Charlotte Wroe Travel eyes fitting business aviation into travel itineraries

Charlotte Wroe set up her independent online travel agency at the end of April 2020, whilst recovering from Covid-19.

“I wanted something new to focus on and importantly, give me some motivation and focus each day. Someone in the industry (via Linkedin) suggested I become an Independent Travel Agent. I thought I’d give it a go, never expecting anything to come from it, but whilst undergoing training, I got hooked. In just a few months, I’d fully immersed myself in the world of travel planning, arranging staycations in Cornwall to month long, bespoke honeymoons.

"It was surprising to get a sizeable team on board so quickly. To date, I’ve recruited and trained up 18 terrific individuals, a diverse group in terms of age and experience.

Each of them were struggling having lost their job, or facing the uncertainty of furlough. I completed a mindset matters course as part of my training, and I’m really enjoying the mentoring side, helping them set up their independent travel businesses. It’s good to see they have got their confidence back too, just as I have, doing this,” she notes.

We help time poor clients plan individual itineraries and tailor-made packages. I want my clients to just get to their destination and relax, without having to deal with any stressful planning and organising."

Charlotte Wroe Travel is working with 30 B2B partners too including Celebrity Cruises, Leger, Tui, Wendy Wu and Hoseasons. (Hoseasons had an incredible few months with bookings every 11 seconds at one point.) Some people thought I was mad to start a travel business during lockdown, but it's proved to be so busy. People do want to explore the world, respecting the pandemic, of course.

"I’ve been working in business aviation for a decade (latterly with Oriens Aviation in client services at London Biggin Hill Airport and prior to that at Shannon Airport FBO). Attentive customer service is very important to me. I like to ensure that all the stress that can go into planning a trip away is removed from them. This is why I’m keen to usher in the merits and value of business aviation into Charlotte Wroe Travel. I already have a few projects for different organisations that look ideal for aircraft charter.

"I bring over 20 years of experience in booking corporate and private travel over my various roles throughout my career. In that time I've acquired an extensive list of contacts varying from the humble holiday cottage to luxurious private villas up to and beyond private jet charter. I am devoted to building and nurturing relationships with my clients so that every recommendation made is perfectly tailored to their needs.  I have worked in business aviation for over 10 years working for HNWI’s who expect the absolute best in customer service and attention to detail. This has helped me become super organised and  I will always go above and beyond for my clients to provide the very best experience possible."

Excitingly, Charlotte Wroe Travel is close to finalising a ‘preferred travel partner’ status for a new client which will give the business a strong online presence. It will also provide an ideal platform to showcase how accessible (and affordable) business aviation can be. “I have a lot of contacts within the charter world and I hope to incorporate this into some proposed itinerary examples for the new website,” For example, skiing in Courcheval. Flying in via a dry-leased Pilatus PC-12 for example, isn’t as expensive as you would think."

www.charlottewroetravel.com

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 3rd September 2020 | Issue #571