Q&A: Expert Excelle travel agent on her career insights

How did you get into travel?

A friend of mine wanted to be a travel rep but was too scared to go to the interview alone so I went with her – I ended up getting the job and she didn’t!

"I was 18 and had a boring job in an insurance office at the time."

I was 18 and had a boring job in an insurance office at the time.

Two weeks later I was in Majorca. I did two seasons with ILG and one with Cosmos and loved the job, but I noticed other reps were settling down and getting married to their Spanish boyfriends.

I didn’t want to marry mine, so I came home! Later, I booked a holiday at Pickfords Travel, got talking and landed a job there.

Proudest moment in your career to date?

Going it alone after taking redundancy from Thomas Cook. I joined Global Travel Group because I got a great deal, and after six months in business I won the group’s Best Newcomer award.

It was a sign I’d made the right decision to start Excelle Travel.

What is a typical day off for you?

I work weekends so always take a day off in the week to go out with girlfriends. It’s always to go shopping and have cocktails.