How I Became a Travel Agent in Langley, British Colombia
I Might Be Dead Tomorrow!
“Hm, I might be dead tomorrow!” I think my siblings may
chuckle when they read this. It was a phrase we heard often from our mother.
She did not say it because she was ill, or as a prediction
or as foreshadowing of things to come. No, what she meant was that she did not
like to make plans past today. She lived
one day at a time and she would see what tomorrow might bring.
Not great for children who wanted to plan get-togethers for
Christmas or birthdays or when we had to schedule time off work and our own kids’
daycare arrangements to visit her.
My answer to her was “Yes, Mom, we all might be dead
tomorrow but I’m going to assume I won’t be.”
Funny that, so many years later, planning is now what I do
for a living. Even one or two years in
the future. As a Certified Travel Consultant, every day, I plan for
tomorrow and beyond.
During the recession of 2008/2009, I worked in the manufacturing
industry and lost my job when our company pulled its production back to a US
location.
I was fortunate enough to be accepted for a government
re-training program and chose a one-year Travel and Tourism course.
In high school, I exceled in geography, history and French but
chose a different path at that time. After stints in the pharmacy and
manufacturing industries, I have come back to those first loves.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra
I did not realize at the time they were loves but I knew I
did well in them. I did well with them because I loved them. Little did I know that many decades later those
subjects would be great assets.
A Certified Travel Consultant is trained to put together
itineraries for clients that fit them. They
can be as pared down or extensive as they wish.
My training has taught me to ask questions and find out what it
is the client is looking for.
I have a network of great partners whom I call on regularly
to find the right fit for the clients’ needs.
I work from home for an award-winning agency who has nearly
1000 qualified agents and together we belong to an international consortium. We
draw on their knowledge, support and buying power to offer the best products to
fit those clients’ needs.
“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.” – Gloria Steinem
During the pandemic, while not actively booking travel, I
invested in my website and in my education. Many suppliers offered trainings on
products and have worked extremely hard to keep us updated on the ever-changing
protocols.
A colleague and I recently made an exciting connection
with a group of Private Tour Guides in Europe. One of the trends we will see is
small group or private tours. This is one way to guarantee safe travel bubbles.
Another big event happened for me during the pandemic- a
household move across the country. While originally from Newfoundland, I had a 41-year
stopover in Ontario. That is where I began my Travel Industry career, in 2010. Recently my husband and travel partner had an
opportunity to relocate to British Columbia, so we said, “why not?” We now
reside in Langley City and are welcoming new experiences daily. I've joined the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and several Women's Networking Groups.
So, I will keep on planning and looking forward to exciting
changes in this challenging yet fun industry.
“ By Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
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