“There’s a cruise out there for everyone”
WENDY ATKIN-SMITH, 50, IS THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF VIKING CRUISES UK (VIKINGRIVERCRUISES.CO.UK). WENDY LIVES NEAR EPSOM IN SURREY WITH HER HUSBAND, NICK, A BUILDING SURVEYOR.
CRUISING TODAY IS MORE POPULAR THAN
EVER. PEOPLE WHO BOOK A CRUISE WANT TO MEET LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE, EXPLORE NEW DESTINATIONS AND CONTINUE LEARNING. ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR CRUISES IS ON THE DOURO RIVER IN PORTUGAL – IT’S A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY. RUSSIA IS ALSO POPULAR – OUR CRUISE GOES FROM MOSCOW TO ST PETERSBURG. THERE IS A CRUISE OUT THERE FOR EVERYONE.
OUR CUSTOMERS ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXPERIENCE, AN ADVENTURE THAT THEY CAN REMEMBER FOREVER. SO NOT JUST KEY SIGHTS AND TOURIST SPOTS BUT ALSO EXPERIENCES SUCH AS TRUFFLE HUNTING IN BORDEAUX, HAVING TEA WITH A RUSSIAN BABUSHKA OR TAKING A KING CRAB SAFARI IN NORWAY.
RIVER CRUISING IS NOW BIG BUSINESS. REWIND FIVE YEARS, AND THE MARKET WAS MUCH SMALLER – PEOPLE JUST WEREN’T AS AWARE OF WHAT IT INVOLVED OR THAT IT WAS EVEN AN OPTION. WE AT VIKING HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS REVOLUTION WITH OUR STATE-OF-THE-ART LONGSHIPS THAT INCLUDE VERANDAS AND THE LARGEST SUITES ON
THE RIVERS OF EUROPE.
CRUISES ARE ALSO AN EXCELLENT WAY TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS. WE KNOW OF MANY CUSTOMERS THAT STILL TRAVEL WITH PEOPLE THEY MET ON A CRUISE MANY YEARS AGO. IN FACT, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS THAT I HAVE TRAVELLED WITH, WHO
HAVE SINCE BECOME MY
FRIENDS OVER THE YEARS.
AS A CHILD, I WAS OBSESSED WITH TRAVEL BROCHURES – I STILL AM! I HAD A GREAT DESIRE TO SEE THE WORLD AND THOUGHT WORKING IN THIS INDUSTRY COULD HELP ME. I’VE SPENT 10 YEARS AT VIKING AND HAVE DONE VIRTUALLY ALL OUR RIVER CRUISES AND AM WORKING MY WAY THROUGH OUR OCEAN CRUISES.
I WENT ABROAD
FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN I WAS 16. I GREW UP IN LINCOLNSHIRE AND CHILDHOOD HOLIDAYS WERE SPENT IN SKEGNESS. AT 16, A FRIEND AND I BOOKED A HOLIDAY TO LLORET DE MAR IN SPAIN. IT WAS A COACH TRIP – WHICH WAS ALL WE COULD AFFORD – BUT WE WERE DETERMINED TO GO ABROAD. WE LOVED IT AND THOUGHT WE HAD BEEN MASSIVELY INTREPID.
I WOULD TELL MY YOUNGER SELF NOT TO WORRY ABOUT NOT HAVING GONE TO UNIVERSITY.
I LEFT SCHOOL AT 16 AND IT HAS NEVER HELD ME BACK. I HOPE THIS CAN INSPIRE PEOPLE AROUND ME – THAT YOU CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE AND STILL ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS.
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES IS SOUTHERN INDIA – I LOVE THE COLOURS AND THE PEOPLE, AND THE FOOD THERE IS THE BEST I’VE EVER HAD. I’M DESPERATE TO DISCOVER NORTHERN INDIA, AS WELL AS JAPAN, PLACES WHERE THE CULTURE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TO OURS.
SINCE I TRAVEL SO MUCH – ONE WEEK OUT OF EVERY FOUR – IT IS NICE TO HAVE WEEKEND BREAKS WITH MY HUSBAND IN THE UK. WE’VE JUST RETURNED FROM NORTH NORFOLK WITH OUR TWO SPRINGER SPANIELS.
I’M HOPELESS AT RELAXING. I LOVE MY JOB
TOO MUCH. BUT I DO LOVE WALKING MY
DOGS, AND HAVING TWO CREATURES THAT ARE DEPENDENT ON ME GIVES ME A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS OUTSIDE OF WORK. I’M NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO TAKES THEIR PHONE TO BED, BUT
I DO CHECK MY EMAILS CONSTANTLY, NOT BECAUSE I HAVE TO BUT BECAUSE I want TO! W&H