30 Under 30: Meet Emily Trumble
Emily Trumble’s agency Encore Travel was thriving – then Covid hit. She talks to Abra Dunsby about the impact on business and her future aspirations
The past six months have been a rollercoaster for Emily Trumble, the 26-year-old founder of Encore Travel based in Chelmsford, Essex. After the travel agency celebrated its best-ever January and February this year, business took a hit due to the coronavirus, with Trumble having to fork out for refunds and credit card charges and dealing with a member of her homeworking team leaving to find more stable work.
With no government grants available to her, Trumble was forced to juggle two additional jobs to bring in income – one working for the NHS’s Track and Trace call centre and the other as a sales consultant for a well-known cruise agency. “I was working seven days a week for a month before I gave up the NHS job. It’s been a hectic six months,” she says.
Trumble says Encore is currently “on the backburner until things [in travel] are more certain”. She is grateful for the cruise agency job, which is bringing positivity to her working life. “They’re super-busy,” she says. “I’m really enjoying it. It’s something positive – taking new bookings and speaking to people who are excited about going on holiday.”
High hopes
After leaving school, Trumble worked as an apprentice for Thomas Cook, then as a sales consultant for Best at Travel in London. “I learnt lots there, such as how to tailor-make holidays. It broadened my horizons,” she says.
At the age of just 21, Trumble decided to go it alone, establishing Encore Travel from her back garden, working day and night in bars and restaurants to fund the business and get it off the ground.
The agency, which turned five in June, follows a pop-up model, with a trailer travelling around Chelmsford high street and appearing at country fairs as well as wedding and car shows. “It was great for brand awareness and was working really well before Covid,” she says.
Being part of the TTG 30 Under 30 means a great deal to her. “I was in Lanzarote when I got an email to say I was part of the TTG 30 Under 30 – I was ecstatic, I’ve followed it for years!”
Though unsure what the future holds, Trumble is hopeful travel will return strongly in 2021, helping Encore Travel to bounce back. “The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is not to give up, and I don’t want to with Encore. I’m hoping we’ll come through this and be able to conquer the world.”
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