Recently updated on November 27th, 2023 at 04:49 pm
Did you follow in your family footsteps, joining the family-run business or the same industry as the generations before you? We wanted to find out how some of beloved Trafalgar staff ended up working in the travel business.
Was it because their family instilled a great love of travel from a young age? Did they have a cousin or family member whose footsteps they wanted to follow? Or are they the courageous one who is inspiring generations above and below to be brave and see the world?
Let’s hear from Jacqueline, Jemma, Athena and Stacy about how travel is now the family business, and how they’re inspiring the next generation.
Jacqueline is keeping travel in the family
“My family is the reason why I work in travel,” says Jacqueline, a Contact Center Agent with Trafalgar.
“My love for travel and experiencing new cultures started at an early age, from yearly Yosemite camping trips to a weekend in Ensenada, Mexico, during summer break to road tripping across the country in our camper.
“The sense of adventure was addictive and continued into my teen years where I got to enjoy a school ski trip to Telluride, Colorado, and then flew off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for our senior trip.
“I even somehow convinced my mom to let me go with my younger brother on his graduation gift to Oahu, Hawaii, to “supervise”.
Fast forward to adulthood and Jacqueline joined the Trafalgar family (The Travel Corporation) back in 2013. She kept busy working in the documents department, before joining our sister brand Contiki as a contact center agent.
She says the highlight of that those few years was joining a 14-day Contiki tour through Europe.
“This was life changing to say the least. I had never traveled by myself nor even considered the idea until working for TTC,” she told us.
“During those 14 days I made new friends, that I still stay in touch with on social media, I re-discovered my love of travel, and I even learned a lot about myself as a solo traveler.
“We are far more capable than we may think!”
Jacqueline is back with TTC again, and says that it’s her goal to give the gift of travel to her three young children “so they too may look forward to new experiences and the adventure of exploring new countries while appreciating the beauty other cultures bring to this world.”
“With all that said, let’s start a brand for young families with kids under five years old!! Who doesn’t love a coach full of wild and rambunctious kids? Haha!”
GET INSPIRED BY: Grand European
Jemma’s mum suggested she change careers
“My family and I have always been super keen on travelling, especially exploring the coast of New South Wales in Australia during the school holidays when we were younger,” says Jemma, our Contact Centre Trainer and L&D Support for Australia and New Zealand.
“I jumped on my first Contiki a few years ago, quickly followed by a Haggis tour, and then a Shamrocker.
“I was so o b s e s s e d with coach touring by the time I got back home. So obsessed that my mum told me to apply for a job in reservations so that I could continue talking about it because it was something that excited me so much.
“I’m SO grateful that she gave me that push to change my career. I jumped on the TTC careers page, applied, got an interview and landed my first role in Trafalgar reservations.”
Since starting with Trafalgar, Jemma says she’s seen more of her family follow her footsteps and embrace their love of travel too. Last year her aunty and uncle took their first Trafalgar tour to Croatia and Slovenia.
“They can’t wait to do another,” Jemma says. “They told us they’re planning their next trip to Canada to visit their new Trafalgar besties from the coach!”
GET INSPIRED BY: Best of Croatia & Slovenia
Family memories are made on the road for Athena
“My family always made traveling together a priority,” says Athena, our Custom Groups Manager, based in the USA.
“My most vivid memories growing up are trips that we all took together. It helped me to be confident and curious about the world.
“My family supported me to study abroad when I was 20 years old, even though they had not been abroad.
“That trip fueled me to always be curious, open-minded, and growth-oriented. I have had a deep deep love of travel ever since and am incredibly grateful for the influence my family had on this!
“[Travel] has lead to a fulfilling and adventure-full life.”
RELATED BLOG: Learn from each other, learn together: the key to multi-generational travel
Stacy passed her love for travel to her kids
“In 2017 I took my family on Trafalgar’s family trip, European Wonderland,” says Stacy, a Product Build Coordinator at Trafalgar.
“At the time, my kids were 13 and 12. My husband and I still think this is one of our top vacations together ever and can’t wait to keep traveling with them.
“Our kids were adventurous, tried new foods, and met new people. It was really a fantastic experience to watch them take it all in.
“When we got back and they went back to school, my 12-year-old daughter had to write a poem. This is what she wrote:
“The travel bug has bitten my family bad….I’m happy to keep feeding that adventure. Here’s to many more years of adventures together!
TAKE THE FAMILY TRIP: European Wonderland
What’s your travel story? Did you follow in the family footsteps? Tell us about your family travel connections in the comments…