"I am a travel agent and my other job is…"

My other job is: interior designer

Sarah White, Designer Destinations, Watford

How this helps me in travel:

I think both roles feed off each other, and being an interior designer has really helped my travel business. My clients are high-end and I know what works in design, so it helps me to choose outstanding design hotels for them. I’ve also travelled extensively for my interior design business, which has grown my personal experience of high-end travel and improved my knowledge of destinations, as well as what my clients’ needs are when travelling.

There’s a lot of crossovers with my clients. I designed a penthouse for a high-income couple and they inspired me to become a travel agent as well as a designer when I heard they had booked a £20,000 villa to escape to when the building work started. People now trust that if I can design a beautiful house for them, I can also design a luxury holiday that they will enjoy.

I’ve got 54,000 followers on TikTok, which promotes both my businesses by giving me a platform to reach people on a personal level. From this platform I connected with a commercial client who owns a Porsche dealership and they now want me to organise a trip for their clients travelling to a supercar event.

Building my design business over the last decade has helped me gain the knowledge to build a second business in the travel sector. 

My other job is: PR and marketing consultant

Sarah Stephens, Sarah Stephens Escapes, Manchester

How this helps me in travel:

I’ve worked in PR and marketing for over 20 years for a variety of hospitality, travel and tourism clients including several airlines, so it’s given me an extensive knowledge of travel that has been very helpful in my work as an agent. I have insider knowledge of how airlines work and I understand sales and marketing alongside how to create your own brand. I fell in love with the dynamism of the travel industry whilst working with airlines which, combined with my passion for holidays and exploration, makes adding skills as a travel agent into the mix the perfect match.

I have an attention to detail, which is important when you are creating quotes for clients as I know how to make something attractive as well as legally sound.

A career in PR has really helped me as a person to build my confidence and to be determined, which I now apply to other areas. I’m used to approaching people and networking with them so don’t get put off if I don’t immediately get the response I want.

I’m now an ambassador at InteleTravel, which means I can also apply the skills I honed writing courses for and teaching marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University, to help train and develop new agents to become better, whilst continuing to improve myself at the same time. 

My other job is: driving instructor

Khushdeep Dhaliwal, Vacay Solutions, Oxford

How this helps me in travel:

You learn so many skills as a driving instructor that you can use as a travel agent. People want a driving instructor to look after them, reassure them that everything will be fine and be by their side when something unexpected happens; it’s the same in travel.

As a driving instructor you spend a lot of time with the student in the car and to be able to get the best out of them, you have to engage with them and adapt to them. In travel it’s also essential to be able to engage with people and for them to trust you if you are going to get that sale.

You must be able to take a variety of approaches with both roles. When you’re in the car, there are some people who know exactly what they want and just need a few pointers and others who are completely overwhelmed by the idea of driving. The same is true when people want a holiday, and you need to be able to have different approaches to clients.

A driving instructor is the best person to have by your side to help you navigate the roads and a travel agent is the best person to have by your side to navigate the world.

My other job is: fitness instructor

Emma Cressey, Emma Cressey Travel, Lincolnshire

How this helps me in travel:

Being physically fit certainly helps you mentally to cope with whatever comes your way, but I think the biggest bonus is that I know how to offer a service. I’ve been a fitness instructor for 17 years, and it's all about helping people enhance their lifestyles and reduce their stress, which is what I do in my travel business.

As a fitness instructor, you must be positive and approachable, and be able to chat easily to people. As a travel agent that is a big asset because it helps you convert sales. I know how to build trust with people and maintain them as a client, which is something you learn over several years.

On a practical level I’m used to the paperwork and accounts that comes with running a business. I’ve used the internet and social media to grow my business and everything I’ve learnt over the years in these areas has helped my travel business.

You gain confidence from having success in one business and you take it over to the next business. Going out on your own can be daunting first time around but not so much the second time when you’ve learnt a lot about what does and doesn’t work.