Hi, I'm Linda, a Senior Travel Consultant at Charter Travel with 20+ years of experience planning holidays across Hawaii, Canada, USA and beyond.
I always call myself the accidental travel agent. It all started after my first backpacking trip around Australia - the first of five trips there, as it turned out. Not long after I got back, I was offered my very first job in the industry: selling holidays to Florida for a travel agency, some 20-odd years ago. I'd never actually been to Florida myself, but I soaked up every bit of training like a sponge, and spent the next few years happily sending clients there.
Working in travel let me feed my own love of exploring, and it opened up the world to me. I travelled to Malaysia, trekked across Borneo, visited Hong Kong and Japan, and made my way back to Australia, and that's when the real adventures began. My world opened up to all sorts of possibilities, and travel became "my thing."
Whenever a client asked me about a destination I hadn't visited myself, I felt compelled to go and see it for myself. That's how I fell in love with Hawaii.
I threw myself into every Hawaii event I could find in the UK, including the annual gathering the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau held in London with their hotel partners. Over the years, those partners became my friend - my Ohana. When I visited the islands, they looked after me, and I returned the favour whenever they came to London. My colleague and I would happily give up a day of our weekend to tour castles with a group of ten, then sit down to a traditional Sunday roast with our Hawaiian friends, sharing Aloha along the way.
Of all the countries I've visited, Hawaii has my heart. It pulls me back again and again, for so many different reasons - a little like an addiction, if you'll let me call it that.
More recently, my travels have taken me to Canada, where I was lucky enough to drive the Rockies last year. Many people don't realise just how big Canada is, and it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to cram too much into a typical 14-night trip. In my opinion, Canada is really at least three separate holidays. It's scenic, beautiful, and if you can time it right, don't miss the Calgary Stampede, usually held for around 10 days from the beginning of July. Fair warning: a Calgary white hat is compulsory!
When planning your trip, be realistic about what you want to achieve. It's tempting to try and pack everything in, but less is often more. Speak to your advisor about itineraries that are genuinely achievable, and be honest about your expectations - what you really want to get out of the trip. A well-paced holiday always beats a rushed one.
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