “If the school closures have you concerned about your child not being able to eat breakfast or lunch let me know. I will do what I can to help. A box of cereal, gallon of milk, bread, pb/j- just let me know. Feel free to PM — no judgement or if you know someone in need please let me know.” I think she is worthy of recognition as she is always there to support her community, both in her personal and professional life.”
Ian Kivell
South Western Ontario & Atlantic Canada Sales Manager, Contiki Canada
Meet Kerry Wirkkunen
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?
First of I would like to thank whomever thought to nominate me as a featured travel advisor, it gives validation on how I conduct myself with customers and suppliers. I wanted to become a travel agent when I was pretty young, my older sister was an agent and hearing of her travels, it ignited the spark in me. When I was 19, I went to the local college and spoke with the co-coordinator of Travel and Tourism about enrolling in the program. She recommended to me to look into another program, as I had a three month old baby at home and thought the demands of the program, and later in the work field would be too much for me. That year I enrolled in the Business Marketing program, I felt that no matter what, my dream was always to be in the travel field, but under the advice I took a different program, one that I thought would benefit me in the future, when I got to where I really wanted to be. For over 20+ years I worked in sales, and management positions, these various positions that taught me a lot but, none told me I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. In 2015 I decided it is now or never. I returned to college, I enrolled and graduated from the Travel and Tourism, Eco-Adventure program with honours. CAA NEO had an opening for a travel consultant to cover for an agent on maternity leave. That was almost three years ago and I am happily working with them today.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
My favourite part of the job is when clients come in and tell you that they want to plan a vacation, that vacation can be small or very detailed. But once you do the research and sit down with the clients and go over the details, you can see the excitement in their eyes. Or when they look at you and say you nailed it, that is when you know you’ve done it right. Then the second best is when they come back from vacation and tell you about their amazing adventures. It was almost like you were with them. My favourite line from one of my closest clients was, “you thought about things I would need, things that could go wrong, and took care of them before I even knew that it could be a problem.”
How has travel impacted your own life?
Travelling and working in the travel industry, especially with a company like CAA NEO, has taught me that there is more to life than what is right in front of you, that you can make a difference – even if its from your desk. As employees we are encouraged to be community present, meaning go out into the community and make a difference. “There for you” is more than a mantra, it is a part of all of us.
How are you coping in this crazy COVID-19 world? What are you focusing on right now?
Surprisingly, quite well. I have an amazing support team at home and at work. My main focus is making sure that my clients are taken care of. Since this is such a fluid situation and the unknowns are great, all it takes is a quick email or phone call just to let the client know that you are thinking of them. I try to make sure I speak with them on a regular basis. Not just the clients that have travel currently booked, but all, as they all have become like family to me.
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 have noticed an upswing in river cruising. Clients are realizing it isn’t just for the older crowd. I have had younger clients who thought they were going to be utterly bored on a river cruise without all the bells and whistles. For them to come back and tell me that they were so busy and immersed in the culture that they wanted to go again. The other side of the swing is multi-generational travel. Where you are planning a vacation for three or four generations, it’s about making those memories that will last a lifetime.
Have you had any interesting or strange requests from clients?
One funny request I had was this couple were going on vacation with one set of parents. When they made the booking, both couples, the children and parents said that they wanted to make sure that the rooms were close together, on the sly one of the kids called in and asked if they could be in the same building but as far away from each other as possible.
I had one client who booked a vacation for him and a lady friend, they were in their late forties. About an hour after they left the office, the gentleman called me to ask no matter what his mom says when she calls, I am not to tell her if anyone was going on the vacation with him. I assured him it was against policy to give details to anyone not on the vacation. Apparently, the mom didn’t like the girlfriend and would have booked the same vacation to just go and be there.
How many countries have you been to and where would you like to go next when we can travel again?
I would definitely say not enough countries! My husband and I took our moms to Florida in February of 2018. We started in Miami, and drove to the Keys, then north up to Orlando. We decided to visit Disney as neither mom had ever been there before. Later that year, my mother in-law passed away, so those memories will always be ours. It has always been my dream to take my mom to Ireland, and when COVID-19 is over I think that would be a great trip to start planning.
What’s a big misconception people have about travel agents?
The biggest misconception that I hear is that it costs a lot more to use an agent then booking yourself. Nothing could be further from the truth. Agents have the ability and time to source out different options that will save you money. If you call a tour or cruise provider and book with them directly, it’s the same price as with an agent. Depending on the agency, there may be added incentives because suppliers have relationships with agencies. Knowledge – there is no price you can put on knowledge, using an agent gets you at the hotel city centre rather than five miles away. Using an agent, they will be able to tell you to go to this little hole in the wall restaurant and it’s the best and most authentic culinary experience you’ll have. It’s not just my knowledge that they will benefit from. One of the best parts of working at CAA NEO is if you have a question, there are dozens of other agents you can reach out to.
Do you have anything to add?
I love helping people. As Marc Anthony said, “ If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
