Ethel Davey
Where were you born? In Denmark. I came to Canada by ship when I was a child.
What was your 1st job? When I was 15, I was an assistant cook at a lodge on Rice Lake.
How long have you been in the business? Since 1999.
Tell me about your 1st airplane ride. Going to my brother’s wedding in Denmark, in 1972, on Air Canada.
How has the business changed since you got into it? Oh, dramatically! The commissions have gone down – or disappeared. And the number of outside agents who don’t really contribute a whole lot, but are in it for the agents rates. I think they dilute the business a whole lot.
Do you have a specialty? Northern and Western Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean.
If you could have any job in the business what would it be? What I’m doing now, maybe with a little travel writing on the side. I like being as busy or not busy as I choose to be.
What was your best FAM? India with TourEast – totally amazing. It was 9 years ago, but I think of it daily. I really want to go back, India puts your senses into overdrive!
What drives you crazy? Discounters – people who think they are not worth the small commission the tour operators pay. We’re worth more than that.
What was your biggest individual sale? $25,000 for a couple on a Tauck river cruise and extension in Paris – a trip I would have like to have taken with them!
What’s the 1st thing you do when you get into a hotel room? Check the bathroom – it’s always the litmus test for cleanliness.
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? It depends on how the conversation flows.
What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked? (hearty laugh). I just came back from Acapulco and a client asked if the Pacific was clean. What do you say to people like that?
How do you cope with jetlag? I don’t suffer from jetlag. I set my watch to the destination time and in my head govern myself accordingly. A Gravol sometimes helps.
What do you do to keep you clients loyal? Just keeping in touch, even if they aren’t travelling or have no plans to travel. Call or email now and then with updates. Sometimes they bite, sometimes they don’t.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received? “Be true to yourself.”
If you had to spend 6 months in a destination, which one would you pick? I’d go to Northern Italy and Southern France.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? Hm. I often think when I retire I’d like to teach food bank clients how to cook nutritious, inexpensive meals.
If you or someone you know is a front line travel agent in Canada and would like to be featured in Up Front, please email martha@gk.openjaw.xyz.
