Personal talk
n What is your star sign?
Aries.
n Who would be your ideal holiday companion? Where would you go?
Mel Gibson. Anywhere at all.
n What would you change about yourself?
My tardiness. I am a notoriously bad timekeeper, especially in the morning.
n Which living person do you most respect?
Richard Branson, he has become a huge success purely on his own merits and seems to thoroughly enjoy his life.
n What is your greatest regret?
I spent most of my twenties and thirties putting work before anything else. Inow realise that whilst it is important it is not the most important thing.
n What is your greatest extravagance?
I can’t cook so I buy expensive takeaways every night.
n What is your greatest fear?
Cancer.
n What’s your idea of a great night out?
Boringly, dinner in an intimate restaurant with a good bottle of champagne with my boyfriend.
n What’s your favourite TV programme/film/book?
My favourite programme is Coronation Street; the film is Top Gun; and the book Lord of The Rings.
n How do you relax?
A hot bath, a good book and a gin and tonic.
n If you could be anyone for a day who would it be?
One of my cats – they’re so spoiled.
n What would you put on your gravestone?
Here lies “The Late” Karen Lippitt.
Industry talk
n What was your first job in travel and how much did you get paid?
Working in reservations selling advance booking charter flights to the US and Canada. My salary was ú1,800 per annum.
n What white lies did you tell on your first jobapplication?
I said I could touch type – fortunately I wasn’t given a typing test at the interview!
n What has been your biggest challenge in the travel industry?
Starting The Villa Agency with just eight properties and having 50 within two years!
n What, apart from your current position, would be your ideal job in travel?
I thrive on sleepless nights so I would probably enjoy working in flight control.
n Who has been the biggest influence on your career and why?
My father was a successful businessmen, he died in 1983 and in hindsight I am convinced that one of the main reasons for starting The Villa Agency was to follow in his footsteps.
n If you weren’t in travel, would what you be doing?
Something with animals. If finances permitted, I would run a refuge for strays.
n What advice would you give to someone starting out in the travel industry?
Choose your employer carefully, learn to prioritise and don’t take yourself too seriously.
n What has been your most embarrassing moment in the travel industry?
It was in Portugal chairing a meeting about health, safety and holiday security. I went to the beach the day before and left everything in my car, including meeting materials and it was all stolen. Ihad to chair the meeting in borrowed clothes and explain why I wasn’t handing out the information sheets!
n What do you always carry with you to work?
My Cairn Terrier Prudence comes to the office every day with me and has done now for 13 years.
n What one thing would you change about your job?
I wish we were large enough to have a personnel officer!
n Make one prediction about travel in the 21stcentury.
Independent agents and tour operators will thrive.