Clia’s inspirational guest speaker has changed my outlook and made me proud of all we’ve achieved, says Ponders Travel managing director Clare Dudley.
I am a modest person but I am very happy to state that I am a cruise and river cruise expert.
Cruising has always been my passion and there isn’t much I don’t love about a holiday on the water, whether it’s a barge for two people along a canal or the largest ship in the world with a capacity of 6,988.
Attending the Clia Cruise Forum and Winter Ball in December is always a highlight of the travel year for me
But I will never take for granted the need to continue to learn, to keep in contact with cruise lines and to be ready to undertake regular training. That is why I am grateful to Clia every working day.
Attending the Clia Cruise Forum and Winter Ball in December is always a highlight of the travel year for me. I enjoy the conference content very much, meeting with suppliers and the chance to relax and enjoy a spectacular evening with our many industry friends.
Star speaker
I would like to thank Andy Harmer and the team for once again getting the conference spot on. The talks about sustainability and equality were a breath of fresh air and something we should all be mindful of on a daily basis.
But for me, the star of the show was guest speaker Claire Lomas. Claire was paralysed from the chest down in 2007 following a horse riding accident. I thought she was nothing short of an inspiration and found myself completely transfixed as I listened to her life story. I was in awe of her courage, positivity and self-belief, and still am.
I thought [Claire Lomas] was nothing short of an inspiration and found myself completely transfixed as I listened to her life story
The biggest message I took away from Claire was that life gives us hurdles that we have to overcome. In situations such as her’s, it could be easy to feel sad, deflated and think life will never be the same again; but instead, you can work with the situation you’re faced with and play the hand you’re dealt as best as possible. Hard work, determination and belief are all qualities that have given Claire a good life – a different life than she expected, but a good life.
I could relate to what Claire was saying and thought to myself how we could all benefit from adopting her positive mindset and say, once and for all: Covid happened, and it was hell, but we are still going strong. We should all be proud of ourselves for getting through and we should look forward to the future, rather than going over all the bad times and the difficulties we all endured.
Positive thinking
I am going to be more like Claire from now on and be proud of where we are and excited about the future.
Claire shared a number of phrases with us that will remain with me always, such as: “Focusing on the more positive things has certainly brought me far more happiness.” She also told us we can’t control and change everything, no matter how hard we try, and that with time and perseverance the struggles we face might not bother us in the future.
Sometimes a chat is all we need to give us the confidence that we are doing the right thing
The conference also gave us time to chat with old friends and make new friends. Every day there is something new introduced to this ever-growing market we can learn about through others, and sometimes a chat is all we need to give us the confidence that we are doing the right thing. All in all, I had a fabulous time at the Clia conference. I learnt a lot, gained inspiration and came away feeling grateful and driven.
Get in the habit of selling extras
When selling a river cruise, we always try to add extra nights either before or after the sailing. This is a great way to earn extra income, and clients are always grateful to spend more time exploring.
I know it might not seem like that much money, but if you get into the habit of selling these things on a regular basis, it soon adds up
Another element we are having success with is selling experiences. For example, in Budapest we almost always sell an open-top 24-hour bus ticket. I know it might not seem like that much money, but if you get into the habit of selling these things on a regular basis, it soon adds up. It also saves the client time and money.
Let’s be honest, we all need any extra income we can get right now, so it’s well worth doing in the long run.