Pens, paper and the humble telephone were the travel agent's tools of the trade when Steven Woodley started his career in high street travel nearly 50 years ago.
Woodley, who has just retired after 48 years with Premier Travel, the majority of which were spent as manager of the agency's Haverhill branch in Suffolk, reflects fondly on his early days in travel in the late 1970s, which frequently involved hand-writing tickets for clients.
“There were no computers – it was just the telephone and hand-written tickets,” he tells TTG. “Sometimes, I had to take them home to write the tickets and receipts. It’s so different now with the internet and e-tickets – people don’t know they’re born these days,” he jokes.
Woodley started his travel career at Premier Travel’s Thetford branch before moving briefly to Saffron Walden and then settling in at the Haverhill branch in September 1981 where he spent the rest of his career, including 42 years as the shop’s manager. “I was in the same shop for 44 years,” he says. “In the early days, it was a lot of bucket-and-spade holidays, and quite a bit of business travel.
“One of the biggest changes is that there were no discounts when I started – Abta rules said you couldn’t discount. People would come in with the brochure and the price was the price, it was fixed. That made life easier for agents and you could sell on service – it was fair competition.”
Woodley highlights the ability to more easily research holidays as another major development during his 48-year tenure with Premier Travel. “Information is so much easier to find now – you used to have to look up flight times in the massive ABC guide,” he recalls.
“It was very complicated, but it also allowed you to get more creative. I remember trying to work out the continental rail timetables, so there was a lot of research. Now people can do that themselves online."
Service standards
But one thing that remained consistent throughout his career has been Woodley’s focus on providing the best service and finding the right holiday for his customers. “Meeting the customers has always been the best part of the job,” he says.
“I’ve always prided myself on making sure people get the best deal and the holiday that suits them. I live in the town so there’s nowhere to hide if I run into customers in Sainsbury’s. When I talk with them and they tell me about what a good holiday they’ve had, it brings a smile to your face.”
Steven Woodley celebrated his retirement in-store with clients and colleagues (Credit: Premier Travel)
Woodley is optimistic about the future for high street travel agencies. “Things are coming full circle – Premier Travel is expanding,” he remarks. “When the internet came along, you had less travel agents, but that’s changing now. People do value the service, especially older people, and there’s a big market.”
He is also full of praise for Premier Travel's longevity, which has seen it come through a series of major external events that have shaken the industry over the past few decades. “We’ve been through some tough times – the Gulf wars, 9/11 and, of course, Covid,” he continues.
“Premier Travel has been strong and well-run enough to come through the other end. There is only one agency in Haverhill now when there used to be three. We’ve done a good job over the years.”
An 'extraordinary career'
Paul Waters, Premier Travel’s managing director, speaks warmly of Woodley’s long service with the company. “Steven’s 48-year career with Premier Travel is truly remarkable, and it’s been a privilege to work alongside him for more than 20 of those years,” Waters adds.
“His dedication to both our customers and colleagues perfectly reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional personal service and unparalleled expertise at every stage of the customer journey. He will be greatly missed, but we are thrilled he can now enjoy a well-earned retirement after such an extraordinary career.”
