Whenever New Year comes around, it’s always tempting to aspire to some kind of fresh start – New Year, new you, as the saying goes. Perhaps a few lifestyle tweaks might be on the cards, or it’s time to try a new look, explore more of the world and seize more opportunities.
There’s a big difference, however, between intending to make a change and actually following it through; change can be daunting. Leaving behind a successful job in accountancy, for example, to pursue a passion for travel, is not a straightforward choice, but it’s one Guernsey resident Fiona Sarre has made, and she can’t wait to experience 2020 in her new role as a travel counsellor.
Leaving behind 23 years in accountancy, the mum of two has swapped balance sheets for booking holidays. A keen cruiser, who has travelled extensively around Australasia and South East Asia, Fiona is finally turning her lifelong obsession with travel into a profession.
But walking away from her well-paid career, for which it took six years to qualify, wasn’t an easy decision to make. In fact, she admits, it was terrifying.
‘I entered the profession straight from school, so it’s all I’ve known, and it took a lot of hard work to qualify, but those qualifications are going to be with me forever. Accountancy has never be my passion, whereas I have an unhealthy obsession with travel,’ said the 40-year-old, who began training with independent company Travel Counsellors in September 2019.
‘I first heard about Travel Counsellors through my mum, about five years ago, and I started thinking about it as something that I could do, and something I thought I’d be good at and enjoy. The time never seemed right but I talked to my husband about it in April, and he was right when he said that there was never going to be a right time. If I didn’t do it now, I’d regret it.’
Travel Counsellors is a franchise-based travel agents specialising in bespoke holidays and business travel. Fiona signed on for a 32-week training program, which included an intense two-week course in Manchester.
For someone who doesn’t have a background in travel, the training and support has been invaluable. Another huge benefit of being a Travel Counsellor franchise partner is the access it provides to thousands of holiday suppliers and operators all over the globe, and their best prices.
‘I’m a holiday geek. I spend quite a few evenings every week with a spreadsheet, tracking holiday prices, researching destinations – and this was before I became a travel counsellor. Now I get to do this for a job and having done the training, there is so much more to it than I thought. I’ve learnt so much about geography, travel trends, how to source the best deals from operators, and how to create a service for clients that’s unique to them.’
Booking a holiday can be stressful, especially if you’re doing all of the groundwork yourself – price comparisons, piecing together itineraries, researching accommodation, and the rest. Fiona’s job is to do the hard work for you.
By getting to know clients, finding out what kind of holidays they enjoy, or what kind of new experiences they might be looking for, she can create personalised holiday itineraries and do all the booking and research on your behalf.
‘A lot of people ask me if I get jealous booking holidays for other people, but I don’t feel that way at all,’ said Fiona.
‘I get genuinely excited for clients, knowing that I’ve put together a holiday that they’re really going to enjoy.’
If you’d like Fiona to help book your next travel experience, email [email protected]
