The Luxury Traveller owner Jennifer Lonergan won Luxury Seller of the Year at the Aspire Awards at the end of 2022. She talks to Josie Klein about her first three years in business
Q. Why did you get into the travel industry?
A. I have always had a passion for travel, but I never thought it would be my career. My love for travel stems from my parents, especially my dad. Growing up he was really passionate about taking our family to a different destination every year and I travelled all over the world as a kid. My dad’s love of travel definitely rubbed off on me and when I met my now husband Andrew I think I instilled it into him, and we began travelling together.
It was never my intention to set up my own business but Andrew would talk to his colleagues about their holiday plans and it often happened that I had been there before, so he would pass on my details and I would give them advice. That was my first taste of what it was like being in the industry. I had been a full-time housewife and mum to my two daughters, but in 2017 I decided to make travel my career and became a homeworker with Not Just Travel. I was there for about two years after which I wanted to set up my own business and in September 2019 I launched The Luxury Traveller.
Growing up [my dad] was really passionate about taking our family to a different destination every year and I travelled all over the world as a kid
Q. How has your business expanded?
A. For the first few months it was just me running the business and then in January 2020 I employed my lifelong friend Celia, who had no experience in the travel industry but a brilliant managerial background. We knew each other inside out so we knew we’d work well together. Then during the pandemic I took on two homeworkers, which wasn’t my plan but just sort of happened. One of my homeworkers was a former customer who is passionate about travel and wanted to join the industry and she’s doing so well. The other is a former Travel2 employee who was made redundant just prior to the pandemic. He had some time out and then reached out to ask my advice about working on the other side of travel and he’s also doing such a good job. It was never my intention to take on more staff and I don’t plan to create a big homeworking company, but if the opportunity arises then I’ll assess the situation.
One of my homeworkers was a former customer who is passionate about travel and wanted to join the industry and she’s doing so well
Q. How did you cope during the pandemic?
A. It was a horrendous time, but I was so grateful that I had taken on Celia as she was a huge support emotionally as well as helping with all the cancellations and amendments. It was really important to me that we did the best we could for our customers who were all devastated that they couldn’t go away so we kept in touch with them and sent a bouquet of flowers each time a booking was cancelled. When we had our first window where people could travel again in summer 2020, we pushed hard and made a lot of sales – I think I took over half of an Ikos resort as I sent all my clients there!
We put our time to good use and made our first brochure, which was really well received and prompted lots of bookings, but we sadly had to cancel most of them when the restrictions were reinstated. It was a tough time, but we have come out of the pandemic stronger than ever and I’m really proud of how we handled it.
We put our time to good use and made our first brochure, which was really well received and prompted lots of bookings
Q. Who are your clients?
A. Domestic and international footballers make up about 70% of my customer base as Andrew is a professional goalkeeper and has played for clubs including Fulham, Leeds, Liverpool and now Everton, so I have contacts all over the country. Football is a very close-knit industry and it can be difficult to get your foot in the door because lots of people are desperate to sell players something so they need to really trust you. I make sure I always do right by my clients and give a really good service. I have built up that trust over years to the point where they recommend me to other players, which is extremely humbling.
Domestic and international footballers make up about 70% of my customer base as [my husband] Andrew is a professional goalkeeper
Q. How did it feel to win an Aspire Award?
A. I was completely shocked; the category was so strong so I didn’t expect it at all, but I was thrilled to win. It was a wonderful ending to a really difficult few years and was a huge achievement for us. Having our success reflected with an award spurs us on to work even harder.
Why was The FIFA World Cup such an exciting time?
The World Cup was amazing for me as it gave me the chance to grow the business massively. Booking patterns were very different to normal. During a typical football season, players have matches all through the autumn and winter so I’m normally booking trips for May and June. However, this year my clients were playing matches in November and then being knocked out of the competition. They suddenly had two weeks off and they immediately wanted to go on holiday.
I’d have players and their partners text me as soon as the final whistle blew asking where they could fly to tomorrow. It was great as I got to book them holidays in places they wouldn’t go to in June such as the US and Caribbean. It was really exciting for me to get to work on new destinations as well as work in such a fast-paced environment. I really enjoy last-minute bookings so it was perfect for me. I also got loads of recommendations to other footballers so my client list grew hugely. Hopefully all those people who booked then will come back and travel with us again in May or June when the season ends.