The Not Just Travel agent reveals how a chance encounter led to organising the trip and recalls scary moments from her days running a petrol station in the Moss Side area of Manchester
Q. Why did you become a travel agent?
A. I had worked on cruise ships and the only reason I gave up that job was because my mum had cancer, so I had to come home and look after her until she passed away. I couldn’t return to the ships because my mum had left me the house. A job came up with P&O Ferries, but I got made redundant when the pandemic hit. When I joined Not Just Travel (NJT), I really struggled with my training – I didn’t know what I was doing and was distraught. But my business development manager helped me out so I could start taking bookings. Cruises are my thing and they’re what I feel comfortable selling.
I had worked on cruise ships and the only reason I gave up that job was because my mum had cancer, so I had to come home and look after her
Q. How did attending a music show help your business?
A. Just before I started my training as an agent, I went with my partner to a show in Hull called ‘Vampires Rock – Ghost Train’. My partner is into heavy rock, unlike me, so I thought I would book him tickets as a present. The show was really moving – we were really impressed with it. Right at the very end, the show’s creator, Steve Steinman, sang a song he had been gifted by Meat Loaf’s songwriter Jim Steinman. Meat Loaf had died not long before, and the way Steve sang this song was really touching. It left a lasting impression on me – so much so that it sparked an idea, and some time later I sent Steve a message saying, ‘I saw your show way back in February and loved it – have you considered putting on a show on a cruise ship?’ He messaged back saying, ‘No, but what have you got in mind?’ So we got talking and it took off from there.
I sent Steve a message saying, ‘I saw your show way back in February and loved it – have you considered putting on a show on a cruise ship?’
Q. What have you organised?
A. Steve will take his show ‘Anything For Love – The Meat Loaf Story’ on board MSC Virtuosa for the British Isles cruise departing from Southampton on September 24 this year. MSC Cruises gave us just shy of 900 cabins and we sold 300 in the first two weeks – we could have sold even more if we’d had more manpower. I gave back about 150 cabins because they were partial view, but I’ve now sold about 750, which is quite a lot considering some of those cabins are sleeping three or four people as opposed to just two. By the end of May, I’m hoping to have hit a total transaction value of £1 million.
MSC Cruises gave us just shy of 900 cabins and we sold 300 in the first two weeks – we could have sold even more if we’d had more manpower
Q. How does it feel to have arranged this trip so early in your travel agency career?
A. I’ve not really thought about it. I’m working until 10pm every night for those people who need to contact me outside work hours, so I’m caught up in the whirlwind of it all. If I were to sit down and think about how big it is, my legs would go to jelly and I’d think, ‘Oh my God’. But when I’m taking it on a day-to-day basis, I’m able to handle it. I tend to focus on one thing and get that dealt with, then I have another focus and I get that dealt with. I’m not one of those people who thinks, ‘I’m great’. I’m quite happy being a little mouse in the corner.
If I were to sit down and think about how big [the trip] is, my legs would go to jelly and I’d think, ‘Oh my God’
Q. Do you have any particular aims?
A. My main goal is getting my partner off the oil rigs. He’s spent 35 years working on them and he’s not getting any younger, so I would like to make enough money so he doesn’t have to work on them.
Q. You previously managed petrol stations – what sort of challenges did you face?
A. When I was in Moss Side in Manchester, I had to deal with robberies and violent crime late at night. On one occasion, one of my cashiers was attacked while I was interviewing someone in the office. On another night, there was a shooting on the forecourt at 3am, which the police came to investigate. I left that job after two and a half years and became a driving instructor. I could write a book with the stuff I’ve done.
My main goal is getting my partner off the oil rigs. He’s spent 35 years working on them and he’s not getting any younger
Pictured: Steve Steinman
What jobs did you do on cruise ships?
When I was working in a pub, I kept thinking about cruise ships. So I googled it and the first result that came up was cruise ship jobs. My first cruise job was working in the art department for Park West on Carnival Ecstasy. From there, I moved on to the Starboard gift shops on Carnival Paradise and Norwegian Breakaway. And that was the best thing I ever did.
My first cruise job was working in the art department for Park West on Carnival Ecstasy
When my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I ended my contract with NCL and didn’t return – otherwise I would perhaps still be on those ships. I was just about to go on Norwegian Getaway when I terminated the contract.
Now I’m focusing on taking bookings for the Steve Steinman cruise, and by the end of May I should know my final total for cabins sold. There’s already another cruise planned – it’s still in negotiation but we’re almost ready to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. Steve will be doing a different show to the first time round, so it could be that people on the first cruise decide to book for the second one too.