Roseanne Reed-Brough tells Andrew McQuarrie how pageants helped source clients and develop confidence
Q. How did you get into the travel industry?
I started selling travel in January 2024. In the middle of 2023, we were thinking about visiting Lapland as a family. The children were at a good age – they were eight, six and four – but I was looking at the prices and thought, ‘I can’t justify paying £7,000 to £8,000 for two nights and three days somewhere cold.’ So I did some more research and that’s when I joined InteleTravel – mainly to reap my own rewards. I booked Lapland and everyone saw it on social media, so I ended up selling quite a few Lapland holidays.
People who had booked the destination then came to me about other trips and, before I knew it, I was sometimes saving people thousands by shopping around for them, and reaping the rewards of commission from the suppliers. The more partner events I went to, the tighter the connections I got. I benefitted massively from that, so my travel business really took off.
Q. How many Lapland trips have you sold?
Last year there were around 12. I’ve secured two this year and there are several others in the pipeline. I’ve been up every night until about midnight because everyone is wanting to secure a trip to Lapland or elsewhere. Loads of people are interested in New York’s Christmas markets or those in Europe, and even though they are weekend breaks, they’re repeat clients. Disneyland Paris is probably my most in-demand product. A lot of people have come to me with quotes from elsewhere and I’ve always beaten them and managed to get extra perks.
Q. Can you tell us about your success in pageant competitions?
I’ve competed in Miss Great Britain twice and finished sixth overall at one of them. I’ve won the competition’s charity award, personality award and the public vote. I first got involved in the pageant world when I was 18 and competed in Miss Cumbria and Miss England. I came away with a hell of a lot of friends and thought, ‘These girls are so nice.’ Many of them were running their own business or their own sideline and I thought that was really inspirational.
Q. How does Miss Great Britain work?
You don’t just rock up and go on stage wearing a fancy dress – that’s how it used to be years ago. These days, the people who run the competition watch you throughout the year, so when I was Miss Cumbria or Miss North Cumbria they kept track of my social media. They want to know what you would go on and do if you won. Miss Great Britain takes a year to work up to before the big final show in Leicester, which usually takes place in September or October.
There’s a two or three-day final, along with rehearsals and meet-ups beforehand. There’s a beach-body round, a fashion-wear round, an evening-wear round, a talent competition, a personality round and a charity award for whoever has raised the most money. When I won the charity award, I’d raised more than £10,000. I had done loads of events where I lived – including wine tasting, afternoon tea and live music.
Q. How do you source your travel clients?
A lot of it is very local – the local events that I’ve done for Miss Great Britain brought me a lot of contacts and it then went to word of mouth. I have a lot of clients aged 40 and above who like to use pen and paper and prefer their boarding passes printed off. Pageant-wise, I have a lot of friends who like luxury hotels and luxury places such as Dubai. A lot of them don’t have children yet, which means they can lead that kind of lifestyle. All my family and friends book with me. Mums at the school also book with me or get quotes from me, because I’m the only one who works in travel. I don’t just have one network – I’ve got a few different ones and they all bring different holiday types to me.
How has your success in pageant competitions helped you develop your travel career?
First and foremost, I wouldn’t be as confident as I am if it weren’t for the pageants. Thinking about the events we go to as travel agents, there’s no way I would be able to do them without my experiences of Miss Great Britain. I met my husband when I was 16 or 17, and when we went to restaurants I would get him to order for me. I know that sounds bizarre, but I was quite shy unless you knew me. And now I’m a pest on Instagram, posting all the time, and you can’t shut me up. The second thing is the clientele.
All the [pageant] girls are coming to me, or their partners and their partner’s friends are contacting me about stag dos. I save them money and reap the rewards. Pageantry has always been a hobby – I’ve done it since I was 18 – so it’s a big part of who I am. I will probably start gathering my portfolio at the end of October to go to Miss Great Britain again. I’m working up to the competition with a whole new concept, with travel involved, which keeps me motivated.