Secrets to Having it All: How TravelManagers Helps You Enjoy Time Away from Your Business Without Skipping a Beat
If you’ve been contemplating a move towards creating your own travel business, but you’re worried that you won’t be able to indulge your own love of travel because you’re tied to your desk 24/7/365, we’d like to let you in on a little secret: at TravelManagers, you really can have it all.
We asked two of our long-serving personal travel managers (PTMs) to explain how working with a locum allows them to keep things ticking along nicely when they spend time away from their businesses.
Maria Piliouras is based in Townsville, QLD: she has been a travel advisor for 28 years, and with TravelManagers for 15 years.
I’ve been using a locum from the time I joined TravelManagers. I teamed up with another PTM in the Sunshine Coast and we provide locum coverage for each other. She is highly experienced, has the same work ethic as me, she is available to provide 24-hour emergency assistance, and my clients appreciate her. It’s a fantastic arrangement that works really well for both of us – we just have to ensure that we’re not planning to take time off at the same time!
TravelManagers makes it easy to find a potential locum – you can post an expression of interest on our closed PTM Facebook page or ask your Business Partnership Manager for a recommendation, then conduct a virtual or face-to-face interview to figure out if they are a good match for your business.
I feel confident knowing that any time I need to take a break from my business, whether it’s to go travelling or for any personal commitments, I have absolute peace of mind that my locum will look after my business and my clients with the same amount of care as I do.
Ally Casey is based in Long Jetty, NSW: she has been a travel advisor for almost 21 years, and has used locums in her business ever since she joined TravelManagers in 2010.
I like having full control over my business, but I also know that taking a break from time to time is essential to my wellbeing – avoiding burnout is more important than ever when you’re a team of one. I always try to tie up as many loose ends as possible before I go away, but my clients like knowing there is someone they can contact in my absence.
I actually made myself available as a locum when I joined TravelManagers, and did quite a lot of locum work for other PTMs during my first few years. It was a fantastic way to learn the new systems and to connect with other PTMs in the network. It kept me busy and focussed, and it allowed me to earn some extra income while I was still building my own business. These days, I am too busy with my own business to work as a locum, although I would always be happy to help another PTM if they were in desperate need of short-term assistance.
For me, the secret to working well with a locum lies in finding someone who understands my business and is experienced in taking care of other people’s clients. Excellent communication skills are essential for keeping me in the loop with what’s been happening in my absence.
Over the years, I have used a locum to take annual leave, when I have been hospitalised, and even when I was giving birth. I’ve worked with some amazing PTMs and I think it’s a vital part of our business model to have this service available.
TravelManagers makes it possible for you to have it all: working your own way and running your own business, with the most comprehensive support of any mobile travel network in Australia. To find out more, call (02) 8062 6400 for a confidential chat with one of our state-based Business Partnership Managers.
