Q: What was it that inspired you to join the travel industry in the first place?
A: I finished school after year 10 and enrolled in a business course at TAFE. The course was fantastic but one of the lecturers also taught Travel and Tourism. They were so passionate about the industry and of course all the amazing destinations they had visited around the world.
It was speaking to this lecturer that inspired me to look at joining the travel industry which I ended up doing a number of years later.
Q: What is it about the travel industry that you enjoy the most?
A: I cannot go past the people. I have been fortunate to meet and work with some incredible people and some have helped guide and shape my career, while others I now consider some of my closest friends.
Q: If you hadn’t gone into travel, what other career path might you have taken?
A: Before I joined the industry, I was selling shoes and handbags for a major retailer and absolutely loved being able to help people find that perfect purchase and talk to customers all day.
I may not still be selling shoes, but I’d likely still be doing something to do with retail merchandising.
Q: What advice would you give someone wanting to start a career in travel now?
A: Building and maintaining relationships in this industry is the key to success. Ask questions, be curious and back yourself.
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you start a new position?
A: Connect with the team, build relationships and listen and learn so I can understand the culture and values of the people and business.
Q: How do you think the travel industry is looking at this moment in time?
A: The travel industry is strong; there is a lot of change with technology and trends but more importantly there is a wonderful focus on how travel impacts people and places.
It’s one of the reasons I’m so excited to be onboard with Just You. Their ‘Just You Cares’ program works in partnership with Planeterra to make positive impacts which help change people’s lives through travel.
Q: Who would you most like to sit next to on a plane, living or dead?
A: After watching the recent Ashes series, I can’t go past the legend that is Kerry O’Keeffe. The hilarious stories he would have! I would be in stitches and might need the oxygen mask onboard the plane.
Q: What are some of your favourite spots around the world?
A: There are so many but number one has to be New York over Thanksgiving.
It’s a magical time to be there, sipping mulled wine and ice skating in the Winter Village at Bryant Park, walking the Brooklyn Bridge (I recommend starting on the Brooklyn side for the best views of Manhattan), watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade and Central Park is stunning this time of year.
The colours coming out of autumn were still so vibrant and I could have spent ages sitting in Strawberry Fields listening to the buskers singing Beatles and John Lennon songs.
I also fell in love with Rome, thoroughly embracing the term ‘getting lost in Rome’ and aimlessly wandering around this amazing city. I didn’t walk the same way twice and it was an incredible experience. Not to mention the gelato, coffee and incredible food.
Q: What is your best travel story?
A: A few years ago while on a tour from San Francisco to Los Angeles we had a brilliant day riding around San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was an incredible bucket list experience until my pant leg caught on the bike seat ripping an enormous hole in the back.
By the time I got to the other end of the bridge the leg was holding on by about two cm. This was about 11am and we had no time to go back to the hotel and get changed so I ended up with a major fashion faux pas, having to turn my singlet into a skirt over the top of my pants.
It wasn’t my finest fashion moment, but it was a great laugh for us all on tour.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about working with Just You?
A: Just You is an incredible company with an amazing culture and it brings a unique and exciting offering to the solo travel market in Australia.
I’m looking forward to working with agents to educate them all about our solo holiday experiences.
