Tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been in the industry? Why did you decide to become a travel advisor?
Starting in the industry 45 plus years ago makes me reminisce about all the changes that I have seen in this crazy business we are in. After university at Carleton in Ottawa, I took a summer job at a travel agency in Hamilton trying to take the summer to decide what I wanted to do. I was hooked. But, to get a full-time job, which sounded like fun, I had to be a CTC. So, after work each day that summer, I would drive to Toronto an hour each way, five nights a week, to take a CTC night course. At the end of the summer, I was hired full-time and the rest, as they say, is history.
From those early years I remember weekends and nights handwriting 40 carbon copied tickets at a time for groups (no e-tickets then), having to call Air Canada, then American Airlines or KLM etc., to get an airfare quote for a client and then having to call the airlines back to book it. The same scenario with cruise lines. Having to learn mileage to figure out complex fares and working in an agency with an actual receptionist. I hate to say it, but in many ways, now are the “good old days.”
After being a partner in a brick-and-mortar Agency, Battlefield Travel, for 35 years, I am now incorporated as Unique Group Tours working from home under the TTAND umbrella. It has been an interesting ride, and I really don’t regret a minute. I have been an amateur poker player for the last 25 years also. I have entered many tournaments and played poker all over the world.
If I’m being honest, it is the really good living I have made in this chosen profession and the respect I think I have garnered in the travel industry. To get altruistic, I’m sure many agents would say that favourite things would include making clients dream vacations come true, the fam opportunities over the years, which helped to create a deep knowledge base, year-by-year getting better at my craft and getting to knowing my clients better so that over the years I could hope to meet and exceed their individual travel needs. But all that, to me, is a given goal, which makes us all the professionals we are and hence made me a very good living all these years.
Corporate and incentive travel, which I gave up very early on. I found it was not creative enough for me and I went on to become a group specialist.
Build relationships. With your customers for sure, but I find it most important to build strong relationships within the trade. Excellent trade relationships can only benefit your clients in the long run. You need to establish and maintain trust with your chosen tour suppliers by being honest, reliable, professional, and ethical. Pick five or 10 good suppliers in a range of fields of expertise and demonstrate loyalty by supporting these suppliers. You will be surprised what you get back from them when you are a loyal customer. They will support you when you need it. I have created long term partnerships of 30 years plus with a handful of really good key suppliers and I have never run into an itinerary idea for a group or for an FIT they won’t help me create or a problem they won’t hesitate to solve or help me to solve. I am not on my own. I have partners.
Originally, yes, of course, but also a bit of nervousness. And I think the nervousness was warranted because when the industry began to rebound there were many growing pains to get back to a sort of normal. Dealing with seniors I did find that some were anxious to get back in the travel saddle, but others were content to wait a bit more.
I think that reasons for using a travel advisor are all over the board. Some people try it themselves and realize quite quickly they are out of their depth. Some people think we work for free (or have no idea how we make any money) so why not use us. The other half thinks we charge way too much and try to save money by doing it themselves. My clients use me as they have learned to trust me over the years and can travel 100% worry-free. I think they do know it costs them a bit more in the short term but they see my worth as a professional.
I did start with the 20-somethings originally, but also have had seniors in the mix right from day one. My first groups, way back when, were eco groups tours run through the Royal Botanical Gardens escorted by the then president. This is where I got my real start for the path that I have followed of arranging unique group tours. These first groups had client ages ranging in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s plus. My clients’ age range (now) is about 55 – 85. Once in awhile, I will get a younger couple referred to me. Family travel has not really been my forte.
It would be hard to come up with just one travel memory over all these years…but they would include things like my absolute “shock and awe” sharing the highway with cows in India on the way from the airport to our hotel. Walking a small part of the Inca Trail in Machu Picchu. Seeing my first cheetah in South Africa and actually not cancelling this trip but still going to South Africa this first time only a week after Chris Hanni was murdered in April of 1993. (There is a story there) Travelling in Greece and meeting Telly Savalas and Sonny Bono on Rhodes was a big deal at the time. Seeing the traffic chaos in India (I thought Rome was bad). Seeing the sunrises and sunsets in tropical Paradises over the years – most recently in Tahiti. Now, every new trip I can share with my partner is a special memory stored in the bank.
Probably about $375,000 to $500,000 gross – with commission ranging from $55,000 to $80,000.
I had never charged a service fee until Covid. Not that I was against them, I just didn’t. But during Covid, with all the work that went into cancelling and rebuilding files, I did decide to start charging a service fee of $250 p.p. for a cancelled file. I don’t charge an up-front service fee because to be honest, 90% of my clients only get in touch when they want to book and it is rare that they are fishing – they usually travel. If a client just goes the “wanting info” route a couple of times I politely don’t work with them anymore.
Being a travel agent is a hard job. It is certainly not a 9-5 job. At 70, I am still working a full week and lots of overtime as we all know. I work when I am home, I work (as little as I can get away with) when I am away. It can be rewarding and it certainly can be frustrating. I have gained many lifelong friends both clients and vendors. It is a job you never have to retire from if you don’t want to, which is great for keeping the mind sharp. I am sure there are other great jobs out there – but I know everyone thinks mine was a good choice. I do too. Thanks mom.
