As well as heading up Barrhead Travel, Jacqueline Dobson was recently promoted to the executive leadership team at parent company Internova Travel Group and named President of its leisure division. Plus, she’s currently President of the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association. How does she do it? Well, as she tells Travel Gossip, she loves a challenge…
I wanted to be an air hostess. But in 1993 I saw an advert in my local paper for an apprentice at a family run travel agency called Newark Travel. I got the job and worked my way up to become store manager.
I moved to Barrhead Travel in 2000 to work in a retail shop before heading up the VIP department. When I joined, we had two stores, one at Glasgow Airport and one in Barrhead. I’ve stayed with Barrhead so long as I love the people and my team. We all work well together and are never standing still. I love that we are always looking for the next new product, but the people make the job for me.
In the next five years I see Barrhead Travel as being slightly larger and with a bigger presence across the UK. I want to ensure Barrhead is going to be a successful business and continue with the current theme that it’s about our people first and foremost.
Of course, I love to travel. My son has an app on his phone to check off how many countries you visit, and I think my last count was 45. I love Barbados for winter sun, and the last couple of years we have been for New Year, which was fantastic. I also like to cruise – I think it’s a great way to see the world and the entertainment onboard.
I am a black belt in Taekwondo. I don’t get to practice much anymore but I was British Champion when I was 16 and won lots of competitions.
I try to set myself a lot of challenges to raise money for different charities. It’s important to give something back. I’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, which was one of the best things I have done, but also one of the hardest – and I had never camped before!
I have also run the London Marathon twice. I am keen to do a marathon next year if I can.
My first fam trip was to San Francisco with Virgin in Upper Class. I was 21 or 22. It started off with us all sitting round the bar onboard. To be able to fly in Upper Class, stay in a luxury hotel, take the Napa Valley Wine Train and ski in Lake Tahoe, was just an incredible experience. That would have been one of those moments you want to put on social media, but we didn’t have it back then!
Another trip I won’t forget is when I went to Rio De Janeiro. We all lost our luggage, so everyone went to a shop and bought the same top and trousers. We were walking around for two days in the same outfits.
Nelson Mandela is one of my heroes. I went to South Africa and visited Robben Island. Our tour guide was Nelson Mandela’s private prison guard, and he told us some stories. I just find where he came from and what he had to go through very inspiring.
In travel there are a few females I really look up to. Lynn Narraway (Seabourn Vice President UK, Europe, MEA) is one of them and she is just amazing. I think she has been a really good role model in the industry.
My team call me the karaoke queen. They always make me sing and I can’t, but I do love it! My karaoke song is ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ by Jeff Beck. Karen, our Head of PR and Communications, got married recently and had karaoke at the reception, and I was the first one up.
Quick questions:
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I wanted to be an air hostess. But in 1993 I saw an advert in my local paper for an apprentice at a family run travel agency called Newark Travel. I got the job and worked my way up to become store manager.
I moved to Barrhead Travel in 2000 to work in a retail shop before heading up the VIP department. When I joined, we had two stores, one at Glasgow Airport and one in Barrhead. I’ve stayed with Barrhead so long as I love the people and my team. We all work well together and are never standing still. I love that we are always looking for the next new product, but the people make the job for me.
In the next five years I see Barrhead Travel as being slightly larger and with a bigger presence across the UK. I want to ensure Barrhead is going to be a successful business and continue with the current theme that it’s about our people first and foremost.
Of course, I love to travel. My son has an app on his phone to check off how many countries you visit, and I think my last count was 45. I love Barbados for winter sun, and the last couple of years we have been for New Year, which was fantastic. I also like to cruise – I think it’s a great way to see the world and the entertainment onboard.
I am a black belt in Taekwondo. I don’t get to practice much anymore but I was British Champion when I was 16 and won lots of competitions.
I try to set myself a lot of challenges to raise money for different charities. It’s important to give something back. I’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, which was one of the best things I have done, but also one of the hardest – and I had never camped before!
I have also run the London Marathon twice. I am keen to do a marathon next year if I can.
My first fam trip was to San Francisco with Virgin in Upper Class. I was 21 or 22. It started off with us all sitting round the bar onboard. To be able to fly in Upper Class, stay in a luxury hotel, take the Napa Valley Wine Train and ski in Lake Tahoe, was just an incredible experience. That would have been one of those moments you want to put on social media, but we didn’t have it back then!
Another trip I won’t forget is when I went to Rio De Janeiro. We all lost our luggage, so everyone went to a shop and bought the same top and trousers. We were walking around for two days in the same outfits.
Nelson Mandela is one of my heroes. I went to South Africa and visited Robben Island. Our tour guide was Nelson Mandela’s private prison guard, and he told us some stories. I just find where he came from and what he had to go through very inspiring.
In travel there are a few females I really look up to. Lynn Narraway (Seabourn Vice President UK, Europe, MEA) is one of them and she is just amazing. I think she has been a really good role model in the industry.
My team call me the karaoke queen. They always make me sing and I can’t, but I do love it! My karaoke song is ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ by Jeff Beck. Karen, our Head of PR and Communications, got married recently and had karaoke at the reception, and I was the first one up.
Quick questions:
- Jump out of plane or climb a mountain? Mountain
- Sunset or Sunrise? Sunset – I don’t like early mornings
- Texting or talking? Talking
- City or Beach? Beach probably, but that’s a tough one
- Fun office rule for the day: Everyone to bring their dog to work
The post Gossiping with…Barrhead Travel President and black belt champ Jacqueline Dobson appeared first on Travel Gossip.
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