Growing up, agent Maggie Rogers dreamt of a career in the police. But no matter how hard she stretched her neck, she just couldn't find the extra half inch in height she needed to sign up.

"You had to be 5'4" to join the police force – I was five-foot three-and-a-half," Rogers tells TTG. "No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t the right height. I was 16, and my police career had ended before it began."

The Kerry-born agent set her sights on nursing instead, but needed to keep herself afloat until she could join medical school at 18. "I applied for loads of jobs including a junior position at [West Midlands agency] Selstar Travel," she explains. "I’d never even set foot in a travel agency. But I got the job, and I’ve been working in travel ever since."

Rogers worked in Selstar's Bilston branch for eight years before joining another West Midlands agency, World Wallett Travel in Darlaston, where she steadily climbed the ranks.

"When I started at World Wallett Travel, they’d only had an Abta licence for two months," says Rogers. "By the time I left, 18 years later, I had opened five shops for them – including shops in Fedley, Audrey and Blacksford."

(Credit: Maggie Rogers)

Co-founders Jan and Bob Wallett sold the agency to West Midlands Co-op in 2000, which encouraged Rogers to strike out on her own. "I tried to stay, but it didn’t really suit me," Rogers says. "So I decided to start my own business."

She co-founded The Travel Wallet in 2002 with Robert Grinsell, who owned the Boroughbridge-based agency Roy Cox Travel before it was sold to Spears Travel in 2014.

"I actually started The Travel Wallet in an office above Roy Cox Travel," Rogers explains. “It was just me, a desk and a telephone. I had no database, no clients – nothing."

'The pandemic aged me 20 years' 

Rogers opened her own store in Bridgnorth in February 2002, just a few miles from where it all began working above Roy Cox Travel. She tells TTG that, as a "natural networker", starting from scratch was less daunting than expected.

"I give out business cards all the time,” Rogers says. "I’ll go out with my family sometimes and strike up a conversation with someone on the street, and my family will say, ‘oh, I can feel a business card coming’."

Nearly 25 years later, and The Travel Wallet is thriving at its original Shropshire site. The business has weathered both the global financial crisis and the pandemic, with the latter a "particularly difficult" period according to Rogers.

"Luckily, I was able to furlough most of the team and avoid losing our clients' money – but we had to battle our way through," she explains. "It aged me by about 20 years, to be honest, but it pushed more people back to travel agents in the end. So there was a silver lining."

(Credit: Maggie Rogers)

The team consists of sales director Vicki Pelucci, consultant Natalie Phillips, office manager Tori Downes and Dawn Hodson, who previously worked with Rogers at World Wallett Travel.

"I hadn’t seen Dawn for more than 20 years at that point," Rogers explains. "She called asking after a vacancy we had advertised. As soon as I realised it was 'my Dawn' on the phone, I gave her the job on the spot."

Each team member has a specialism, including cruise, the Caribbean, Indonesia and the Middle East, meaning clients are matched by appointment with their "best possible fit". Rogers is a Destination Canada specialist, which is an accolade awarded to only 20 agents nationally by the Canadian tourist board.

"I'm really proud of that," Rogers says. "We sell a lot of Canada as a result, but tailor-made packages to Australia, Africa and New Zealand are also really popular."

'If you don't use us, you lose us'

For the most part, the Travel Wallet serves the over-40s market, although Rogers has noticed a "surprising" number of younger clients in recent years, including an uptick in honeymooners. Repeat customers – and referrals – make up the majority of bookings.

"Everybody in town knows me, and I know everybody in town," Rogers says. "We've got a good reputation for our travel knowledge and our level of customer service."

The business's longevity, Rogers tells TTG, also owes to her ethos of "shopping locally". "I know from my own business that, if you don't use us, you lose us," she explains. "So I support other independent businesses, and I also let them know that they can book their holidays with me!"

(Credit: Maggie Rogers)

The Travel Wallet will be celebrating its 25th anniversary next February, although Rogers appreciates every little milestone "just as much". "Every year's a big year, especially in the current climate," she says. "We'll always celebrate our anniversary in the office with some champagne, balloons and cake."

She has a similarly modest sentiment towards expansion. "No, no, I wouldn’t open another shop," she insists. "I’d rather just have one really, really good one."

Reflecting on her travel career, Rogers firmly believes she couldn't – and wouldn't – pursue anything else. "I still get a buzz from booking a holiday, and knowing I've gotten a client exactly what they want," she says. "I also get to travel a lot – I went to Canada, Australia and Malaysia last year, and have Uzbekistan booked for this year.

"It hasn’t always been the best paid job, but it’s been a great adventure."