READERS’ LIVES YOUR STORIES
THIS WEEK: TRAVEL SENSE ST NEOTS, CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Q&A
TRAVEL SENSE TEAM: Fran Catling, Claudia Davenport, Melanie Saavedra and Laura King
Meet The Travel Sense team: Melanie Saavedra; Fran Catling; Claudia Davenport and Laura King. These four mums, with 10 children between them, juggle work and parenthood. Founder Melanie talks about the business ethos and how the homeworking agency was inspired by her son’s medical condition.
Q. Why did you set up Travel Sense? A. In July 2008, my son Emilio was born with metopic synostosis [fusing of skull joints too early]. His head was misshapen and he had surgery at Great Ormond Street to remodel it at 15 months old. This changed my career path. I planned to return to work as a high street agent but he needed a lot of care and hospital appointments. Then in April 2013, I found Emilio in bed one morning and he couldn’t speak; I thought he’d had a stroke. He was diagnosed with a separate, neuro-genetic condition Neurofibromatosis type 1. As a result, he's had lots of seizures. Working for someone else is not possible. Homeworking was a good option.
Q. How did the business come about? A. Laura (King) was a high street agent for 19 years and worked with me at Going Places. She’s got three children and was finding it increasingly difficult with childcare and asked if I was ever going to open my own agency. We formed a business plan and met Global Travel Group. Travel Sense is my business and we are self-employed homeworkers. Claudia (Davenport) and Fran (Catling) are friends. Claudia
worked for Lunn Poly years ago, Fran worked for Virgin Holidays for a while.
Q. How do you support each other? A. We work while the children are at school and cover for each other. If one of us has to make a call or booking just before 3pm, or if I have to go to hospital with Emilio, we send a WhatsApp message. We pick up each others’ kids from school and make calls for each other.
Q. How has the first year been? A. I thought we wouldn’t be too busy – famous last words! The idea wasn’t to work full-time, although I have been
up until midnight to do a booking. Eventually we’ll have a 9pm cut off. Around 80% of the business is by recommendation. Sometimes I’m at the side of the swimming pool making a booking while the kids are having a lesson. It’s tough, but it won't be forever.
Q. What’s it like working with friends? A. We said from day one there is a difference between friendship and business. Because we are self-employed, everyone is in charge of their own destiny. We run things past each other and don’t tread on each other’s toes. The girls have their own work numbers.
Q. What does the future hold? A. As we grow we'll need a more formal structure. The idea for me was to have something Emilio could do. We don’t know if he will ever be able to drive a car but it might be something he can do later in life – that's in the back of my mind.
Laura with her three children; Fran and her two daughters; Melanie, who has three children; and Claudia with her two children
Would you like to appear in Readers’ Lives? Tell us why! Email
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk 36
travelweekly.co.uk 18 May 2017
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
