Fiona Dalton has held many a senior role in her more than three decades in travel, including MD of Uniworld, CEO for The Travel Corporation and GM APAC for Virtuoso. Here, she discusses why she needed a grown-up gap year.
Ten months after stepping back from full-time work, life looks very different. I’ve swapped 6am Zoom calls for ocean swims and waiting for lifts for lifting weights. I’m a paid-up member of the gig economy, working with people and projects diverse as the seasons. And I recently took a little course to become a working voice actor – because, why not!
When I stepped down from full-time work in February 2024, a friend gave me some sage advice. She said, “Don’t say you’re retiring; you are recalibrating”. And she was absolutely right. The truth is, I’ve always known I would never stop working; I just needed to redefine what work looks like.
I’ve also learned I am part of a whole generation doing precisely that. We’re shunning the very idea of retirement – we have so much more to do! As the Buddhist quote reminds me, “Your life’s work, is your life’s work”.

Everyone’s reasons for ceasing full-time employment will differ; for me, it was just that the time was finally right. My kids have graduated from school and university and are working in their chosen professions. I completed my MBA a few years ago and paid it off, and the mortgage suddenly didn’t feel like Everest anymore.
After years of grinding, I found myself asking, What if?
- What if I could shape a life that didn’t revolve around long hours and endless deadlines?
- What if I could travel for pleasure and give back to my community and industry?
- What if I could work in advisory with small business owners?
- What if I could learn new skills and try new things?
- What if I could even get healthy?
A grown-up gap year
I owe my industry mates a big thank you for last year. It was my “grown-up gap year” – okay, six months, but it felt like a year. I packed my bags and set off as a solo female traveller.
So many of you generously indulged in my social media posts, feigning interest wherever I was, liking and commenting. Japan, England, Italy, Croatia, Scotland…. I picked places I’d always dreamed of and some I wanted to rediscover. Was I lonely? Not really. Sure, I was alone sometimes, but it was a rite of passage I needed to take after 40 years of full-time work.
I learned Italian in Tuscany (badly), cycled and sailed in Croatia, and road-tripped over 2,500 kilometres through Scotland. It was all fabulous, but I was ready to return by September. That time away helped me to reassess my priorities: health, happiness and purpose.


A new perspective on life
Probably the biggest thing I’ve learned is to value your health. Like many, I put mine on the back burner for far too long. Parenting, work, life – they were my excuses. But the real reason? I was running on empty.
Then, about ten years ago, menopause hit me like a freight train. Did you know it can start a decade before the “big event” and last a lifetime? Neither did I! No one tells you these things! And with 72 potential symptoms (yes, 72!) it’s no wonder women struggle, both in the workplace and at home. The good news? There is so much help now, one of which is Hormone Replacement Therapy, (HRT) – an absolute game-changer for women, including me.
If this resonates with you, check out Dr Ginni Mansberg’s research or her episode on the Prime Time podcast here. Give it a listen, even if you’re male. The women in your life will thank you.
I’m ocean swimming as often as I can. It’s great for my mental health. I count the days I don’t more than the days I do. I’ve found an over-50s gym I enjoy that’s great for helping me with strength, balance and flexibility.
I walk the dog and try hard to clean up my sleep routine (easier said than done). In 2023, my average daily step count was 3,500. From March 2024 to today, my average has increased to 9,500. I feel so much better. On reflection, I have been living in fight or flight for so long. Teaching my brain to slow down has been challenging, but slowly, it’s improving. I am learning to enjoy the journey.


Embracing discomfort
Professionally, I have no regrets. It’s been an incredible ride, but if I reflect on the last twenty years in particular, there’s one thing I’d like to have done.
I wish I’d backed myself and started a small business when I was younger. I deeply admire the small business owners with whom I have been blessed to work. They show tenacity, grit, innovation and strength. They are the heroes of our industry in my opinion. If you’ve got a dream, don’t wait. Leap. I wish I had. But accessing the courage and capital back then wasn’t an option.
It’s a different story these days. With the luxury of time, I can now challenge myself to do new things. I’ve joined the local sailing club for the Tuesday Twilight series on Sydney Harbour each summer. Sailing is a great leveller and a great teacher. Teamwork is essential; no two days are the same and you are only as good as your weakest link (which is usually me).
I am back playing bridge this year, something I learned in COVID, except this time, it is face-to-face, not online. I’ve signed up for a golf clinic starting next month – eek! I used to play before I had kids, and I inherited a set of clubs from my Mum, so it’s time to put them to good use.
I volunteer in aged care and locally with a cultural heritage project on the Lower North Shore. I’m travelling alone this month to New Zealand to join a group to tackle the Central Otago Rail Trail, something that’s been on my bucket list forever, and I’ve booked two more cruises for later in the year with Viking and Ponant.


Looking to the future
Through my company, FHD Consulting, I advise and coach several travel businesses on diverse projects, from growth strategies to staff retention, client acquisition, and process reengineering. These projects are mostly discreet, but can also be ongoing engagements.
I’m on the Destination Sydney Surrounds North Board, one of Destination NSW’s regional destination networks. I am privileged to support the Hunter Region, where I grew up. In this way, I help shine a spotlight on the incredible tourism assets in the region and implement strategies to grow the visitor economy, which is a massive part of the region’s economic viability.


I assist a lawyer who operates across international jurisdictions in managing his properties in Australia and I recently took a short course on voice artistry with NIDA, which I posted on LinkedIn. It seemed to resonate with a lot of people, and I am not entirely sure why, but perhaps it was embracing discomfort and learning something new.
Finally, some of you may also know I am involved with Bec Wilson’s “How to Have an Epic Retirement” online course launched in early 2024. This brilliant program follows Bec’s best-selling book and teaches people how to prepare for the second half of life. I assist her community as the independent travel expert, answering their questions on how to get the most out of travel in the second half of life.


Today, I am doing work that fills my cup, and I hope that even for a moment, I am making a difference for the people I work with. Yet, I have the boundaries and balance I could have only ever dreamt of. I feel blessed.
Of course, I am still active in TIME, working with my current mentee during the first half of 2025. I love seeing the personal and professional growth that TIME can facilitate, and I am very impressed with the calibre of the industry’s next generation of leaders.
I also have several other industry professionals with whom I have a more informal mentoring relationship, and I feel privileged to help them when they call.
Funnily, life is busier than it’s ever been. But I wouldn’t change a thing. And if you need my help, feel free to reach out. I’d be honoured.
FHD Consulting Pty Ltd, E: fiona@fhdconsulting.com.au