Petrie is embracing a fresh chapter in her life.

Let me introduce you to our latest Travel Counsellor, who’s got stories to tell and a passion for travel that’s truly contagious. She’s been in the industry for over 20 years, starting right out of college and diving headfirst into international bookings. From visa dramas to unforgettable adventures across the globe, she’s seen and done it all. Now, she’s thrilled to be part of the Travel Counsellors family, ready to craft incredible journeys and share her love for exploring the world with her customers.

What is your background and where did you work before becoming a Travel Counsellor? I obtained a diploma in Travel and Tourism at the Pretoria Technikon from 1986-1988 and started as a leisure consultant immediately there-after, at The Travel Consultant in Pretoria. I was thrown into the deep end and started with international travel from the word go. My first booking was a ski group of 12 to Innsbruck, with various stopovers. I knew nothing about visas and only learned about it a week before their departure when my boss asked how the visas were going. Needless to say, he bundled me into a taxi with all the visa application forms for 5 countries and with a lot of crying, begging and empty promises for lunch dates, I got all visas done in one week. That exercise taught me that nothing is ever impossible, and "no" doesn't always mean "no"! For 22 years I worked in travel as a senior travel consultant, with international leisure as my main focus and spent my last years as a travel consultant at Harvey World Travel, doing business travel as an in-house

Tell us a little bit about yourself (family, hobbies, pets, interests, places you've travelled) I am married, have 3 adult sons and a wonderful daughter-in-law, who I see as a great friend. I have 2 granddaughters aged two and nearly four and never thought I could be so in love with 2 little human beings! I love everything sports-related and watch nearly any sport on TV. I have recently started cycling which opens up new holiday destination opportunities for me. Apart from that, I do Pilates, hiking and swimming, and hitting the occasional golf ball as part of keeping my sanity daily. I have travelled quite extensively in the Far East, just not Bali, and did a 12-day tour through the Malaysian Jungle. I also travelled to France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany (as an exchange student near Bonn at the age of 16), Ireland, Northern Ireland (had my honeymoon there) and love everything about Great Britain, especially the Cotswolds. I visited Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and the Florida Keyes on two occasions, and totally fell in love with Key West. I visited Mauritius, the Comores and Mozambique on various occasions.

What does becoming a Travel Counsellor mean for you? Becoming a Travel Counsellor is one of my proudest achievements. From what I have learned from Maggie du Toit, to only day two of my induction fills me with immense pride to be part of such a professional company. All my children have left home, and apart from a school run here and there for my 2 granddaughters, I now have time for myself and my passions. I love the idea of being a Travel Counsellor and not a travel agent. Travel Counsellors allows me to sell vacations to my family, clients and friends on a very personal level. The fact that I can do it from home in my own time and environment without having someone look over my shoulder, gives me the freedom to be myself in knowing and getting to learn my friends and clients' needs, wants and personalities, affording me the knowledge, help and tools to sell their wants, needs and dreams. The fact that I can work any hours gives me so much more space to be creative, have personal time and focus on growing my business

What motivated you to start your own travel business? I stopped working as a travel agent when my youngest son was 11. The pressure of juggling so many balls, working office hours, being a mom, and driving around sport-crazy boys, just wasn't worth my while any more. Working for a fixed salary with impossible commission structures (the bar gets raised the better you do) did not work for me anymore. So, for quite a few years I focused on raising my boys and then looking after my father who was ill with cancer for 3 years. I needed to do what fulfilled me and find something that would ignite my passion for travel again. I did not see myself in a fixed, office-hours-bound situation again. And then I spoke to Maggie.... and the lights went on! From what she told me, I knew that this could be my fit, that there was a reason that my passion for travel hadn't died. I can work from home, online, anywhere and anytime. The work that I put in will pay me. I can now be fully committed to my own business, my passion for people and help clients realise their travel dreams

What are you looking forward to most about being a Travel Counsellor? Firstly a launch party to introduce all my family, friends and their friends to my business as a Travel Counsellor. I am so excited about the company as a whole, and cannot wait to start phoning around, introducing myself and my business, getting enquiries in and making bookings!

Have you set yourself any goals or milestones for what you want to achieve in your first year? I want to get my name out there, become reacquainted with old and new friends and set the ball rolling for referrals. So, lots of marketing for myself and my business in the next few weeks. Regain product knowledge, do courses and read, watch, and travel as much as I can. With Maggie as my mentor, I also plan a few trips to Bloemfontein to watch and learn.

Have you started planning how you will grow your business/find new customers, and if so, how? I have already contacted all my friends and family and asked if I can send them info regarding my new business by email. So, I have a long email list of prospective clients and plan to do a launch party after my 2 weeks of induction and training, where I will introduce my business and ask for referrals. I will speak to Marinda about a possible promo video/slide show. Set up my social media accounts and work on content!

What do you love most about working in the travel industry? I love seeing the smiles on clients' faces when they realise that you get them! When they come to you with a certain destination/idea in mind, and after chatting to you, realise that there is so much more to the destination than they ever thought their Rand could buy. Even my premium leisure clients’ faces light up when they realise there is so much more to see and do than meets the eye. It’s the excitement that gets me every time.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Slovenia! I followed a travel program a while ago and fell in love with Slovenia! The mountains, Lake Bled, the town of Bled, Ljubljana with its baroque facades, the medieval castle in Bled! It is unknown territory for me. I love Eastern Europe and would love to sample the cuisine, culture and lifestyle. I think it is a relatively unknown destination to market.