Tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been in the industry?
I have been working in the travel industry for the past 27 years. Wow, where does the time go? After graduating from university, I went on a backpacking trip to Europe. That gave me the travel bug and I then spent 2.5 years travelling, living, and working overseas in Spain, the U.K. and Japan. When I started in the industry after a short time in sales, I was a branch/office manager for many years. My real passion is working with my clients and finding the exact right itinerary with them to fit their needs and I’ve been a frontline travel professional for the past eight years.
Why and how did you decide to become a travel advisor?
I fell in love with travel and wanted to share that passion with my clients. I love the people I work with and have been fortunate to have a great team of coworkers for many years. I also have a great client base that I love working with.
What’s your favourite part of being a travel agent?
Finding that exactly right trip/itinerary/hotel/destination or experience that matches with my clients needs, dreams and budget. For the most part people are happy to talk about travel and I get to work with and for my clients who are interesting people. I enjoy talking to them about their trips, planning them ahead of time and working with them. I also enjoy following along while they are travelling and then getting together for follow-up post trip. It’s interesting to see how each person and trip can be a life-changing experience for that one person/couple or group.
What’s the main thing that’s changed about your clients or the travel industry since the pandemic?
The main thing that has changed about my clients is that they are looking at more flexible options for tours/hotels. Tour operators, hotels, cruise lines that offer more flexible booking options and credits are top of mind. For the industry in general, the major change is the length of time it takes to do most things. We have a huge staff shortage within the industry and hold times continue to be a nightmare and a huge drain on our time. Fixing things, getting assistance for small adjustments can take hours out of our day and it is mind-numbing and exhausting. Hopefully over the next while this balances out and adjusts so that we can get back to more manageable wait times.
Do you believe more people are using travel advisors since the pandemic? Why or why not?
100% I believe that more people are using travel professionals. I have had many people reach out to me having found me online, or through a group chat, or via friends or family. People are interested to find out what we are able to do or offer in comparison to them doing it on their own. Not everyone will choose to work with a travel professional, and that is totally fine. I am not looking to work with every single person that is looking to book their travel. I’m looking to find the right clients that value my expertise and knowledge and are willing to pay my fee and build a relationship to work together on their travel needs.
Can you share a special travel memory and what travel means to you?
I am fortunate to have travelled to over 55 countries and counting, so it’s often hard for me to pick one single moment in my travels to share as that one special travel memory. Travel is all about the experiences, sharing moments with your fellow travellers, with the locals you interact with and learning more about this amazing world that we live in.
My top nine picks for personal travel memories and experiences are:
- Playing games and singing songs with hill-tribe children during a trekking trip in Thailand.
- Seeing tears of amazement in my daughter’s eyes in the Galapagos Islands as we swam with penguins for the first time.
- Watching the sunrise from the top of a volcano in Bali.
- Immersing myself in the culture while living in Japan.
- Sleeping under the stars in the Outback of Australia.
- Being surrounded by a pride of over 40 lions while on safari in Tanzania.
- Bungy jumping at Victoria Falls, Africa.
- Dancing at a Ceilidh in the highlands of Scotland.
- Getting off the beaten path and cycling in Australia, Thailand and China.
What’s still on your travel must see list?
My must see travel list is also a tricky one – but I am looking forward to exploring Southern Africa later this year. Other places on the future country list (in no particular order): Egypt, Cambodia, Laos, Ethiopia, Botswana, The 5 Stans, Iceland… There’s still a long list. I’m at the point where I’m also interested in trying different ways to travel, so I’m looking forward to some biking/walking trips and potentially a river cruise? I’d also go back to many of the countries that I’ve previously visited in a heartbeat. Honestly, if someone asked me to be at the airport in three hours to catch a plane I could do it. I’m always ready to go!
In hindsight, what do you know now that you wish you knew when you were first starting out?
That’s a long time ago. To be honest, before I started working in the travel industry, I hadn’t really thought about how much world events would shape the business that we are in. A train strike in France, a snowstorm, a coup, an earthquake, a recession, a volcano, political uprisings, weather events, a global pandemic and the list goes on and on. We are inundated with the news and need to be experts in everything (or at least be aware of all things all over the world) to be able to keep track of trends to better assist and advise our clients.
Where do you stand on charging fees?
100% I charge a fee. I will not waive it. For new enquiries I charge it up front. Right now we can change the way people think about us as an industry. We need to make sure that as a whole we support each other and work together to make sure that all clients understand the value of a travel professional. If the client isn’t willing to pay the fee, then they aren’t worth your time. Period. I’ve had people refuse to pay my fee, and then come back to me three months later because they can’t figure it out themselves. (I charge a higher fee because now it is a rush.) They are thankful for my help and become a new repeating client for the future.
What’s the nicest thing a client has ever done for you?
I’ve had clients give me flowers, cards, wine, coffee gift cards, take me out for happy hour, invite me to their home. I am thankful for every single gesture. My favourite is the follow-up whether it is an email, an in-person visit or a video call where we do a post-trip chat with photo sharing and I get a real update on the experiences. Even that email as a follow-up from a trip where they take the time to tell me all about the experience makes my day.
Do you have anything to add?
Finding out I was nominated for this was such a lovely surprise. We work so hard these days and at times it can be overwhelming just getting through the day-to-day of the job. I’ve recently been able to connect in person at some events with clients, coworkers and suppliers and I’ve remembered how important it is for us to meet up in person. Thankful for every person that I connect with in this industry that is my career.
