At Work :: Sandra Albers One-on-one with Kootenay business leaders
Travel is both her business and her pleasure
From left are Norma Schick, Diane Manson, Stephanie Chale and Janice Duval. —Photo courtesy of Mountain City Travel
Kootenay Business caught up with Diane Manson, owner of Kimberley, B.C., travel agency Mountain City Travel, just hours before she took off on her own latest travel adventure to the Himalayas. Here are her comments about a business she clearly loves. h3. What makes your business special? I think that really what set us apart is our staff here. They’re dedicated, they’re knowledgeable, they are open-minded, they’re passionate about what they do…they’re fun people and they’re the best! Sometimes when I talk about the gals that I work with I get weepy, because they’re just the best, and without amazing staff you’re sunk in the water. h3. How many employees do you have? Including myself, there are seven. I prefer to call them colleagues. I’ve been here for 18-plus years, and Mountain City Travel has been in business for 26 years. h3. Tell us about your products and services. There’s a real variety. When I say we offer cruise product, we offer every type of cruise. That can go from the real luxury tall ships down to what we call premium ships to small feluccas (traditional Egyptian sailboats) on the Nile and exploratory types of vessels as well. Within flights, there’s also a wide range. (Tours can include) everything from a formal motorcoach tour to something very small, niche, off the beaten path. (Some) people are choosing to get married or do family reunions at a destination. Then there’s the typical sun holiday—anything that’s packaged—and if people don’t like the package, we can create or custom-tailor a package for them as well. h3. What got you into the travel business? This is my third time in the business! I tried many other things, but there’s a huge pull to the culture of it. I guess, in the end, I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up and I really couldn’t resist. h3. What were some of those previous jobs? At my high school reunion, I was awarded as the person who’d had the most jobs since graduation! So I’ve done a multitude of things (from working in a bank, to newspaper sales, to acting as regional co-ordinator for the cancer society, to working in a florist shop). I’ve done it all—lots of interesting things. You gain something from every little corner of what you do. It really gives you a more overall picture. h3. Tell us about any awards or achievements that Mountain City Travel has received. We belong to an Advantage consortium and we’ve won some very nice awards within that grouping across Canada. We won a Chamber of Commerce service award at one time. But truly, when you talk about achievement, it’s about knowing that you’re giving someone their perfect dream vacation, something that they’ve thought about for a long time, something that’s really special to them. It’s what happens every day in the office, in my view. I helped a woman just last week. She hadn’t travelled for a really long time and she needed oxygen on the way. She was doing lots of short trips—she was out visiting her adult children. We looked after every detail for her and she had no worries. At the end of the day, when you walk away, you know that she feels good. How would you describe your business philosophy? It’s people first and always to come from a place of integrity. h3. What do you like most about your job? There isn’t any one thing. I guess variety would be one of them. We deal in fun, upbeat stuff…we’re very fortunate from that perspective. That part is pretty awesome, for sure. The other thing is when someone comes home from their vacation and we have exceeded their expectations—where they’re just blown away—that’s a pretty good day. Can you describe an average work day? There is no average (work day) in this business! It’s a huge variety, which is part of the charm of working in this industry. h3. How has the travel business changed over the years? The Internet has affected the entire travel industry. The Internet has done a couple of things. There will always be people who choose to do it themselves (whether it’s changing the oil in their car or making their own travel arrangements), and fair enough. I also think there’s enough room for everyone out there. (Many people do) recognize the value of working with a knowledgeable travel consultant. We’ve got 65 (combined) years of travel experience here, so there’s got to be a wealth of knowledge from that well. I also think that the Internet has done a great favour for us. Today’s travellers are very sophisticated. They have a lot of knowledge at their fingertips. That’s a good thing, because when we get together with them, they’re even more dialled in to what they really want. I think it’s been a real tool for us. Interestingly, the figures are changing—the number of people working with travel consultants has increased in the past couple of years. There have been a few disappointments for people when they do it on their own. h3. Do you have any tips for getting the best value for your travel dollar? Yes—work with an experienced travel consultant! h3. Why should people travel? It looks different for absolutely everyone. A trip to Toronto might be huge in someone’s world, and yet for another person who’s hungry for something really different and needing to explore the outer edge, that might be the Antarctic. It’s about knowing the right questions to ask our clients. What are some of your favourite vacation spots? This afternoon I’m headed to the Himalayas—it’s been on my bucket list for a long time. I personally can go in a lot of different directions. There’s a part of me that loves a wonderful beach vacation with the sun and the sand and the blue water and all of that laziness. Then there’s a huge part of me that likes to put a backpack on. My personal passion is hiking, so I like to attach some of my travels to that passion. There are no bad places—some just speak to you more than others. h3. Where do you hope to be five years from now? Still in the travel business—you bet!
Sandra Albers is a staff writer at Kootenay Business magazine. Since 2007, she has enjoyed hearing about new businesses, expanding businesses and unique businesses, as well as learning more about the long-time successes in the business community of the Kootenays. She writes, as well as copy edits and proofreads, for both magazine and website, and welcomes input from our readers.
Email Sandra if you have a story idea for any of the following:
At Work, a Q & A column that focuses on the people behind some of the area's long-running, successful companies;
Business Beat, a page of short, business-related announcements (new businesses, new owners, new locations, major expansions, business awards);
Around the Region, a page in Kootenay Business magazine that highlights some of the more unique businesses and entrepreneurial initiatives in the East and West Kootenay, as well as Columbia Valley and Boundary regions.
Sandra believes that success inspires success, and looks forward to hearing what makes your business special.
