The Personal Travel Agents homeworker tells Samantha Mayling about an ‘incredible night’ and selling a holiday to Rebecca Adlington
Q. How did your career develop?
I started 20 years ago, a week after my GCSEs. I got the job at Thomas Cook, in Mansfield, before my exam results. It was a busy shop and a great team. After three years, I moved to Thomas Cook in Nottingham and, within a year, became assistant manager. I was assistant manager there for 10 years, before moving to my local branch in Arnold, in 2017. I returned to being a sales consultant, as I loved being on the shop floor with customers.
Q. Why did you move to The Personal Travel Agents?
I wanted a new challenge and to offer a personalised and independent service. My boys were three and six, so there was lots of juggling with school events. On my first day, in March 2019, I attended the PTA conference in Cyprus. I liked that family feel and being part of the trusted, well-known [Midcounties] Co-op brand. The support has continued, particularly through Covid – seven days a week, and it doesn’t end at 5pm. We’ve got fantastic support.
Q. How did your business develop?
Family and friends were my biggest supporters – and it grew from there. I have lots of repeat customers and a huge referral base. Last year, I did £500,000 worth of sales, all from referrals. I focus on good service and building relationships. I think long term about each client when they make their first enquiry.
Q. How did you cope during the pandemic?
I got a second job, taking NHS 119 calls from home, and worked my business around it. The PTAs had someone interpreting government Covid travel information, from here and overseas. I couldn’t have sold holidays without that. I was involved with the ‘Tom the Traveller’ initiative created by our social media team. It was a kids’ cartoon character, with puzzles, games and quizzes. As my core business is families, it worked well.
My followers know I’m a mum, so I shared the highs and lows of homeschooling. When business came back, my first solid financial year was 2022-23. In 2023-24, my sales grew a further 40% – and I’m on track for more this year. Everything is fantastic. This is how I imagined it; I love it. My clients are mainly in Nottinghamshire, because of referrals from my sons’ school, and Nottinghamshire police, as I have friends who work there.
Q. Tell us about your travels
My husband’s a teacher, so I take school holidays off. That time is so valuable. I don’t take new enquiries during that period, but I’m on hand and chat to customers. I like to share our travels with my customers. We went self-catering to Lake Garda this summer and took our first ocean cruise in April, with MSC Cruises. We’re going again in October with MSC – both northern Europe itineraries. I sell more cruise now that I’ve done one. If families have taken all-inclusive holidays then want something different, cruising is a great step.
We’re offered a lot of fam trips with PTAs. I’ve been to Florida and Saint Lucia on fams. The PTAs had a fabulous conference in Paris last year on a Uniworld river cruise ship – my first river cruise experience. I did my first river cruise booking within a week of returning.
Q. Any unusual bookings?
I booked [double Olympic swimming champion] Rebecca Adlington’s family holiday. She’s from Mansfield, my home town, and it was a word-of-mouth referral. It was a Jet2holidays package to Portugal in a lovely hotel with a nice pool – there was pressure to find the perfect pool! It was an absolute pleasure to book and she left a lovely social media review.
Another client has spent nearly £100,000 in the past three years, including the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with full hospitality and the Orient-Express. I don’t see the impact of cost-of-living concerns. Many of my customers say they’ll save money elsewhere before cutting back on holidays. It’s an emotive buy. It means so much to people. People still say Covid makes you think about booking these precious holidays.
Why do you think you won the Agent Achievement Awards Leisure Agent of the Year award?
It was an incredible night. I’d never been to an awards ceremony and being a finalist was such an honour. I think I won because I focus on families with special needs, such as those with neurodivergent children.
I can explain how airlines can support them and about the sunflower lanyard scheme for hidden disabilities, which is recognised at airports. Some airport websites, such as Birmingham, are excellent for explaining what to expect. Another concern families have is travelling when one of them has a food allergy or coeliac disease.
I contact hotels and use sources such as TripAdvisor and support groups on social media. I’m passionate about it. People with children can fear travelling if they’re not sure what’s safe to eat. There’s a great website with translation cards, so if you need gluten-free food, you can get that translated into Turkish, for example. I want to build my knowledge to support families.