FRONTLINE
Q. What were the first trips you went on? My first educational was on the Golden Arrow luxury in 1968 from London Victoria by train, with a ferry crossing to Paris. My first proper holiday was with Skytours to Benidorm for a week in 1969 and cost £4. My first long-haul flight was in 1970. I flew to Los Angeles on one of the first Boeing 747 jumbo jets for a weekend. It was hosted by Pan Am and cost £6, including flights, hotel and sightseeing. The airline wanted to fill these giant aircraft and offered agents the chance to experience their service. My boss at the time threw the letter away as he thought no one wanted to go. When I said I would, he fished the invite out the bin! It was so much fun and gave me the incentive to travel long-haul. I’ve travelled extensively since; I’ve been to the US at least 30 times and Australia at least 19 times. In the early 1980s I also went to New York on the QE2 [former Cunard flagship] and on two supersonic flights on Concorde in one day as a birthday treat. It cost £200 and I went to Cairo and back with my brother. The flight was subsonic from Heathrow to Venice and then we soared to 55,000ft at Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, where the sky became black and the earth’s curvature could be seen.
Ken Garrity
The owner of Ken Garrity Travel talks to Juliet Dennis about his 58-year career in the industry as he celebrates his 75th birthday
Q. What was it like selling holidays in the 1960s and 1970s? I started as a junior at Lewis’s Travel Bureau in Manchester in 1968, which was part of the Selfridges group. I became assistant manager three years later at Lewis’s Travel Bureau in Liverpool. I was promoted to manager at Selfridges Travel in Oxford Street, London, where I worked for more than three years. Everyone wanted Majorca! There were also coach-air holidays to places like Switzerland or Austria but nothing exotic. In those days it was dial-up phones and holiday prices were in guineas (one is equivalent to around £1.05 in today’s money). We used to get the brochures from tour operators in December, which gave us a couple of weeks to stamp them (I’ve still got the dent on my finger!) and learn the product. People queued up to book in January as there were only limited flights and holidays.
24 30 APRIL 2026
Q. Why did you set up your own agency? I started my own agency in Sale in 1981 when I realised I could do it myself. I had a high street shop and five staff. I closed the shop in 2008 to become a homeworker. Initially I moved to an office above another travel agency and just saw clients on an appointment basis. Every person booked so I actually did more bookings on my own; in a shop you might have 10 people walk in but only one that books. Now I’m booking holidays for the children of some of my original clients and have enough business to keep me ticking over.
Q. What difficult times have you experienced in your career? In my early career, one of the biggest challenges was the oil crisis in 1973-1974 and collapse of Clarksons Travel Group. We went down to a three-day week. Since then we’ve had many failures but as agents we always know what to do with cancellations and refunds. Covid was one of the worst experiences. It was horrible and it made me realise who the good operators were.
Q. What’s been one of your career highlights? Being a Travel Weekly Cover Star. I was on the first overseas Cover Stars trip to New York and New Jersey in 2012 in partnership with Celebrity Cruises. It’s one of my career highlights because you get recognised by doing it. When we there we got thousands of dollars’ worth of clothes. The whole trip was full of ‘pinch me’ moments.
Q. Any retirement plans? I don’t even know what the word retirement means. Mentally I am not 75; in my head I am still 36… and I’m still learning about travel. Every day is a school day.
travelweekly.co.uk
TELL US ABOUT YOUR RADIO SHOW AND CHARITY WORK
I interview people across
the travel industry and get local businesses on my Radio Alty show. The other week I interviewed the mayor. At a Florida event recently I recorded interviews with people from different attractions such as the
Kennedy Space Center and representatives from Florida Tourism. At the radio station there are more than 30 of us, all volunteers, and we all enjoy doing it. You are your own boss – your own
producer, director, you do it all yourself. It keeps my brain going – and it’s completely different to selling. I’ve also been a member of the rotary organisation for more than 30 years and have been giving back to the community. I introduced a Santa
fundraiser to Altrincham
15 years ago, which adults and kids love. Doing charity work and being involved in something non-sales related
helps relieve stress, especially in uncertain times like now, and gives you a great sense of community spirit. I was
provost mayor of Altrincham Court Leet in 2018-19 and made a freeman of England and Wales – which apparently means I can drive sheep over London Bridge!
Ken celebrates his ‘36th’ birthday at the radio station
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