✨✈️Life begins at the end of your comfort zone✈️✨

My journey in the travel industry began just over a year ago when I joined a local travel agency as a Travel Consultant. Below is a photo from my very first day. 💗

Before working in travel, I spent several years in a local clothing shop earning minimum wage. When I first started at 16, I was making just £4.05 an hour! Still, I made some incredible friends there who I’ll always be grateful for, and I loved having a weekend job to go to after school. It gave me a sense of responsibility, which felt really good. 🛒🛍️

As time went on and I completed my GCSEs, I missed one of the grades I needed to get into my local sixth form, and I was really disappointed. At the time, I was training every day for an upcoming national boxing championship, so revision naturally took a back seat. 🏋️‍♀️🥊

From day one, I always dreamed of becoming a social worker, and I worked hard to get the grades I needed for university. Although I didn’t get the exact results I was hoping for, I still achieved some strong grades and went on to study Level 3 Health and Social Care at my local college. I spent two years on the course and absolutely loved it. I did have to re-sit one of my exams the following year after just missing the mark again. I’ve realised I’m one of those people who might not get things right the first time, but I never give up — and I always get there in the end. 💪

After completing my college course, I immediately started looking into nearby universities — I was so excited and had narrowed it down to two that were close to home. I never wanted to move far away; it just didn’t appeal to me at all. I was offered a place at my first-choice university, but after attending the induction day, I realised it just wasn’t the right fit. In the end, I chose not to accept the offer and decided to work full-time at the clothing shop, where I had previously only worked on weekends. 📚🎒

After about three years of working and searching for new opportunities, I got in touch with my good friend Rebecca, who mentioned that the travel agency she worked for was hiring. I applied straight away. I’m such a spontaneous person — at the time, I had also applied for jobs as a nightclub bouncer, a carer, and a support worker! 💕

Looking back, this was definitely a period where I wasn’t entirely sure what path I wanted to take. I knew I couldn’t become a social worker without going to university, so I decided to just go with the flow and see what life brought my way. Then I received some amazing news: I’d been accepted into the travel academy role — essentially training as an unqualified Travel Consultant. 🤓✍️

From November 2019 to March 2020, I took part in multiple training days, and even spent a week in Sheringham learning everything I needed for the job. I loved being away from home and soaking up new experiences. It felt strange, as I’d never travelled anywhere on my own before — even if it wasn’t far, I still felt nervous. Parts of the week were lonely, but being right by the beach made it easier. Every morning before heading to the shop where I trained, I’d walk along the pier and take photos of the waves. 🚆🌊

From the 16th of March 2020 — my birthday, of all days — things changed quickly. As coronavirus began spreading through the UK, the travel academy team was told we would be placed on furlough. Later that same day, I was told I had lost my job. I was heartbroken. I had worked so hard over the four months of training, but I also knew many others in similar situations, and some never returned to their roles.

By the end of March, the government announced a national lockdown, and only essential shops were allowed to stay open. Our shop closed, and we were instructed to remain at home.😔

We were then assessed on our skills and sales from the time we had spent in the shop before coronavirus, and given the chance to apply for the qualified Travel Consultant role.

By this point, I had been at home for four months, though I was fortunate to receive 80% of my wages during that time. I decided to go for it — the travel academy role had been made redundant, so staying where I was wasn’t an option. I kept asking myself: what’s the worst that could happen? Had all the training I worked so hard for been enough? 🤷‍♀️

I figured it was now or never. With nothing to lose, I did my telephone interview, and a few days later I got the call saying I’d successfully qualified as a Travel Consultant. I was told I could return to the shop on August 1st, 2020. 🙌🎉

When I started back, I quickly got into the swing of things and felt so grateful to have kept my job. It was tough, though, because one of my colleagues never got hers back. Here’s a photo from when we had the chance to do some training with the lovely Emirates airline. 😢🇦🇪

I never imagined I would actually qualify, but over time I grew more confident in my skills. I started booking holidays and even learned how to sell foreign currency. Everything was going really well, and we were getting lots of bookings for the following year — this year had been a write-off with travel restrictions and local lockdowns. 🤗

Then, on 31st October 2020, we were told that the country would be entering a second lockdown and that we’d need to work from home — something I wasn’t exactly thrilled about. Our last day in the shop coincided with Halloween, and we had fun dressing up while helping customers for the final in-store day. 💀🎃

From the first week of November, we began working from home. Honestly, I was worrying for no reason — I picked it up so quickly! And that brings my story to today. I’m still working from home, hoping to be back in the shop by December 2nd, but since no one really knows what the future holds, I’m just riding the waves as they come. I work 15 hours a week from home, which is wonderful because I can still help make people’s holiday dreams come true — all from my own living room! 📱🛋️

I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have my job and still be able to work. Many of my colleagues and friends have lost theirs due to coronavirus, which has been heartbreaking. ❌😓

There’s a quote I’ve always loved, one I first heard when I was about six years old in a Mario and Luigi video: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

If someone asked me for advice, I’d say: just keep going. Things worth having are never easy to get. I’ve learned that through living my own life — we just have to keep moving forward because the sun will shine again! 🌈🌞

✨✨Thank you so much for reading my blog. I can’t wait to share my next adventure with you all!✨✨

Lots of love,

Chloe x