Did you hear the one about the man who set up a travel agency during a global health pandemic
Those that know me will tell you that during my life I have made a few wrong decisions and at the time of writing this I have no doubt a few of you are thinking he’s done it again but it’s strange that during these crazy times that I am strangely optimistic. Am I worried? Too right I am but the reason I took the plunge and decided to do this was that I simply love travel and so do most people which is why I firmly believe that when this is over we will see a holiday boom.
I as much as anyone can’t wait until we can all meet up and go to the events we love, I am missing the football like mad and have realized just how much we take the simplest things for granted, travel is one of those. I have in the last 5 weeks gone from business owner to being a Maths teacher although Rachel Riley really does not have to worry. I have a newfound respect for teachers and also have come to notice just how busy my wife is although I am not sure building a walk-in wardrobe on her week off will be the highlight of her 2020 lockdown.
The nice new cosy office has been dismantled and my wife has taken this area to now work from home. It has been the most challenging time I can remember in a very long time yet in a perverse way I am still enjoying it although the walk-in wardrobe is now likely to be the main place of work I think.
I have found that I am using this time to learn firsthand more about other destinations and read about people's experiences and basically just keep learning. As someone who has yet to really build up a customer base, I think it is hugely important that I demonstrate that I know what I am talking about so I have decided to learn, learn and learn more. I have recently qualified to become an Aussie specialist so I am on my way!
I have been using this time to learn more about these incredible suppliers (to name a few):
Disney
Seabourn
Tourism Australia
Haven
Hoseasons
James Villa Holidays
Golf Escapes
Sykes Holiday Cottages
Elegant Resorts
Sandals
Travel may seem like a long distant dream for some but it will become a key part of our lives again and this is why I have been keeping busy. You will have noticed I have been posting destination ideas as opposed to offers. I am conscious that I do not want to become the Jim Bowen of the holiday industry and post lots of look at what you could have had offers but I still think we all want to see where and where we can go after, don’t we?
As the travel industry will no doubt be fighting to recover I honestly believe travel agents will be so important for travellers, we need to be calm and need to be making sure travellers have the right information, as we are seeing so many horror stories on how customers should not be treated at times and there are a lot of people who will be having trust issues around the holiday industry but it’s down to me to show exactly why being a personal travel agent is so important and also showing that while the holiday a person has booked elsewhere for £20 cheaper may have been a great idea at the time, the reality is that in these situations a Travel Agent is key.
So in the meantime, I will keep plugging away and creating itineraries for when we can get away and keep learning more about destinations.
If you have anything you would like to see me write about in the future please let me know.