Agent turns to armchair travel

Having finished her training with Not Just Travel in February, the same month the coronavirus crisis took hold, Gill Matthews tells Jessica Pook how she's using this time to build her contact base and ensure she's fully prepared once the travel ban is lifted.

"I finished my training with Not Just

Travel on February 28 and less than two weeks later the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic and the travel industry came to a stand-still. To say the timing wasn't great would be an understatement – but that hasn't stopped me from being productive in my new role.

Armchair travel only

"I decided early that there’s no point putting holiday offers on social media as we just don’t know when things will get back to normal, so I'm putting my efforts into marketing my business by creating 'armchair travel' posts instead.

"I've started by posting about places I know well and my most recent post included a virtual tour of Las Vegas featuring where to stay, where to eat and top attractions to see."

The response has been really positive. I’ve had people tell me I've inspired them to go to Las Vegas and to get in touch once the crisis is over. I’m hoping that my content will help build my contact base and put me at the forefront of people's minds when the time is right. I’m also thoroughly enjoying writing them and it takes me back to all the amazing experiences I’ve had – it's like a form of escapism to me.

"I think that writing original content from my own experiences offers that personal touch and it also builds that expert image that will help me generate future bookings.

It's strange to think that a matter of weeks ago money was the main barrier for people booking Vegas, but now all the money in the world wouldn’t get you there!

Getting started

"Before becoming one myself, I didn't realise home-based travel agents existed. I've always loved travel and enjoy nothing more than planning holidays so I decided that this would be the perfect job for me. I chose Not Just Travel (NJT) because I knew they could give me the support and training I needed.

"I completed my training at the end of February and met some great friends through the course who are now an essential support network for me.

"Every day the management team release a webinar for franchisees, to keep everyone up to date on what’s going on in the travel industry and to keep everyone connected. It’s all very accessible and I’m really impressed with how NJT have dealt with the COVID-19 situation, despite so much uncertainty."

We can access information through

NTJ's Hub alongside destination marketing materials and training.

"Even though I've not had much experience as a travel agent, I've learnt a lot from other established NJT franchisees who are having a really tough time at the moment, dealing with lots of unhappy customers wanting to cancel or reschedule holidays. On the bright side, we're expecting another peak booking period once the lock-down ends – so at least I’ll be very prepared when the time comes to make lots of bookings.

Pushing forward

"While it hasn't started quite the way I thought it would, I'm still feeling positive that becoming a travel agent was the right decision and every day we get one day closer to being able to do what we love again. I’m so looking forward to making people’s dreams come true and booking those holidays that people have been waiting and saving for.

"I think the main thing is to keep engaging with people and be seen to be accessible so that when we get over this we've made connections with potential customers.

"People will be desperate to get away as soon as they can and are more likely than ever to book through a travel agent that they know they can trust, rather than the internet.

"In the meantime, I'm going to continue to generate my armchair travel posts, getting inspiration from old holiday photos and transporting myself and others to my favourite beach in Corfu or a countryside retreat in the Cotswolds. But mostly I can't wait until the travel industry comes out of the other end of this, fighting fit, and I can get stuck into my dream job!" gillmatthews.notjusttravel.com