Ponders Travel’s Clare Dudley says the passion and care placed on creating memories helps build relations with customers
When I was asked to write a column on the theme of ‘family’, I immediately thought it was right up my street. I am a firm believer that family is everything, as I’m sure many of you are too.
Ponders Travel is a family name; Tom and Florence Ponder were my nana and grandad, who I adored. I struggled with a clever cruise or travel moniker when considering a name for my business, so I instead thought about the influences on my life – and that’s when Ponder came to me.
The fact that the word means ‘to consider’ was the icing on the cake, because I didn’t want to be pushy with my business. Instead, I wanted to let customers carefully consider their next holiday.
What I didn’t realise at the time was just how family-focused my career would go on to become.
When I set up in 2010, both my daughters were working in travel. Now, 15 years later, Victoria works alongside me in the shop and Dani is heading up UK sales for Lindblad Expeditions. Both my sons-in-law have successful careers in the travel industry too.
Family values
I feel my staff are my travel family as well – I care about them as if they were my own. So, family values run throughout our daily work life.
What has brought me the most joy, though, is that our clients feel like family. I believe this is due to the passion and care we place on creating memories for all of them.
We work alongside our clients and ensure we have listened to all that they want out of their trips. Most of our customers become repeat, and indeed regular, clients.
This is when it feels as if they fit into our Ponders family. We try to learn about their family, their pets and where they live, and when chatting with them we ask about the most important factors in their life.
Customers love this and it helps build the relationships between us. Our escorted trips enhance that family feel further, because spending holidays with clients really does embrace that relationship.
Many of our clients thank us for allowing them to feel like part of the Ponders family, and say these values mean the world to them.
More than friends
And then there is also, of course, our travel industry family – the colleagues we meet over the years who become more than that. They become friends and then like family.
We have spent many wonderful times in exotic locations all around the world together, and experienced magical moments.
We share happy times and sad times too. Our travel family protects us when we need it and fills our lives with happiness.
Speaking of happiness, this year it has been a joy to book a multitude of family holidays. It seems more and more families are going away to celebrate special milestones – it’s no longer just the traditional Christmas breaks.
There is one couple for whom we have booked their engagement trip, their honeymoon, the first holiday they spent with their children, followed by a celebration milestone trip with the grandparents!
Once again, things like this allow us to feel the privilege of being a part of their family.
A ponders prodigy?
As mentioned, much of my family works in travel too – and the latest relative to launch their career in the industry is Ronnie, my five-year-old grandson. What a joy it is when Ronnie comes into the office and plays at being a travel consultant on the phone.
I normally get offered a holiday to Spain for £5 and I can rest assured there will be a pool and seaside nearby. How’s that for a deal?! If you watch the video I recently posted on my Facebook page, you can even see the two of us discussing an exotic trip to the Galàpagos. I think Ronnie might just have a successful career in travel on the horizon…