When the sun sets for the day and Travel Agents across the country scuttle out of the office, where do they go – assuming they don’t have to attend an event or, god forbid, training night?
Based on research and direct observation, here are five places you’re most likely to find Travel Agents after they’ve clocked off for the day.
1. The pub
Easily the most popular after work retreat, the pub is where Travel Agents congregate to drink their stresses away, b!@ch about their clients, and – after many a drink – try and hook up with each other. Each store or office has their local, and even novices within the first week are on a first-name basis with the local bartenders.
The only time Travel Agents don’t head to their local is when they’ve been invited to an industry event. But they don’t complain, as most of these are held in pubs anyway!
2. The gym
Sitting at a desk all day whilst having to rescue clients from certain holiday doom starts to take its toll on the human body from about three weeks into the job. Eating lunch at your desk and the nightly boozing (and post-boozing kebabs) certainly doesn’t do your body any favours either.
That’s why many Travel Agents now hit the gym as soon as the clock strikes five, six or – god forbid – seven in the evening and it’s time to go home. Body Pump, Zumba and, increasingly, Cross Fit classes are the most popular ways agents are burning off a stressful day in the office.
3. The yoga/meditation centre
Without a release valve, it’s difficult to stay in the Travel Agent game for more than a year. Stress builds up, fuses shorten, and patience dwindles, and without some way of clearing the mind and getting your zen on, you’re not going to be loving life. Sure, alcohol can help, but there’s a healthier way of de-stressing which doesn’t result in a hangover or feelings of guilt over what you did or said the night before…
Increasingly many Travel Agents are turning to yoga and meditation after work to re-centre themselves. There’s nothing “cultish” about this at all, but a proven way of effectively reducing stress. Agents: if you’ve never done yoga or meditation before, get onto it!
4. The therapist
When exercise and meditation fail to help, and alcohol just gets in the way, it’s time to turn to the professionals for some help.
Most agents would never admit it, but many are finding it necessary to speak to someone after work to help them deal with the challenges of life. There’s no shame in putting up your hand, and if speaking to someone can make you a more effective and more successful human being – let alone a better Travel Agent – then more power to you!
5. The bed
In the end, all Travel Agents end up here. But some make a beeline straight home to the covers as soon as the day is over, attracted by the prospect of getting into their pj’s, putting on Netflix, and just de-compressing after a long, stressful day.
If they don’t go straight home, it’s usually because they need to pick up some necessary supplies at the supermarket, such as chips, ice-cream, chocolate, and perhaps a six-pack or bottle of wine. Some people may call this boring. For Travel Agents, it’s pure bliss.