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Sophie Jones travel consultant
New Horizons Travel, East Riding College, Bridlington Agent takes charge of shop after few hours’ training
Most newly-trained travel agents spend their first few months on the job under the watchful eye of the shop manager. But Sophie Jones, 19, had a steep learning curve when she took her first job in the industry. She was the only travel consultant at college-based New Horizons Travel, part of Hays Travel’s Independence Group, when branch manager Katrina Diamantis went on sick leave for a back operation at the start of last year’s summer holidays. Although she had the support of a senior college lecturer who has run agencies, Sophie had day-to-day responsibility for running the store, from managing and completing all the bookings to dealing with client enquiries, banking and overseeing the paperwork. “I had always wanted to be a travel agent so I feel lucky to have got a foot in the door, but it was quite daunting,” admits Sophie, who had only worked at the store previously for an hour and a half a week as part of her work experience during her two-year travel and tourism course. “I was pushed in at the deep end and had complete charge of the shop and was completely by myself. I had never done a booking before by myself, my branch manager had always been there.” Although the agency was only open two days a week in the summer holidays, it is the only agency to sell National Express coach tickets in Bridlington. “The general public all knew which days we were open and they all used to come on those days to book their tickets so I used to have queues nearly to the door!” recalls Sophie. “I sold a lot of holidays and learnt on the job, working it out myself or contacting Hays’ head office.” Her manager returned after four months off work, and Sophie is now also involved in helping to train work experience students in the same way she was. In December, the agency opened a ‘travel hub’ – an information point – at its
sister college in Beverley, East Riding, which is primed to become a travel agency next year once the college has undergone a planned rebuild. “We take holiday enquiries at
Sophie’s CV
●July 2013 to date: travel consultant, New Horizons Travel, East Riding College, Bridlington
●2011-13: Level Three Extended Diploma in Travel and Tourism, East Riding College, Bridlington
the travel hub from the college in Beverley, but currently they are booked at Bridlington. We are hoping we will have an agency at the new site,” says Sophie. Even better, Sophie’s been told she will be in charge of that agency. She adds: “I’ve been told that will
be my baby!”
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travelweekly.co.uk
52 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 23 January 2014 SOPHIE’S TIPS
✪Build a ‘travel hub’: Find a way to market or provide information about your agency elsewhere. This could be a pod in a shopping centre or it could be some marketing materials – posters, offers, window cards – about your business in another location to extend your reach.
✪Always offer top customer service: You will reap the rewards. Customers will come back in and tell you how good the holiday was you booked for them. It’s always good to chat to customers so they remember you and the holiday and come back to you to book their next break.
✪Get to know your suppliers: Invite operators to come in and give a talk to the staff about their latest products and keep you up to date on any new developments or offers and incentives.
READERS’ LIVES
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