Your Stories: AAAs winner Becky Walker on making a name for herself in the cruise sector

Q. How did it feel to win the Clia Cruise Master Award at the Agent Achievement Awards?
It was exciting just to be nominated, but I really didn’t think I would win. The other nominees were all incredible and some had spoken on panels at conferences I’d attended. I was in shock when it happened, but it is wonderful to have that recognition, especially as there are thousands of UK agents and it can be hard to make a name for yourself. I’ve always said to one of my best friends, ‘Fake it till you make it’, but she’s said to me I must stop saying that now because of this award! 

Q. What did you do before you moved into travel? 
I worked as a nanny and have lived in seven other countries: Sweden, Spain, Italy, Australia, the US, New Zealand and Switzerland. During Covid, I quit and went to Tanzania for a few months. I was seeing lots of Europeans becoming digital nomads, and realised I wanted that life. Two of my best friends sent me Instagram posts about becoming a travel agent and said it would suit me, so I applied.

Q. How did you go about starting out in travel?
I started with InteleTravel but then moved to Luxury Holidays and Honeymoons as a few agents I knew had gone before me. I was only there for a couple of weeks before it went under, so I joined Club Voyages, where I am now. I’d met the founder Sam Ballard at an Atas Conference and then he called me about joining, but I wasn’t ready. When I did make the move, he helped me with my bookings from my very first day. He is always ‘on’ and you can float any idea by him. 

Q. How did you get into cruise? 
I took my first cruise when I was living in the US – my boyfriend at the time convinced me to go on a voyage from Miami to Cozumel. I didn’t enjoy it as we had barely any time in Mexico, and I thought I would never cruise again. Then I joined the industry and saw an agent rate come up for Uniworld on the Danube. I went with my brother and it was the best thing ever. It went more into the destination, with private concerts and a tour of a monastery before it opened, which I loved. I’m into touring and adventure and seeing different destinations, and cruise can be very immersive if you want it to be.

Q. What are your tips for new agents starting out?
Going to events in person makes such a difference. You can sign up to 10 webinars every day, but you will end up switching off. With real-life events, from the travel industry or your community, you can connect with people and you can all help each other. Do not be afraid to ask questions and have conversations. Anyone who knows me or listens to the podcast I have with Jake Cullum-Hollins from The Good Travel Agent, called Tales of a Travel Agent, will know I can talk until the cows come home, but I will not have the answer to every question, so you need to ask for help sometimes.

Q. Can you tell us about a memorable booking?
My biggest so far is an ongoing booking for Antarctica, which was an upsell. When the client first came in she was looking to book an £8k expedition, and now it’s up to £42k without any hotels or flights added in yet. That is an example of where all the knowledge from training and ship visits comes in handy.

Q. How is 2026 shaping up for you?
I am so excited to be all systems go next year. This year I’ve still been nannying, which I’m officially finishing soon. Next year I will be all in and I’ve got all these plans to enter more marketing competitions and attend more networking events and wedding fairs, to keep building the business. 

Can you tell us about your relationship with Africa? 

​Before I went to Tanzania during the pandemic, I had always wanted to work in an African country. Another nanny I met while I was living in New Zealand told me about Hostel Hoff in the Moshi municipality, which is affiliated to 30 local projects. I first went there for two months and signed up to help the Good Hope project – it sponsors tutoring for children to help them pass their exams at the end of primary school, which they need to do to carry on education. I sponsored a girl for $1,000 a year, which paid for her tuition, uniform, food and more. I try to regularly go back to Tanzania for at least two weeks at a time, visit the kids and do more fundraising.

Last year, I raised money to help move the project to a new compound, and next year I’m going to do a boxing match to raise more money. There are lots of different projects and it’s a constant thing. There is now a kindergarten project, a breakfast club at schools, and another called the The Binti Project that trains girls and women in sewing skills.