It’s Valentine’s Day. A day that supposedly has its origins in the beheading of a guy named Valentine. And if that wasn’t romantic enough for you, some historians say that the day is actually an offshoot of the bloody, violent pagan festival of Lupercalia, in which women were whipped with the hides of freshly sacrificed goats and then randomly assigned to a man for a year or so. And you were complaining about the cost of choccies in Coles.
I met Mark in a big office of mostly women. We were working for an inbound wholesaler and got to know each other as we fought over goodies brought in from suppliers. We’ve been working together ever since. If like me, you’re in a relationship with someone in the industry, you know there are good days and bad pandemics. If you’re single, consider the below a cautionary tale.
Finding love in the first place
The travel industry is full of fun, vibrant and very intelligent people — because most of us are women. This means if you’re a cis female looking for a cis male, you may want to look outside of the workplace. That’s not to say that the odd tryst doesn’t happen (and sometimes on fams), or that love is out of reach, just that the odds are not in your favour.
But if you’re lucky, you’ll find someone fun and usually with an open mind, who loves most of the things you do and can understand when you start going on about an airline’s NDC.
Make industry events a chance to connect
The best date night is a free one. Coordinate your schedules and you could have many a night on the town on someone else’s dime. Add romance to all the other benefits of attending an industry event. And remember, your chances of winning a prize are doubled when there are two of you.
Please note that this perk does not last forever. Add a kid to the mix and suddenly the closest you’ll get to date night is watching your kid play netball.
Travel together
It’s a cliche because it’s true: travelling with someone can make or break a relationship. Travelling with someone in the industry means that you’re travelling with someone who appreciates the av-geek in you and loves you anyway. Plus, they’ll also stand outside the hotel room while you take pictures, no matter how tired they are. Travel together as much as you can. Just turn your out-of-offices on first.
Travel apart
Sometimes the best thing about being in a travel industry relationship is a well-timed fam. Explore the world apart so that you can inspire each other anew and then take it on together.
There are possible tax benefits
When the lines between work and love are blurry, so too are the definitions of a work call. That’s all I’ll say.
Feign romance with what’s on hand
I think it was Mark’s birthday and I printed off some joke vouchers (yeah, we’ve been together that long and are that old) and shoved them into a travel wallet. Another time I called in a favour with a hotel GM so that we could have a last-minute staycation. Travel is always the best gift.
Charge fees (to your clients)
With both of you in travel, you need to charge your clients fees. Also, in case of another lockdown, have a backup career.
Speak in code
Simultaneously work on your relationship and your knowledge of IATA codes. We’ll get you started with the codes, but will leave them to you to plot out the journey.
FUK – Fukuoka Airport
SEX – Sembach Air Base
COK – Cochin International Airport
NOB – Nosara Airport
DIK – Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport
BUM – Butler Airport
YUM – Yuma International Airport
In the travel industry, love can take flight – literally. Embrace the chaos, find humour in the delays, and remember that the journey can be just as fun as the destination.
