‘Travel agent’ Jo Shayler-Tarrant working from Mauritius
Where better then to vent my spleen than the hallowed (digital) pages of TTG, although given the title of this column, it feels a little cheeky to bite the hand that feeds, but I’ve been holding my tongue for 12 years and I feel the time is right for an uprising.
So strap-in while I saddle-up and mount my high horse for the next few paragraphs. Call me an irascible old woman with ideas above her station, if you dare, but I absolutely detest the term “homeworker”.
I know, I know. It’s a firmly established term within the industry, and one which is habitually used, even by the travel franchisees themselves. But against the backdrop of the technological evolutions of the 2020s, this hackneyed idiom feels dated, inappropriate and – I’m going to say it out loud – horribly derogatory.
It’s not the 1980s. I’m not flogging Tupperware from my backdoor in order to fund an expensive Avon habit. I do not leave fruity business cards in telephone boxes in the hope of a nibble.
Just like a high street agent, I’m charged with ensuring that my clients’ annual leave is filled with fun and frolics, a burden of responsibility I do not take lightly.
However, unlike a high street agent, I’m not salaried, I do not have fixed hours, and I am not paid for my own downtime. I also invest my own hard-earned in marketing, events and educationals.