Seasoned globetrotters Sue Todorovski and Emily Kadinski chat with Karryon Luxury about co-owning a travel agency, organising regular events for clients and suppliers and the joys and challenges of meeting complex briefs.
For the co-owners of itravel Carlingford in Sydney, luxury travel is a family affair for the dynamic mother-daughter duo Sue Todorovski and Emily Kadinski. Together, they lead a team of six with two more staff joining itravel Carlingford in the coming weeks.
Specialising in group travel, itravel Carlingford hosts monthly or bi-monthly in-store events called ‘iwonders’ that “allow clients to wonder about their next destination” as well as loyalty events and the annual agency Christmas party.
Why did you decide to buy an itravel franchise?
Sue: I wholeheartedly believe in the itravel ethos. There is so much flexibility and support within the itravel network and, as clichéd as it may sound, we really are treated like a family and not just a number.
Emily: Having started off as itravel mobile agents, I saw it as a natural progression to continue our growth with the itravel family. It helped to have support and relationships already established and itravel’s CEO Steve Labroski cheered us on the whole way.
What inspired your love of travel and how did you get into the travel industry?
Sue: You either feel travel or you don’t – for me, it just felt like somewhere I belonged. I always wanted to study travel but it wasn’t encouraged in my family, so I did pharmacy instead. After many years of working in the family business, I decided travel was still something I wanted to explore, so I walked into my local Harvey World Travel and asked if I could do work experience at the age of 35.
Emily: What’s not to love about travel? After four non-travel-related university degrees, I still ended up in travel (much to Mum’s dismay). My first gig was dressing up as a snow bunny for the itravel Mounties travel expo – in Steve’s words: “Make people want to go to Japan to ski.”
But my first real travel push was when Sue was in Russia with no access to the booking system. There was a call from Emirates advising a client’s flight was delayed by 12 hours. I had so much fun trying to figure out how to get them to London to meet their Trafalgar tour. The satisfaction I felt when I found them a new flight and got them there on time was the same rush I get now when you’re planning an itinerary and everything falls into place and the client smiles and says: “It sounds perfect!”.
What are the biggest changes you have seen in the luxury cruise and expedition space?
Sue: More inclusive options have been the biggest change. Everyday people (like your mums and dads) are now travelling in the luxury cruising space.
Emily: I would say there have been two changes across the cruising industry. First would be the online and social media influence. Big-ship cruising has been the fastest direct-to-consumer marketed product in our industry, which in turn has made us change the way we approach selling cruise.
In saying that, the second change is the increase in luxury cruising clients. These clients are becoming younger and travelling more frequently. Luxury is such a loose term but the best part is that no matter what luxury means to you or me, there is a ‘luxury’ cruise for everyone. It is no longer all about ballgowns and suit jackets – it’s all about the experience and each client’s perception of luxury.
How would you define luxury cruising?
Emily: Luxury cruising is fine dining – the calibre of the ‘included beverages’ rather than just the inclusion of them, immersive experiences, destinations, attention to detail, service levels and so much more. Every cruise line in the luxury space has its own version of luxury and what they emphasise as luxury for their clients.
What are your top tips for encouraging clients to take a cruise for the first time?
Sue: You only need to pack and unpack once and each day is a new story waiting for you to explore without the effort of ‘travelling’. You know what it will cost you from the beginning – there are no nasty surprises. You are travelling with like-minded people, so you are likely to make friends.
What are your top three luxury cruise experiences?
Sue: Antarctica on Scenic Eclipse I, Iceland and Greenland on Seabourn Venture and the Kimberley on Ponant’s Le Lapérouse.
Emily: Antarctica on Scenic Eclipse I, Iceland and Greenland on Scenic Eclipse II and being part of history on Scenic Eclipse II sailing from Fiji to Sydney. For me, it wasn’t about the destination, but the emotional experience of Scenic sailing into our harbour for the very first time!
What upcoming cruises are you looking forward to next?
Sue: Are you ready? I am currently on a Scenic river cruise up to Normandy, followed by an Arctic cruise (chasing polar bears) on Scenic Eclipse I and then Athens to Venice on Emerald Sakara will round off the summer in Europe this year. In October 2024, it’s back on Scenic Eclipse I – this time from New York to Bridgetown in the Caribbean. In July 2025, I have the Med on the cards but I’m still deciding on the finer details. Then 2026 brings an iconic cruise aboard Scenic Eclipse II, sailing from Bordeaux and into London up the Thames!
Emily: I don’t have quite as much on as Sue. I will be doing Scenic’s Spectacular South of France river cruise in 2025. In 2026, I have two Scenic Eclipse sailings booked – Panama Canal to Barbados being the first, then joining Sue on Scenic Eclipse II from Bordeaux to London. I am also hoping to sail on Silversea and Ponant in the next 12 months, so we shall see!
What does itravel Carlingford do to keep clients coming back – and attract new ones?
Sue: Simple. Six words: “Welcome to the itravel Carlingford family”.
For more information, visit itravelcarlingford.com.au
