Ellen has the mother of all travel challenges
IN the final stages of pregnancy, when she was supposed to be taking it easy, travel agent Ellen Warren strove to ensure her customers got home safely as flights were cancelled and borders closed.
Her maternity leave started on March 1 but Ms Warren was still hands-on until March 16 as the coronavirus played havoc with the tourism industry. She took a breather when her daughter Theodora (Teddy) was born on March 24, and while she’s not due back until September 1, her business isn’t closed for bookings.
As an Irish agent of Travel Counsellors, Ms Warren’s challenge is to ensure holidaymakers get all they sign up for, whether that’s a weekend away in Krakow or a Caribbean cruise.
From honeymooners to unique holiday seekers and to those getting married, Ellen Warren provides advice for trips tailor-made to suit her clients.
Netherlands-born Ms Warren is based in Swords, Dublin. Travel was always her passion and decided to make it her business when she joined Travel Counsellors, initially in the Netherlands.
One of the drags of travel restrictions is that her parents are unable to see their new granddaughter, but hopefully that will change as borders begin to reopen. While she can see green shoots of recovery, she fears there is ‘a lot of uncertainty ahead’.
‘Travel was one of the first areas hit and it will be one of the last to get back to where it was. Ten per cent of all jobs have a connection to tourism. Greece wants to let tourists in from June 15, others’ borders are opening on July 1, such as Spain and Portugal. We’re guided by Government rules. Restrictions could be in place next year.’
While there will be casualties in the spheres of business travel and tourism, she says ‘tourism is flexible and resilient’. ‘We’ve coped with volcanoes, ash clouds, terrorist attacks.
‘We have dealt with extreme situations before,’ adds Ms Warren, who is delighted to be part of the DMG’s Shop Ireland initiative, which is giving away more than €1million in free advertising and has highlighted the fighting spirit of companies in the face of the pandemic.