My Travel Career: Nick Hughes

My first link to travel was selling suitcases. My family’s business was wholesaling and retailing in leather goods and luggage. From as young as five, I used go along with my mum and dad to the Saturday market. I didn’t mind who I talked to. I first worked a whole day on my own at the age of 14 when my parents went on holiday. My work ethic comes from my parents. They used to go out to the markets in all kinds of weather, otherwise the bills wouldn’t be paid.

National Express Coaches was my first permanent job, aged 17. I worked in the Digbeth call centre for three months before I moved to the head office in Edgbaston.

My first “on the road” account manager role came at age 22. My salary was £10,900 and I had my first mobile phone – a six-inch brick with an external aerial – and a bright red N-reg Astra estate company car. I was the youngest in the team by a few years, but was supported greatly.

I took a £1,000-a-year pay cut to join Holiday Autos but it was the best career decision I ever made. I took a risk to go into the unknown, but six months later the sales team at National Express was restructured and there were redundancies, so I might have lost my job anyway. Fate works in weird ways.

People say car rental is boring and it’s not a sexy product, but there was something special about Holiday Autos. It was the kind of environment where innovation was encouraged, hard work was necessary but the rewards (non-financial) were great. I was there three years before Steve O’Loughlin left to become head of sales at Bourne Leisure and took me with him as a national account manager. Domestic holidays are another misunderstood product, but Bourne invested a lot in its resorts and staff, and still does to this day.

My first head of sales role came at JTA Travel. When I arrived, trade was 20% of the business and when I left three years later it was 80%. I had a great team around me and we had some consistent wins against the big boys with practically no marketing budget. We grew sales through service alone. It was one of the best call-centre reservation teams I’ve ever known.

I was sales and marketing director at Affordable Car Hire for 15 months. Then Tony Seaman presented me with an unmissable opportunity to work for Attraction World. I joined the company as head of sales, and progressed to sales and marketing director.

Don’t get hung up on job titles. They can be nothing more than a status symbol. You measure your worth by your level of responsibility and internal recognition. I’ve had senior titles with little autonomy and more junior titles with much more free rein to make a personal impact.

If I was a cleaner on a night shift, I’d make sure I was the best cleaner I could be. You have to be motivated by results and giving the best account of yourself, but there is more to life than money. I count myself fortunate to have so many genuine friends in the travel industry.

My mentor at National Express Keith Viner showed me that you do not need to rule with an iron fist. I owe a lot to him – he set me on my way during my time at National Express, through his encouraging persona. Steve O’Loughlin helped me to become more decisive, and Ian Coyle of Holiday Autos and Tony Seaman together showed me how to master the work hard, play hard mentality, while still delivering results.

You have to experience the “bad” times to appreciate the good. Everyone gets knocked down, but it’s how you get up again that really sets you apart.

Where will I be in 10 years’ time? I’ll be 50, so hopefully having a big party! In all seriousness, there are still huge opportunities at Attraction World. We’ve educated agents to pre-book tickets for Orlando, with New York and Las Vegas getting there, but there are still so many opportunities to enhance a customer’s holiday – wherever in the world they are going.

I’m known for my love of motivational quotes and this is one of my personal favourites: “Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with you becomes your trademark.” Travel is such a people industry that I do think it’s worth building your own brand. Above all, treat people with respect and go about your day with dignity.