Meet Travel Counsellor, Joanne Grogan

Joanne Grogan is one of our newest Travel Counsellors, and we are delighted to welcome her to the family. We caught up with Joanne at her head office induction to gauge her thoughts on starting her own home-based travel business.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you did before becoming a Travel Counsellor.

I have two children, aged 13 and 11, who both have a love of travel and geography. I also have a four-year-old Miniature Schnauzer called Sherbet and love walking him in the hills around Stockport.

Whilst the boys in the family have a shared passion of everything sky blue from Manchester, both myself and my daughter enjoy the theatre and going to gigs. We really love musicals and try and go once every couple of months.

We all love our holidays and prior to the kids we travelled around the Far East a lot, and we have holidayed as a family in Thailand, Malaysia, Dubai, Barbados and lots of North America.

After leaving school, I worked for British Airways for 17 years. I started in telephone sales and worked through various reservation-based departments, finishing as an Account Manager for both Corporate and Business Travel Agents. This was where I discovered my love of travel.

It was also at the time that the customer service training that British Airways offered was some of the best in the country and helped me develop a passion for giving good customer service, understanding its importance.

I left British Airways to spend time raising my family, as my husband worked away a lot, but travel has stayed with me and as a family we have continued to travel, taking both our children on a plane by the time they were four months old. I also worked in the social housing sector for eight years.

What does becoming a Travel Counsellor mean for you going forward?

The main reason for becoming a Travel Counsellor is my love of travel and organisation. I spend time putting together trips for friends and family, and after taking voluntary redundancy I wanted to go back to doing something I love.

The advantage of working from home means that I can be here for the kids when they come back from school, as well as being able to attend any meetings or special events at the school. Being a Travel Counsellor will also remove the daily commute, saving me a lot of time which will make me more productive on a daily basis.

It also means that I am contactable at all times and can work with customers at their convenience. If they want to me for a coffee to discuss plans or just want a chat in the evening, the excellent work-life balance allows me to adapt my times to suit them.

What motivated you to start your own travel business, and what are you most looking forward to about becoming a Travel Counsellor?

I remember hearing about Travel Counsellors when I was still at British Airways. I loved the idea of being your own boss while working alongside other like-minded people. The time was never right to do it before, with setting up home, starting a family and the financial commitments that go with it. Travel has remained a passion and I loved the idea of being responsible for what I achieve.

I can’t wait to see what customers want and to try and exceed their expectations. I’m also looking forward to developing new relationships with people and, ultimately, being able to see them happy with something I have done for them.

Have you set yourself any goals, and how will you go about kickstarting your business?

In my first year I want to establish and expand a good customer base with people wanting to book with me as their first choice and feel confident in recommending me to their friends.

I have spoken to my direct family and friends and asked them to spread the word about my business. I will also work with the local schools and attend their fairs etc to try and get my information in the local community.

What do you love most about working in the travel industry?

Experiencing, talking and hearing about travel. There is a strong network within travel and I love the sharing of information and passion people show. It is an ever-changing industry and the challenge of learning different aspects of it and sharing my information excites me. It is a happy industry to be in and I am helping people’s dreams come true.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I would love to explore South America. It is an area I do not have a lot of experience in and would love to see the different cultures, landscapes and people. From the penguins in Chile and the dancing and wine in Argentina to the beaches and football in Brazil and the mountains and wonders of Peru.