Monday, 15 October 2018
Many Travel Counsellors have enjoyed long careers in other sectors before returning to the travel industry. Whether they’ve taken time out to raise a family, ran businesses in other industries or pursued roles with companies outside the travel space, many still hold a flame for the dynamic, people-centric world of travel.
New recruit Lisa O’Brien is just one member of the Travel Counsellors family who enjoyed a long career outside of travel before making a return to the sector that she originally pursued decades before.
Based in the Hills District of North West Sydney, Lisa only joined Travel Counsellors months ago but has hit the ground running.
Born to travel
Having travelled extensively with her parents from a young age, travel was always in Lisa’s blood. Completing a Diploma in Travel and Tourism after leaving school, Lisa went on to work in travel and various other industries including running an indoor trampolining business with more than 80 employees. After experiencing major setbacks with that business, Lisa made the hard decision to wind the business up and move forward with a new career.
With a return to travel on the cards, Lisa weighed up her options and turned to her family for advice. “With years of travel behind me and the most supportive family around me, I decided to take the plunge,” says Lisa.
Taking the plunge
Drawn to the freedom and flexibility that comes with running her own business and setting her own schedule to suit her needs and lifestyle, Lisa was impressed with the systems and support offered by Travel Counsellors.
“The thought of heading back to the 9 - 5 grind and working for someone else was disheartening and quite scary. So I searched for options and came across Travel Counsellors. Within 48 hours I had spoken to the wonderful recruitment team and decided that Travel Counsellors was the perfect match for me.”
Reaping the benefits
Since becoming a Travel Counsellor Lisa has experienced many special moments. The training that was initially provided highlighted the great support team that is always on hand to provide assistance and advice.
Lisa was also a member of the winning Global Challenge team where she got to connect with Travel Counsellors from all over the globe. The challenge helped Lisa learn new ways to enhance her business and provide benefits to her customers.
Like many other Travel Counsellors, the annual conference proved to be a major highlight for Lisa.
“The conference in Cairns was amazing. I was able to meet so many other Travel Counsellors from all over Australia. I left the conference motivated to reach my goals,” says Lisa.
The best decision
Closing one business and then starting another in an entirely different sector is a huge change, but Lisa contends that it was the right choice for her.
“Becoming a Travel Counsellor has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I look forward to achieving my goals and continuing to flourish,” says Lisa.
Unsurprisingly, Lisa believes that the Travel Counsellors model is a great option for parents who are returning to travel after taking time out to raise a family or travel agents who might have stepped away from travel to pursue other careers and want to return to their first love.
“With the travel industry constantly evolving, I recommend Travel Counsellors as a great career choice. If you have good personal skills and drive, Travel Counsellors offers a great lifestyle and career with so many benefits,” says Lisa.
If you're looking to start your own home-based travel business, get in touch with a member of our Careers Team to find out more. Contact us by email to [email protected] or by phone on 1300 889 123 to have a chat about your options. Or, take a look at our Opportunities page.
