How long have you been in the business? Since 1985.
What was your first job? I was an Entitlement Determination Officer with Employment Canada – I was the pogey lady! The pay was excellent but I stopped working to have a family.
Tell me about your first airplane ride. When I was 6, we went to Venezuela, because my Mum wanted us to meet our grandparents. My sister threw up all the way from New York to Caracas.
How has the business changed since you got into it? Oh! When I got my first fax I thought I’d died and gone to heaven, not having to wait for the mail. Technology has made our job - the research part of it - much easier, but the revenue has declined. We work harder for less money.
Do you have a specialty? The Caribbean - especially destination weddings.
If you could have any job in the business what would it be? I’d love to be a product buyer for one of the tour operators. I think that would be an exciting job.
What was your best FAM? My first, to the Canary Islands with Robbie Goldberg of Conquest Vacations. It was my first real introduction to what I thought was Europe.
What drives you crazy? (Laughs.) Nothing. People who have been in this business for longer than 15 years do it because it’s in their blood.
How do you keep up on industry affairs? Constant reading, and I travel a lot – usually nine times a year - always to the Caribbean on a cruise so I can spend days doing hotel inspections.
What was your biggest individual sale? An epic voyage on Holland America which was a 42 day Asian voyage for a couple – total about $32,000.
How do you cope with jet lag? I get a lot of rest before and after, but no medication. I also change my watch to the new local time as soon as I get on the plane.
What do you do to keep your clients loyal? I’m a detail person and their trip doesn’t end when I make the sale. I contact them when they come back and learn from their experiences.
If you had to spend six months in a destination, which one would you pick? Probably Italy, because I have travelled there so many times but don’t think I’ve begun to see it all.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? I once had a gift shop in the Cayman Islands, so I’d probably be in retail – a different kind of retail!
