What I Do
I provide specialist travel companies with solutions to bridging gaps that arise – be they skills, experience, staffing, shortage-of-time or planning gaps – enabling the business to focus on growth and continued development.
A growing business will have lots of ideas and plans formulated but not necessarily have the manpower, skills or the knowledge required in-house to be able to implement them. With my travel industry skills and experience, I can fix that.
Services and How I Work
Staffing solutions
Sometimes an extra pair of hands is just what’s needed in a specialist company:
- to develop a business idea which isn’t necessarily crucial to the day-to-day tour operation but which could make an easy difference to the bottom line;
- to cover a staffing shortfall at a particularly busy time of year;
- to fulfil a job function on a regular basis – a few hours a month loading a database or sending press info;
- See ‘What Else’ for more.
I am flexible – I know how much an experienced extra pair of hands can make a difference to a business.
Industry skills
I can offer a solution to any travel industry skills shortages by providing in-house training, for example:
- negotiating and contracting skills so that any future contracts made with suppliers can include standard industry terms;
- tour operation planning so that, for example, enough hotel beds are contracted to fulfil growth plans;
- See ‘What Else’ for more
Bringing specific travel industry skills in-house will improve efficiency, streamline processes and can result in increased profits.
Interim management
Having been responsible for managing an independent specialist adventure travel company, I understand how crucial it is that everything continues to run efficiently and smoothly in the owner’s absence, particularly if the team all reports to the owner. The owner ideally wants to be able to rest easy that the core business is functioning well during any absence. My previous tour operating experience means I can provide interim general management and a solution to this situation.
What Else?
There are a vast number of ways I can contribute to your company’s growth. Do get in touch with your query. Some other examples include:
- Providing interim assistance on product planning and development;
- Taking responsibility for a side project with a specific deadline which existing staff can’t fit in to their workload (ie an office move due to growth);
- Training in trip operational skills so that, for example, any logistics pressures are pre-empted well in advance.
How We Work
I am driven by results and committed to improvements and am excited by the prospect of helping the growth and development of specialist travel companies. I understand that although growth generally brings with it success, it can also present challenges to overcome. I will work with you to find a quick and straightforward solution to the problem in the most cost-effective way so that the business continues developing successfully. I am plain speaking, hands-on and highly action-oriented with a strong focus on delivery. Get in touch with your query and I will be delighted to help.
Fees
I understand how important it is to keep costs under control so we charge fairly according to the work involved. Fees can be charged on a daily rate basis or a project basis. All fees are agreed in writing before any work is undertaken and I guarantee no unanticipated bills. I can fill in the gaps for the work that never seems to get done because limited resourcing means there’s always something higher on the priority list. The time saved not having to explain the basics to someone experienced and knowledgeable means that you’ll get things done more quickly and efficiently, hence at a more affordable price.
Reasons to Choose Me
- Know-how in growing a specialist travel business successfully
- Expertise in product development, contracting, operations and logistics, tour operation planning, trip costing and pricing, and more
- Understanding of the challenges of running a specialist travel business and managing costs
- Knowledge of industry standards and processes
- Straightforward, action-oriented and focused on delivery
- Access to other travel industry experts
- An affordable way to benefit from extra industry experience and knowledge in-house
About
Following stints in the City and the publishing world, Kate has worked in the travel industry for over 20 years, originally as a resort manager for a ski company and a guide for groups travelling all over the world. This led on to working for a large, very profitable, ski company in the operations department, and subsequently in product development and contracting, which gave her a useful insight into processes and industry standards. Following this, she joined a specialist adventure travel company, originally as the Operations and Contracting Manager and subsequently in the newly-created role of General Manager.
Kate’s industry experience has been wide-ranging including product development, contracting, pricing, planning, operations and logistics, and PR. During her tenure as General Manager, the company won a British Travel Award in 2016 as well as the prestigious Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2017. It became increasingly profitable and grew its product offering substantially over the years. Kate is logical and analytical with a strong grasp of business. She is a do-er not a theoriser, and is passionate about being actively involved in helping specialist travel businesses grow successfully.
Kate is an ultra-marathon open water swimmer and swam the English Channel solo in 2014. She has also swum the lengths of Lake Windermere, Lake Zurich, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. And she once walked overnight from London to Brighton for charity at short notice…
Testimonials
As a supplier for the extremely successful activity holiday company Kate worked for, I saw how things changed the moment she came on board in terms of planning, organisation and running the company. Kate is a fantastic listener and is very reflective and intuitive in her approach to problem solving. These qualities and the wide range of experience she has in the travel industry make her a great asset to anybody who requires her services, be it for setting up or trouble shooting.
As the Owner of the Wilusa Travel Agency in Canakkale, Turkey, I worked closely with Kate over the last 5 years. I admire Kate for her unwavering professionalism in the way she related to her colleagues and partners and the way she dealt with the challenges that came with open water swimming particularly when operating abroad. She is a master of planning with a keen eye for every detail, taking nothing for granted. Kate is a great communicator and absolutely approachable, and even when the going gets tough, Kate will be the one to encourage the team to keep focussing on finding the best solution available for challenges that arise.
I had the pleasure to work with Kate for four years, planning with high detail and efficiency, very complex vacations in Greece. Kate proved to be one of my most challenging business buyers, because she really tried to get the best deal for her customers whilst ensuring at the same time that we offered a high quality of service and support. We always produced itineraries that worked well for all parties – us as suppliers as well as for the customers enjoying their visits to Greece.