FRONTLINE
Q. What’s your favourite trip that you’ve been on? I’ve been on both luxury ocean and river ships with my family, and was on National Geographic Endurance in May, which was incredible. But the family trip that stands out most to me was on Crystal when I was around seven. It wasn’t necessarily the ship that made it so memorable, but the people on board. To this day, I can still remember one of the waiters, Benjamin, who made the whole experience just brilliant.
Q. What has surprised you most about cruise? I recognise that I’ve been on more cruises, including luxury ones, than the average 17-year-old. I didn’t think river would be my style because of the perception that it’s for older people, and I thought I’d always prefer ocean. But when I actually went on a river cruise, I thought it was amazing and everyone should try it . It completely blew me away and made me realise I had totally pre-judged river cruising when I shouldn’t have, because it was such an amazing experience. Another thing that surprised me is long-haul cruises on the Mekong and the Ganges becoming much more popular.
Q. What have you enjoyed most about your apprenticeship?
CHARLIE COLE
The Panache Cruises apprentice speaks to Ella Sagar about his workplace experiences so far – and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
Q. What made you choose travel as a career? There are a number of reasons, but the main one is that when I was younger I was fortunate to travel quite a bit. I enjoyed it very much and wanted to share that experience with people. I want to make sure everyone gets the most out of travelling and has the best holiday they can. Also, why wouldn’t I want to work alongside one of my role models: my dad [James Cole, who set up Panache Cruises].
Q. Why is your dad such an inspiration to you? First off, because of the number of businesses that he’s made successful. I’ve never built a company because I’m only 17, but I will do at some point. I know the odds of creating a successful business are very low, and for him to do it on multiple occasions is amazing. Also, my insight as being part of the family is seeing his work-life balance, which is incredible, considering the scale of the company he’s running. He always has time for us, and that’s very important. Panache Cruises has won best workplace awards for a few years in a row and has flexible working policies that really help everyone.
30 26 JUNE 2025
I’ve enjoyed so many things! I’m doing my apprenticeship with AS Training and currently working in partnerships and marketing, so I get to talk to all the cruise lines about their products and put together social media and newsletters about promotions. That’s what I’m really enjoying. I love talking to people, especially cruise lines, and building relationships. I get to connect with people globally as well because I’m working with our US team a fair bit, which I find incredibly interesting.
Q. What would you say to people thinking of doing an apprenticeship, or employers thinking of taking on apprentices? For me, apprenticeships are definitely the way forward. It’s a great way to continue your education while starting to edge into the world of employment and getting paid, so it’s not a sudden shock when you come out of either A-levels or university and go straight into work. It’s good to have apprentices in your business as well – it brings in some out-of-the-box thinking from a different generation. That’s helpful for cruise in particular because age demographics are coming down, so it’s worth having a younger opinion. Even though we specialise in luxury cruises, where the average age is around 50-plus, it is getting younger across different lines.
Q. What would you like to do after you’ve finished your apprenticeship? I’ve really enjoyed my level-three apprenticeship – I’d like to go to a local university and do a degree-level apprenticeship, which would be a level six. I want to stick with Panache Cruises because it’s a great place to be and see how I get on with pursuing the marketing side.
YOU RECENTLY CLIMBED MOUNT KILIMANJARO FOR REUBEN’S RETREAT. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
It was amazing. It’s such an incredible destination and everyone there was so friendly, which really made me want to go back. As part of a group of 15
from Panache Cruises, we climbed the mountain over six days and it was surprising how enjoyable it was, as I’d heard how hard it can be. We carried everything in big
rucksacks and camped, which was a unique experience. It was always an option to ask porters to carry our bags, but only a few of us did when we were really struggling on the last day. Some people
suffered from altitude sickness but I was proud that we all powered through, even on the toughest day when we
reached the summit. We gave it our all and it was a great adventure. I’m so glad I did it.
The views at the top, especially at night, were out of this
world. We have raised more than £70,000 so far, well
over our target of £50,000, to contribute to a £1 million building project to renovate four family apartments at
Reuben’s Retreat, so I’d say it’s been a success all round.
Charlie with family friend Katie Gray on Kilimanjaro
travelweekly.co.uk
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