Two months in the life of an Academy Scholarship Travel Counsellor

Hello! I’m Yasmin, a 27-year-old travel enthusiast who took a leap and applied for the Travel Counsellors Academy Scholarship programme in April 2024 - three years after graduating from the University of Sheffield (where I studied Journalism) and 10 years after I started working in events and communications.

Despite my love affair for travel starting at a young age, the early days of my career were swept up by my other loves – events and words. It wasn’t until I read about the scholarship that I realised there’s an opportunity out there for me to combine all my prior experiences and turn it into a travel career without limits.

As a newbie, I wanted to share my honest account of starting up a business as a Travel Counsellors franchisee, and I hope it will be of use to anyone else considering this option.

How my story began

It was in March 2024 when I first saw the Academy Sponsorship shared on LinkedIn, and already aware of Travel Counsellors, I was keen to learn more. In early April, I attended a virtual Discovery Day to learn more about the support on offer and what it’s like running your own travel business. By the end of the call, I was nervous but eager to go for it, so throughout April I worked on my business plan.

In early May, I got the news that I’d made it through to round one of interviews and then thankfully through to the final stage – which involved a presentation at Travel Counsellors’ HQ in front of three people from across the business, including a Gold Travel Counsellor. Confident in my own abilities and having a genuine love for travel, I knew this was the career path for me. I genuinely enjoyed sharing my travel experiences and plans to grow my business, while asking questions about elements I was unsure of.

Week One

Day one of induction very much felt like going back to school in September. Prior to joining the initial Teams call with my induction group, I had my new stationery laid out in front of me with a stomach full of butterflies. By the end of the day, I was buzzing to be around like-minded people all starting fresh in the travel industry. It didn’t take long until we had a WhatsApp group on the go for questions about training and what peoples’ plans were with their businesses. By the end of the week, I had a basic grasp of the Phenix booking system, and although still in the deep end, I felt so much more at ease.

Week Two

It seems my whole induction group had a bit of a wobble at the start of this week, including me. With so much new information to learn and an endless number of resources, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But that’s where the wonderful (and patient!) training team swooped in with reassurance that this is normal and all part of the journey. The other nagging voice in my head was reminding me that my business launch was on the Friday, and it wasn’t just a case of learning the systems but also getting my social media and Travel Counsellors website prepped.

Launch day came around fast. I was a nervous wreck at the start of the day with social media announcements, but I needn’t have been! The celebrations with my induction group and our mentors were incredibly heartwarming and my friends and family were great at spreading the word. By the end of the week, I had my first booking! It was a small booking for a relative, but the size didn’t matter – the ball was well and truly rolling.

Week Three

I started the week by sending a quote out for review and with six trips to research. It felt like a lot to balance so early on, but I’m the type to throw myself into the deep end and learn how to swim. I made a further two bookings by the end of the week – both completely different. One was a 16-person stag do in Benidorm, and the other a multi-stop tour in Asia for four. I also signed up to my first fam trip to Sri Lanka. It felt like Christmas had come early!

Week Four

Everything slowed down a bit this week, giving me chance to catch up with training and attend my first destination event in Liverpool – focusing on all things Caribbean. The latter was such a good opportunity to connect with some of our travel partners and learn more about the incredible accommodation options and experiences there are for our customers. It also gave me the chance to meet some other Travel Counsellors, which is always lovely, and I was introduced to my local Travel Counsellors WhatsApp group.

Week Five

I well and truly put myself out of my comfort zone by attending my first networking event. I was third out of around 30 people to do a 60-second pitch to the room, who were thankfully all incredibly supportive and interested in travel (which makes our job a very easy sell). In complete honesty, I left feeling slightly drained after putting myself out there so much but excited for future networking events and to develop my pitches and confidence at public speaking. I spoke to the organiser of the networking event to see if she planned on expanding to other areas and if there were any opportunities for collaboration. Turns out the answers were ‘yes’ and ‘yes’. Watch this space!

Week Six

My favourite week to date started with Venus Live at Travel Counsellors HQ – a two-day, in-person training event as part of the onboarding programme. This was the first opportunity to meet my induction group face-to-face, and we all got along like a house on fire. It literally felt like I’d known them all for years, not weeks. I finished the couple of days feeling so thankful for the people around me and proud of myself for pursuing a career as a Travel Counsellor.

Week Seven

I got a honeymoon booking in this week for one of my former neighbours – who kindly left me a 10/10 score and a glowing review. That’s definitely one for my socials and website! I also attended my second networking event which was virtual, but much less draining for me. Public speaking really is a muscle that needs to be flexed. Otherwise, this week was all about catching up on training on the Discover platform and goal setting for 2025.

Week Eight

Nothing can quite prepare you for the intensity and whirlwind of the Travel Counsellors Conference weekend - but wow, it’s one to remember! I got so much value from the guest speakers, who included Jo Malone CBE, Neil Rodgers, and human rights activist Lurata Lyon to name a few. There was also the TC Travel Market (essentially an exhibition with most of our suppliers), HQ updates, and not forgetting the evening fun. If you watch the highlight reel, yes that’s me bouncing my way down the giant slide at our après ski party! I ended the week with a full heart and supercharged for the coming months. It really is a one-of-a-kind community that I feel incredibly privileged to be part of.

Has Yasmin’s journey inspired you to take a leap of faith? Applications are now open for our 2025 Academy Scholarship, where, just like Yasmin, you could secure a place on our Travel Academy training programme worth £5K! If you’ve got a passion for travel and the entrepreneurial spirit to run your own business, we want to hear from you. With just 20 places available, it’s an opportunity not to be missed! Register your interest today.