Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself! Travel News's Interview with Lize Roodt

Travel News released their ITC Franchise feature article, where they interviewed a Travel Counsellor, Lize Roodt and she shared her insights on developing more ‘transformational travel’ trips in 2022

When a phenomenon like COVID-19 appears and changes the world around you, it can be hard to see a path ahead, let alone understand the best way to react to the new forces in play.

Travel News listened to the stories of two experienced ITCs who reacted to COVID by planting their feet in new streams of business. Lize Roodt, a Travel Counsellor who is an experienced professional retail consultant, with a degree in tourism management, is focusing on developing more ‘transformational travel’ trips in 2022.

Roodt has already completed a course for designing trips like this, which are intended to offer travellers a meaningful, memorable experience. Her niche speaks to Travel Counsellors’ ethos of managing outcomes. But, said Roodt, switching to a new line of business entirely had not been straightforward.

Be a specialist “The idea is to create spaces, moments in itineraries that will give customers the best opportunity to have an internal, transformational experience.

It is a lot more intense work when working with the client. You need to know where they are at. My struggle is because I have always sold the whole world, I find it hard to pick something to focus on.

I have a query at the moment, to go fly fishing in Jozini, so I have to go and do the homework in order to feel equipped. That’s what specialising is. People come to you because you are that person, but it is time-consuming to start these very specific itineraries from scratch if you haven’t done them before.” Roodt is also considering how to turn more of her existing client base onto her transformational itineraries but says complexities about current travel restrictions, cancellations and rebookings are taking up much of her current capacity and her mental bandwidth.

“I am working on some nice bookings, but it’s tough to work on something when you don’t know if it will come in because of COVID.

I have a Northern Lights booking for 2023 and I am seeing more of that type of request coming in. But, at the moment, I feel like I am stuck fixing flights!

Would you like to specialise in a niche market? Becoming a Travel Counsellor franchisee, could be the perfect environment for you to do just that? If you would like to explore what your future as a Travel Counsellor could look like then please get in touch with us we would love to chat with you.