‘Don't take things too personally’

As agents, we're often on the frontline, and things don't always go according to plan. When you're new to the industry, you can take these things as personal attacks rather than seeing them for what they really are: proof that you can't control everything. Don’t take things too personally – that’s one lesson I have certainly learnt over time.

The other thing is that you can very easily get sucked in by trends you shouldn't necessarily follow – at times, these can lead you into a dead end. Instead, stick with what you believe in – especially when it comes to product or the way you run your business.

Ashley Quint, TravelTime World.

‘Embrace technology with an open mind’

I joined travel in the late 1980s, and I remember how the advent of the internet was met with a bit of scepticism and cynicism as it was such a monumental change for the industry. But to be honest, that attitude quickly changed as people in travel realised the internet was not going to go away. The industry is very good at embracing change.

I think we can draw some parallels with AI. At the moment, people are worried about AI, thinking it will take over our jobs and destroy our industry. The internet didn't take over because people embraced it, and I think the same will happen with AI – it will become a fact of life within the industry. We should embrace new technologies with a very open mind.

Niall McDonnell, Killiney Travel.

‘Don't panic – keep a calm head’

I would probably give myself two pieces of advice. Firstly, don't panic – there's always tomorrow, even when there are big world events or strikes or cancellations, so keep a calm head.

Secondly, don’t short-change yourself and what you can offer – don't undersell yourself. At the beginning of your journey, you might be desperate to get every possible bit of business in from people, but you end up running yourself into the ground. Clients really value what we, as travel agents, add so don’t cheapen your offering.

Vanessa Good, The Good Travel Company.

‘Do one thing – and do it well’

When they start, a lot of young agents try to do everything – every destination, every cruise line – and they’re just scraping the surface. But if they worked on one resort or one destination, they would know it inside out and then they could slowly build up their knowledge. So I’d tell myself to pick one destination, do it well, and then move on.

When I started 25 years ago, I was told to make contact with more than 400 suppliers – I don’t think you need to do that. Instead, you need to work well with certain suppliers and then start building new relationships. There are so many suppliers out there – work with one or two and get that specialism under your belt.

Darrell Toakley Williams, Darrell James Travel.

‘It's not all about selling holidays’

Travel is much harder than it was when I joined 26 years ago. One of the main issues is there are lots of people who don’t do this as a full-time job. To me, you can’t run a business unless you’re working 24/7. Your clients need to be able to contact you whenever they need you. Our industry is saturated with inexperienced people, and that doesn't give us a good name.

Also, contrary to what a lot of people might believe, being a travel agent isn't just about selling holidays, that’s actually the smallest part. It’s about knowing and understanding the destinations, helping clients whenever they need it and understanding what they are looking for.

Jenny Jackson, Luxury Travel Guru.

'Travel as much as you can'

The only regret I have is that early in my career I didn't take as many opportunities to travel as I should. In those early stages, I didn't think it was something I was going to fall in love with.

I didn't go into travel wanting to be a travel agent, I just fell into the job. So for the first three to four years, I didn't know this would be the career of a lifetime.

But then you realise our jobs are absolutely amazing and the opportunities to travel we have are second to none. So my advice to my younger self would be to take every opportunity there is to travel.

Steve Cox, Premier Travel.