Advice of how long you’ve been in the industry. In travel 44 years – I started very young!!!

QUESTIONS:

What drew you to work in the travel industry? – I came back from overseas and was looking for a job for a few months before heading off again to travel around Australia. Needless to say it was 13 years later that I travelled to the Centre and Northern Territory.

What do you like most about your job? People, for the past 30 years I have interviewed many different people in the travel industry and am inspired by their stories.

Who do you admire and see as a role model in the travel industry?
Where do I begin. There any many inspirational people from the high profile personalities to the agency owner who works tirelessly in their business whilst taking on entry level people and giving them a chance. The ones I most admire are those that give back to the industry often in their own time. One such person is Penny Spencer. Penny runs her own agency yet has the time to not only set up TIME but mentor others herself.

What do you want to see improve in the industry? Acceptance of portable skills from outside the industry. This would bring ‘fresh blood’ and different skills and ways of doing things that we could use and learn from.

What destinations are on your travel bucket list? Orangutans in Borneo, game parks in South Africa, and tracing family roots in Ireland

What’s a memorable travel experience you’ve had (good or bad)?  Standing on the shore facing the South Pole, surrounded by Leopard seals and penguins and feeling I had left the rest of the world behind. A spiritual feeling – in tune with nature where the penguins and whales are at home and I am the visitor.

What are three things you must always take with you when you travel? My sense of adventure, boundless curiosity, desire to experience  - oh and my Visa Card