We’ve come a long way in 10 years 2004-2014
Lowcostbeds speaks to industry colleagues about their time in travel
with Andrew Todd sales and commercial director, Jetline Travel
Q. What has been your best experience in travel?
A. Being at Jetline Travel since the first call came in back in March 2001 and becoming a partner in the business in 2003. Seeing us grow from a team of 10 selling a few holidays to a team of over 200 staff selling many different destinations for both holidays and cruises.
Q. What is your favourite destination? A. South Africa. I go for a few weeks every year and have travelled there over a dozen times and always stay in several places. Cape Town is my favourite place in the world and being on Camps Bay beach, with the mountains behind, is one of the most awesome views.
Q. If you weren’t a travel agent what would you be?
A. I have been told by many people that I should be on the stage due to my awesome sense of humour and wit, so I would say a comedian, but at school I wanted to be a zoologist.
Q. What motivates you? A. I like success and to see things that I have played a part in become successful. Starting new projects that are just an initial idea and turning them into profitable and important parts of the business is a big motivation.
Q. Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
A. Steven Roberts and Marilyn Roberts, the other owners at Jetline. When I joined Jetline in 2001 as a sales manager, they supported me massively in the role and had enough faith in me to let me join them as a partner in the business.
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Q. If you could change one thing in the industry, what would it be?
A. We need more parties, more award ceremonies and more alcohol…
Q. What do you think is going to be the next big trend in travel?
A. The percentage of people using tablets and phones to make bookings and enquiries continues to grow and I think this will move on to Google Glass (or similar) in the very near future. This will allow people to see deals right in front of their eyes wherever they are, as well as hotel and destination details, without having to pick up a brochure or use a computer. I do believe there is still plenty of life left in traditional travel models, though, and it will be quite a while before we all start taking holidays on the moon.
Q. Tell us something we don’t know about you?
A. When I was 12 I sunk up to my neck in quicksand and nearly died. I play hockey. I also ran the London Marathon in 2010, although I have probably told everyone that already.
Q. Which three people in travel would you invite to a dinner party?
A. Richard Branson – he could tell us all about business and travel, plus I would ask him why he made me redundant in 2000; Steven Roberts [MD at Jetline] – he would be jealous if I didn’t invite him; and Matthew Todd (Qwerty Travel) – he only eats steak, baked beans and deserts so there would be loads of food for me to eat.
I almost died in quicksand
Tell us a funny strory from your travel career
I don’t remember any specific strange or funny moments in my career. But once when I was in South Africa at my mother-in-law’s house an eagle swooped down and grabbed their pet Jack Russell and flew off with it. That was a very strange experience.
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