With 6 years as a Personal Travel Consultant under her belt, franchisee Lisa has had plenty of time to reflect on being her own boss. We caught up with her to learn more about what makes this business so special.
Watch Lisa’s interview below to find out:
- What she loves about being a travel consultant
- Why her service adds such value to her customers
- How family life has changed dramatically through travel
Lisa swapped a career she hated for one she loves
Before having children, Lisa’s previous career was in finance. She describes her lifestyle as working-to-live and all about the next holiday.
“I did a job that I didn’t like because I could have all my holidays. But once you have children, you can’t just keep going on holiday. So I wasn’t going to do a job I hated.”
Now, Lisa loves her lifestyle, not least because travel is baked into the job itself.
“I couldn’t even add up how many holidays we’ve had since we’ve started the business.
Because we promote our holidays and I’m showing how to travel in each destination we go to. So it’s brilliant that I can get back to what I love and make it work as a business as well.”
Every booking is special, because of the clients
Lisa loves every booking that she makes, because it means her clients are out there making amazing memories.
“I love doing multi-centre bookings. I find that really, really exciting. And I love it when clients are away. I say “Please spam me with photos!” I just want to see it and live it through them.”
She also loves the whole experience, from the research right through till the client comes home. And they know that Lisa has their best interests at heart.
“I’m always responsive. I’m always available. That’s the biggest difference. You’re not going through to a call centre. I always go the extra mile, such as contacting the hotel and trying to get them the best room and the best view.
Anything I can do to enhance the experience, I will. If you throw yourself into it and deliver a great service, people will keep coming back.
The right people will want to book with you and will value what you do. I really care and I think that shows.”
The business creates more rewards than just money
One of the most rewarding aspects of having a travel business is directly related to family life. Lisa’s children have autism. Previously, she always felt that it would make travel too difficult an event for them.
Now, working inside the industry, she’s aware of all the help available to make travel less stressful and an enjoyable experience.
“Before I started the business I very much felt we couldn’t travel. I thought it would be something that was so difficult, because I didn’t know about the special assistance in place for people with special needs. Now, we travel a lot and I’ve got really good at understanding what’s possible.”
Lisa’s especially proud of her son, who has now inherited her love of travel.
“I’m really proud of my son, because when he was really little, it was so difficult to travel with him. I wasn’t in the travel industry, so I didn’t know how it was going to work at all. Now, he loves the world. He’s obsessed with countries and cities, and he wants to travel anywhere he hasn’t been. He hates going to the same place twice. It’s just really lovely that he’s now got the desire to see the world and create memories.”
Lisa’s personal experience of travelling with her children has also helped her make travel less daunting for others in the same situation.
“A lot of people who have autism, have anxiety with it. And so waiting in a queue is just fueling that anxiety. Sometimes, especially for children, it can come out in meltdowns. So I share that you don’t have to queue for security. You can board early. You can have a quiet location. These things are less embarrassing to deal with than a meltdown.”
Help with travel also extends to adults who may need it.
Lisa is passionate that anyone who needs help to travel should get it.
“I’ve had adults who, for example, have ADHD. There’s so much to think about in their brain that they can’t always process it very well. So I’ll make them a folder. I’ll put everything to do in line, in order for them. I give them lanyards and wristbands and talk it all through. Helping people who felt that travelling wasn’t going to be possible is really lovely.”
