But despite the adversity, it is the "amazing experiences and wonderful memories" working in the industry that he holds dear. "I may not be the most affluent person, but I’ve earned a good living,” he tells TTG. “Being a travel agent has enriched my life, I can’t knock it at all."
Rowdon freely admits he fell into the industry almost by chance. He wanted to be a PE teacher or policeman in his youth, but aged 18, he applied for several jobs – including a role with TMC Hogg Robinson.
"The day before my interview, I went and sat in the Hogg Robinson shop in Enfield to see what was going on,” he explains. “The following day, I got a job as a trainee in the Barnet branch because the manager in Enfield told the manager in Barnet what I’d done.”
Rowdon’s career took off as he quickly progressed from trainee to assistant manager before joining leisure agency Kitts Travel aged 22, where he remained until 2009.
’Nothing beats good service’
It was during his time at the Pinner-based agency that Rowdon, along with thousands of other agents, had to adapt to the rise of the internet and shut out the often vociferous – but ultimately ill-founded – suggestions the web would sound a death knell for travel agents.
Rowden concedes that while he was suspicious at first, like so many other things, it soon became clear the internet would be a generational leap the industry would have no choice but to embrace.
And Rowdon insists it hasn’t changed agents’ core competencies. "It’s about adapting to what people might want or expect,” he says. “But I still don’t think you can beat some good, old-fashioned and honest travel service.”
If the internet was the first major technological breakthrough to reshape travel, AI could be the next. However, Rowdon doesn’t believe that AI will ever be able to replace the personal touch a human agent brings to the holiday booking process.
"If you’re good at what you do, you’re professional and honest with people, and you can make good recommendations to your clients, then you’ll be okay,” he adds.
’I wanted to make a success of things myself’
It was during one of the many major shocks that Rowdon endured, the 2008/09 financial crisis, that he decided to strike out on his own, setting up his homeworking business – Andrew Rowdon Travel – as part of the Travel Network Group. “I was at that age where I wanted to make a success of things myself,” he explains.
Rowdon’s decision to leave the certainty of a salaried job to launch his own business came at a time when many Brits were struggling to make ends meet, and holidays had fallen down their list of spending priorities.
As a result, and after relocating to Suffolk, Rowdon had to embed himself within the local community – he joined the Felixstowe chamber of commerce and the town’s rotary club, and started attending wedding fairs to expand his reach.
“You’ve got to rely on getting out there and selling yourself because people buy from people,” he explains. “And if people like you, gradually, they’ll want to do business with you.”
‘Not going anywhere’
Between 2009 and 2019, Rowdon’s business grew steadily, and in 2019, he achieved his best-ever year – tipping £1 million in turnover, achieving Homeworker of the Year and Agent of the Year at the 2019 TTG Travel Awards. "Ironically, my very best year, 2019, came just before my worst years in 2020 and 2021,” he says. “Now, we’re not far off 2019.”
After his initial suspicion, Rowdon has embraced tech, operating a suite of apps including wedding gift list service called Panndorah and traveller’s document wallet Go Travel Wallet, a combination of which he believes differentiates his service from his competitors’, while saving his business time and resources.
"For us smaller guys, time is of the essence and [having these apps] makes things easy and cost-effective while making you look really professional in front of clients,” he explains.
Asked about the future for his business, Rowdon says without hesitation: "I’m not going to hang up my travel hat yet," adding he’s not ready yet to stand still. "I’d like to take on more stuff as I have got a few projects I’d like to push forward."
