A day in the life
What could you be doing day to day as a homeworker? Juliet Dennis gets a glimpse into two agents’ daily routines
CLARE COLLINS-DOYLE PRO TRAVEL AGENT, INDEPENDENT TRAVEL EXPERTS I live in Lagos, in the Algarve, Portugal. I’ve been here for six years – I decided to move when the UK voted for Brexit. I’ve worked in travel for 20 years and was empowered to set up my own business after I did a master’s degree in tourism management at Bournemouth University in 2011. As well as being a travel agent, I’m a Zumba instructor.
Clare’s typical day Morning: Once my 15-year-old son has left for school, I walk my
three rescue dogs. At least two or three mornings a week involve teaching Zumba classes. I have a ‘shimmy and a shake’ with a group of ladies who, by default, end up being my clients – because it’s in a non-sales environment and they trust me to book their holidays. After Zumba, I start my travel work. My business is based on recommendations: I know my clients, or they are referrals to me. I have an 80% booking conversion rate, so time is never lost. Last year, I attended a sustainability webinar; I now feel comfortable having conversations with clients about it and encouraging sustainable choices. It’s increased the number of sustainable holidays I sell.
Afternoon: I often meet clients face to face. I visit them in their home or meet for a coffee somewhere to chat through their holiday requirements and then put a plan together for them. Historically my clients have always been in the UK. I still have that client base, but I’ve now started to get local expats booking with me. My local client base has developed organically through my Zumba teaching. I don’t have a website, but I post about my personal travel on my own Facebook page and people know I’m an agent and book. Once a week I go to a dog shelter to help walk the dogs.
Evening: I log on and work quite late. If it’s after 10pm, clients will not expect me to get back to them, so I only do so if I choose to. I have no set work times; I constantly look at my emails, but my work is completely flexible around what I am doing. Some nights I play padel (a cross between tennis and squash). It’s super sociable and my husband and son also play. It’s enabled me to make lots of Portuguese friends. Running my travel business fits around everything else I do in terms of looking after my family, teaching Zumba and caring for rescue dogs. But it doesn’t really feel like work because I love my job so much!
Tips for agents who want to work overseas Get your ducks in a row before you move: plan it over
a few years. I went self-employed and built a robust business first in the UK, which I knew would work overseas. If you can, have another string to your bow as a backup.
12 JULY 2024
travelweekly.co.uk
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