LAH Travel founder vows to remain in industry after selling agency

LAH Travel founder Linda Hill has revealed she intends to remain in the industry after selling her West Kilbride agency to Hays Travel.

 

Hill, who ran her own business for 22 years, told her four staff members on Monday morning that she would be leaving immediately.

 

“We had a really successful business, but that’s why it was a perfect time to sell,” she said.

 

The agency had recovered from a challenging Covid period to hit a turnover of £4.5 million last year, she added.

 

When the US attacked Iran at the end of February, Hill said she began accelerating her exit plan.

 

“On February 28, I knew it was time. I didn’t want to do this anymore and I was ready to be more hands-on with my grandchildren. I’m ready not to be working seven days a week,” she said.

 

However, when the deal with Hays Travel was finalised and she was able to tell her staff, the conversation was difficult.

 

“I told my staff on Monday and then I just had to exit the building, so that was strange. The girls are like family to me. They were all crying and then I left, so it felt harsh,” she said.

 

The staff will be retained by new employer Hays Travel, while Hill looks forward to taking a break before planning a new role in the sector.

 

She said: “It’s going to be so lovely to be with my husband and my friends celebrating life and then I’ll come back and decide where I’m going to put my passion – it’s going to be in the travel industry, though. I’m definitely not leaving the travel industry.”

 

She added she would also continue running the podcast series Let’s Talk About Travel, while spending more time developing Kaleido’s Adventures – a project aimed at helping children feel more confident to travel.

 

Hill, who has worked in the industry for 39 years, set up LAH Travel in 2004 using her own savings as well as money from her grandmother.

 

“It’s one of the bravest things I’ve ever done and probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever done,” she said. “I’ve had to learn everything about running a business.”

 

She said she was particularly proud to have been able to steer the agency through the pandemic.

“I watched my business be destroyed by Covid and I had to rebuild again and I rebuilt it so strong that I was able to sell it, so I’m emotional and also really proud,” she added.

 

She will soon go on a Celebrity Cruises sailing with her husband, before the pair embark on an Antarctica trip with Silversea in November.

 

The 54-year-old is also looking forward to spending more time with her grandchildren: three-year-old James, two-year-old Adam and 10-month-old Paul.