Meet Laura, from Liverpool, a full-time NHS worker for the last decade and a travel consultant since 2018.
With most of her customers being families and Laura being a huge Disney fan, the Disney cruise launched earlier this year has gone down a storm.
Laura’s measure of success is a chance to retire early, and then travel the world. Asia is somewhere she’d love to visit most.
“As someone who is only working on their travel business part-time, I hope I can show others that you can still be successful at it.
I’ll never leave my NHS job.
I love the contrast of working between the two. They are completely different worlds”
Laura, Not Just Travel Franchisee
Working in the NHS since 1999, Laura originally trained as a physiotherapist. She now works in critical care, specialising in intensive care.
The past year has been tough. Working with COVID patients is just a part of her everyday life, which can often be emotionally taxing.
Can you tell me a bit about the Disney cruises, I hear you’ve done really well there?
“Absolutely! There was a Disney offer launched earlier this year which I heard about through the franchise.
It was perfect for my target market and customer base, as they are mainly families. The cruise is sailing from Liverpool.
In fact, I’m going with my family.
I’ve done 18 bookings so far for this cruise. The 1st one is due to depart on the 15th July.
Back in 2019, I went on a Disney cruise, on the same boat as the offer. It was really great to be able to share my own holiday pictures with customers, to show them what it was like.
There was so much to learn despite the fact I had been on one before. This was because things were different this time, the world was different.
I attended all the online Disney training which the franchise tells you about, so you are always in the know.”
With a full-time job, a family, a travel business, how do you do it all?
“I can do it because I can fit this business around my life. It all happens in my spare time. It’s all online.
This travel business gives me flexibility and freedom. I work shifts, both day and night shifts.
The NHS work I do has been really testing at times, and the travel business is an ‘escape’ from it.
In the past 18 months, it’s really been tough. At the end of my shift, I benefit mentally from having something else to focus on. The business was a chance to get back to being me, and doing something I’m equally passionate about.
The Disney cruise announcement this year gave me a new focus and my customers were so excited to hear about it.
All the families I spoke to are desperate to have something to look forward to, their enthusiasm was infectious, it gave me strength to carry on.”
What’s next for you following such success with the Disney Cruise offer?
“I’m currently sitting in my living room with the floor covered in mini Disney packs, for all the 18 families who chose to book with me.
This isn’t a requirement, it’s just something I have chosen to do. It’s this extra customer service that’s important to me.
It’s a way of saying thank you to my customers who have supported me and my business over the summer.”
