Can you tell us a little about yourself and how long you’ve been in the industry?
I’ve been in the travel industry for eight years. After I graduated university I took a corporate job and very quickly moved to travel – I wanted to do something I was passionate about. It’s been an amazing eight years, I’ve been to over 70 countries and had some incredible opportunities. I live in Halifax with my husband and our two cats.
What do you specialize in and why are you passionate about that?
I specialize in adventure travel! I’m so passionate about it as a tool for personal transformation. When you do something outside of your comfort zone, you learn so much about both yourself and the world around you. Experiential travel is the best way for all of us to see that cultures other than our own are valuable, unique, and special!
Are you noticing any interesting trends from the bookings you have or from what suppliers are promoting?
I am still seeing a lot of clients book their big bucket list trips post-covid, so places like Galapagos, safari, Egypt – but with an exciting adventure component. I have also seen a big uptick in New Zealand enquiry! I did a FAM trip with G Adventures + Air New Zealand in November on a North Island multi-sport trip, and a lot of my clients are pulling the trigger to visit New Zealand as well. I also think that a lot of my clients are focusing on Canadian suppliers like G Adventures – it’s great to know that you’re supporting both a Canadian company and locals in your destination.
Are you incorporating AI into your workflow? What are the benefits? At the same time, how will AI never replace the work you do?
I very occasionally use it to re-organize a quote or complicated email after I’ve already done all the research. It is a great tool for some things, but the travel industry is changing constantly, and our clients come to us for personal expertise and specialized research. I don’t think it will ever be able to replace that – as well as the human touch.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for travel advisors right now?
Focus on what you know!! I sell a lot of all-inclusives because it’s part of the business, but it’s not my specialty. I am able to provide so much more insight and personalized information for exotic destinations that I’ve personally visited, and it makes my services more valuable. If you can find your niche and really push into that, you can be exceptionally successful.
How is the role of the travel advisor evolving?
I think with the constant shifts in the world with airport closures, airline issues, and border difficulties, people who are happy to book their own travel are seeing that they can still really benefit from our help. Once someone gets stranded or has a problem and you’re able to resolve it, they become your biggest ambassador to people in their lives.
Tell us a little bit about a booking that stands out – whether it’s the most expensive, the longest, the most adventurous, etc.
Ooh, this is a fun question. So many come to mind, but particularly I booked a honeymoon for a documentary filmmaker to Spain, Morocco and Portugal. They had a very large budget, so it was really fun to customize everything for them. What made it special was their attitudes – they had money and time, but wanted to focus on locally owned boutique hotels, experiential activities like cooking classes and culturally immersive tours.
What are your thoughts on FAM trips? Are they valuable? Why? Do they help you sell more? How can they be improved?
Absolutely! I think it’s so much easier to sell something effectively when you’ve experienced it. You can read an online training really thoroughly and know all the details, but there are also little exceptional things that you learn in person.
What’s the biggest challenge you are facing in the travel industry right now? What do you think can be done to overcome it?
People are anxious about the state of the world. People want to know what will happen if something changes – so I think suppliers with great flexibility policies like Lifetime Deposits at G Adventures, or those who supported us during Covid, are the suppliers we should be focusing on.
Nominator:
“I can’t say enough great things about Bethany. She is extremely knowledgeable, personable, and is a working machine. She knows what matters to her and how to put the right travellers on the right products for them. Not only that, but her response rate is incredible! She spreads joy everywhere she goes, and is extremely kind and helpful along the way. She deserves ALL the awards.”
