Tell us about yourself, where you grew up, family members?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Born on a cherry farm in Victoria, I have two sisters, one in Wauchope (retired) and one in Canada who is a timber merchant.
Did you travel much when you were young?
My first big travel outing was to Tasmania at 17, and Airlie beach at about 20. The trip to Airlie Beach made me curious about all things travel related, and I trained at a Travel Academy in Melbourne and worked for Croydon Travel, the company that eventually became Travellers Choice.
How did you come to be in Wauchope?
I had lived in Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory and decided eventually to follow my parents to Wauchope.
Why did you open a travel agency in Wauchope?
When this office was a Harvey World office, I worked here and after 10 years teaching at Port Macquarie TAFE, my husband James and I purchased the office in 2008.
What does Wauchope Travel offer, in the way of breaks and holidays, locally, across Australia, and internationally?
What a ride the last nine years have been. We have experienced the GFC, cyclones, terror attacks, Ebola and many political changes. What does not change however is the Australian attitude to travel. We are explorers, and I have enjoyed sending clients to all corners of Australia as well as far-flung places like Africa, South America and Alaska.
Has the growth of the internet and people booking online affected you much?
There are very few staff discounts now, due to tighter margins and more internet players, so we don’t get to travel quite as much as people think. The Internet presence means clients are now very informed and usually have a working knowledge of what they want before they start.
There are many internet options also, but also many horror stories of people making bookings with phony internet companies and making errors on connections and other details can ruin a holiday.
Our staff here are awesome, well-travelled and always concerned with our clients having the best possible experience. Of course in a town like Wauchope it is very word-of -mouth and we have fantastic clients that recommend us to their friends. Most of our business is repeat and referral.
Where do you like to go for breaks and holidays?
One of the unsung destinations in Australia is Lord Howe Island, still my favourite place for its peace and beauty. It is world heritage listed, and flights now go out of Sydney not Port Macquarie making it a little harder to get to, but it is one of the most amazing places in Australia.
James and I recently travelled to Africa and discovered the incredible sights, animals, and people in this continent and I think it has sparked a deep need in me to return. There are some excellent travel companies out there doing a great job at putting these places within reach, without making the traveller feel hustled onto and off coaches – many like Intrepid use local transport and give a more ‘hands-on’ travel experience.
What places are on your bucket list?
Cuba and the Galapagos Islands, as well as further travel into Africa, such as Kenya and Tanzania, are still on my hit list so I don’t expect to retire anytime soon.
What do you love about your job?
This is a great business to be in, clients are usually happy and excited to be planning their hard-earned holidays. It is incredibly detailed, but a real delight to see our clients anticipate their journey, plan it, and come home glowing with stories of the many things they have experienced.
What are the tough parts of your job?
Some travel for sad reasons also, to be with a relative who is ill, or to attend a funeral – that is the tough part of the job. Most of us are travelling to New Zealand, Bali, the USA and the UK– though in Wauchope many enjoy more far flung corners of Europe and the wonderfully immersive River Cruises.
What are your top tips for holidaymakers?
- Use the internet as a research tool – don’t book there though; you never know when you need a human
- Consider the weather in the part of the world you are travelling. We cannot always predict the weather but it can make a massive difference to your enjoyment of a destination.
- Use good airlines. Try to use the same airline throughout – they will look after you better. A cheap fare does not seem so cheap when you are stranded halfway.
- If you are very dollar conscious sign up to Qantas or a particular airlines website and receive notification of their specials. We have hundreds of emails each day to all parts of the world whereas you are probably only really interested in one; so keep your eyes on it.
- Always leave room in your luggage. There are many packing tips and lists we can help you with, but try to travel lightly. Its so much easier to purchase that one special thing you forgot overseas.
- Never travel without insurance. Explore your options; it can be difficult to negotiate the small print but it is worth the effort to know you are covered for your particular situation.
- Don’t buy travel as a surprise for someone. The anticipation and planning are as exciting as the trip.
- Take a power board with you if you have more than one device to charge. You only need one adapter then.
- Buy a refillable water bottle. There is enough wasted plastic in this world.
- Carry some snap-lock bags with you. Left over snacks, wet swimmers, there are hundreds of uses including making your own safe ice from bottled water.
