If you’d asked Anna in the past whether she fancied swimming with stingrays or zip‑lining in a rainforest, she would have given you a look which said ‘no chance’.
But when on recent fam trips in the Caribbean, Anna couldn’t resist the opportunity – all in the name of work, of course.
On a trip to Stingray City in Antigua this year, hosted by the Caribbean Tourism Organization, she took the plunge and swam with stingrays.
“It scared me and I didn’t want to do it,” she admits. “But I wanted to experience it. It is so much easier to sell a destination when you’ve been there and done it!”
And, of course, she loved every minute of it.
Similarly, when visiting Saint Lucia in June, she again faced her fears by zip-lining in Babonneau.
“I was a bit apprehensive,” she recalls. “But after the first couple of goes I was quite OK with it and it was great fun – I’d certainly do it again!”
Anna would not descibe herself as an expert on the Caribbean yet, which is why she takes every opportunity she can to go to the islands on fam trips or holidays, to increase her knowledge and sales potential.
“It is so better when you’ve seen the destination with your own eyes,” she says.
“I have learnt so much on my trips and you can then marry up the destinations with clients you know would like them.”
Anna’s service includes hand-delivering tickets to some of her clients who have followed her from her previous agency, Preston Travel in Finchley, which failed last year.
What has struck Anna most about the Caribbean is just how much there is to do there. While it may be an obvious choice for those looking for a good beach and a dose of sunshine, Anna, who joined Travel Designers this year, was surprised by just how many activities and social events are on offer and the opportunities to island-hop for different cultural experiences.
She names just a few of the activities available as sailing, snorkelling, turtle watching, birdwatching, golf and cricket.
One of the islands Anna will now be heavily promoting, following a fam trip, is Anguilla.
“Having now seen Anguilla I can tell clients it’s worth making the extra journey to go there. It’s got the best beaches!”