We meet Travel Director Katie Canavan, who triumphed in the Travel Industry Awards by TTG, winning not just homeworker of the year but travel agent of the year too
Meeting two elderly clients in the airport arrivals hall, when the husband was in a wheelchair after being hospitalised on holiday, to help carry their suitcases to their car, is classic Katie.
Paying for drinks and food in-resort to surprise clients is classic Katie.
Buying a motorhome for clients to hire during lockdown when they couldn’t travel is classic Katie.
Ok, maybe her entrepreneurial husband had a hand in that one too, but there’s no doubt that for this Travel Industry Awards by TTG overall agent winner (and champion in the home-based category too), customer service is something that comes naturally.
“I do these things, and my family and friends say, ‘are you for real?’ but I don’t realise it’s not what everyone does! I love what I do; it’s more than a job, it’s a lifestyle,” says Katie.
After doing work experience in a travel agency, booking holidays was all she ever wanted to do. She started out on the high street in the multiples, then had a stint in a busy shopping mall, before ending up back on the high street, in her local independent. She loved “selling the dream in a high-revenue postcode” but eventually the admin demands became unmanageable in the 9-5 and she made the leap into homeworking in September 2019 for a better work-life balance.
She openly admits that losing her mum when she was only 23 had a big impact on her life. ‘With Mum, it happened so fast, it changed my life,” she says. “You never know what’s around the corner. I’m just grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.”
Although she had worried she was taking a risk by going it alone, her business flourished during the pandemic: “I thrived in the worst time,” she says. “Because of the challenges I had to face, that meant I could stand out from the crowd.”
Losing her mum helped instil in Katie a positive mental attitude that has seen her through the tougher times. When her son was nominated to speak on local radio in the pandemic, he shared with listeners that he had been helping his mum with her business. “The producers noticed that my son and I put a more positive spin on lockdown, and that led to more requests and then we had a camera crew come to our house for the local TV news. My children even know my Abta number, that’s how invested they were!”
Katie has continued to appear on local radio, sharing travel stories: “Every opportunity, we travel – from a £99 deal at Haven to five-star in the Turks and Caicos,“ she says. “Even in the pandemic I had to show my clients – if I can do it, you can too.”
She’s worked hard at building local networks. She and her wedding photographer recommend each other’s services, and her children’s swimming teacher offers a 10% discount on lessons for Katie’s clients. “I helped him get his bags back on his holiday,” she says. “You get back what you give when it comes to relationships.”
But more often, she’s simply doing it because she cares. To help a former client from Ukraine earlier this year, Katie went much further than a routine collection of nappies and cuddly toys, opting for items that were harder to source such as sleeping bags, survival kits, and oil-filled lamps, to be used by the army. She was the drop-off point and then she arranged for the items to be sent out to Ukraine.
Whether it’s charity collections or the small gestures that make a big difference in service, Katie goes the extra mile, making her a well-deserved winner. “It’s mind-blowing,” she says. “How do you top being awarded the best agent in the country?”
Have you got what it takes to be an award-winning agent? TTG Top 50 2023 nominations are open now.
The TTG’s Top 50 Travel Agencies continues to reward exceptional customer service and expertise, whilst recognising the extraordinary lengths agents have gone to through this last year.
Submit your nominations today and join us live for the awards ceremony and after party on Thursday 27 April to celebrate and recognise those travel agents who have once again gone above and beyond to prove their worth like never before.
The awards comprises of 25 different categories, highlighting stand-out stores in 12 different regions, plus seven nationwide categories for different kinds of agency business and five special categories including Community Hero, Customer Service Champion, Contribution to Travel, and Sustainable Travel Champion of the Year.
Entries close Friday 4 November - best of luck!