FROM:
Dublin, but moved to Celbridge at the age of 11.

LENGTH OF TIME IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY:
I’m in travel since 1999 and I set up on my own in 2009. Starting in 2008, lots of travel agents were closing and that’s when I opened Freedom. It might sound crazy, but I was so convinced it would work. I absolutely love the business I work in. Basically, we sell happiness. We get to know our clients and they trust us. I went out on my own because I felt that agents could offer more. I have so many ideas for improving the experience for my clients.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT WORKING IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY:
No two days are the same and you are constantly learning. You’ll never know everything about everywhere but it’s more about knowing the person than the destination.

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK A CLIENT:
What would your ideal holiday look like or feel like? It’s really important to ask questions so you can properly advise the customer – that’s the difference between Freedom Travel and the internet!

THE PERFECT HOLIDAY FOR ME:
Provides diversity. It should be a tiny bit scary but very exciting. I have travelled on my own and found it liberating.

WHAT DO YOUR CLIENTS APPRECIATE?
Honesty. I’ll never lie to a client to sell a holiday and I am up-front about the fact that we charge a fee. They’re still getting a better deal in that we generally have access to better fares and rate. They see that they could have ended up with a holiday they didn’t want had they done it all themselves on the internet, so they see the value.

SUN OR CULTURE:
Culture

CITY BREAK OR ACTIVITY:
City (actually, both!)

FAVORITE EXPERIENCE:
Sky-diving over Rainbow Beach, north of Brisbane, Australia.

FAVORITE DESTINATION:
Jamaica because it was completely different to my expectations. I expected it to be poor and maybe a little bit dangerous. You can see poverty but the people are happy. That was the most memorable thing; the people. They make you feel like a local whether you’re Usain Bolt (who is Jamaican), Usher, Katy Perry (who go there a lot), or just an ordinary tourist, you’re left alone. Highlights were the Mystic mountain; swimming with dolphins; getting up close to love birds; the bob sleigh roller coaster – white knuckle stuff; Golden Eye where Ian Fleming wrote seven James Bond novels; local markets with hand-crafted goods; fab food like jerk chicken; Bob Marley.