This week we are catching up with our very own Travel Monitor contributor, Kate Webster. Kate works as a travel journalist under her own company, Captured Travel Media, and has been writing for Travel Monitor for the past three years.
Kate has worked across the travel industry since she first started in 2001 at Flight Centre as a travel consultant, then in the airlines, wholesale, corporate travel and OTAs, before her studies led her to travel writing.
Here is what Kate had to say about her job, adapting to life with no overseas travel and the industry that has been such a big part of her life, in this week’s Talking Travel.
What does your job involve?
Working as a travel journalist is not all poolside cocktails, luxurious beds, dinners and relaxing on deck chairs (although we do get to experience these from time to time). It means long flights, layovers sleeping on airport floors, working across three different time zones to deliver deadlines while on location, planning the next trip, hotel inspections, ship inspections, wandering dark back streets in downtown nowhere inspections, early starts, late nights, putting your body in the most bizarre places to get THAT photo and then … writing all about it. Obviously, international travel at the moment is on hold, but that is just part of the job – plan to not plan and always have a backup plan.
How have you tackled the difficulties caused by COVID-19?
I had some good mentors and industry experts around me at the start of COVID-19, who advised me to prepare for the long haul. I know at the start a lot of the industry thought it was a short-term thing, but I had a realistic picture painted from the beginning. So I immediately started planning any travel assignments for my immediate region – the Gold Coast. I was lucky enough to be based in Queensland so I could move around quite freely after a very short lockdown.
I also made it a priority to check in on my industry friends and see how I could help. It was hard seeing the initial shock, then the uncertainty, the frustrations and anger and now the fatigue. Keeping up the help for them kept my mind busy from the lack of travel overseas.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
The people I meet. Don’t get me wrong; I have done more than I could ever have dreamed of – trekking mountain gorillas, swimming with humpbacks in Tonga, endless adventures in Africa, witnessing fire dancers in Papua New Guinea, diving in some of the world’s best spots, explorations up into the arctic, the list goes on. But nothing compares to the life-long friends and bonds I have made around the world. I call them my tribe, my family.
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession (outside of COVID-19)?
Learning to switch off. There is always more to say, more to edit, more to create – it never ends. I used to enjoy stepping on a 30-hour flight just to get silence from the phone and be forced to switch off. And then they had to bring in the inflight Wi-Fi – yeah thanks for that! Now I think, “I can get so much work done on this next flight.”
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
I have been in this industry for a while now, so it is an industry that is very dear to my heart. I have seen it survive terrorist attacks, strikes, crashes, insolvencies, volcanic ash clouds … you name it. The industry has always fought through and bounced back, but I am extremely worried about how much longer a majority of the industry can survive this global pandemic. I see friends and colleagues, around the world, barely holding on. It is heartbreaking. The challenge now is to look after the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of industry members and give them some sort of financial relief to be able to make it through this marathon to get back on their feet when borders open.
What do you think will be the biggest game-changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months’?
Oh, travel as we knew it, for sure! It has changed. It will never be the same. One thing this has taught me is the appreciation for travel. It won’t be as accessible, and I think this can be a good thing. Where we once used to “nip across to Bali for the week” because it was cheap and accessible, we will now have to plan, take our time to research our destination, take fewer but longer trips, slow it down and spread it out.
What destination/travel trend do you think is the next big thing?
After being locked down and unable to move, I think people will gravitate towards wide open spaces, wilderness and secluded areas. I also think those destinations where travellers said “one day” will now become more urgent to visit. As for travel trends, I am not a fan of the word trend and prefer to call it a movement – sustainable travel. Learn where your tourism dollar is spent and ensure that it is sustainably. Travel to make a difference in this world, with a conscience, and discover the value in that for all concerned. As for destinations, watch places like Papua New Guinea and Rwanda become the new ‘must visit’ countries.
What are your thoughts on responsible travel and how do you try to implement this in your workplace?
It has taken me many years to understand responsible travel, and I am glad to say it is now second nature to me. I am always conscious when I travel of what kind of footprint or impression I am leaving behind. Not only for my surroundings and the environment but also for the people I meet. All I can say is, research, research, research! Know your destination, know the cultural differences, learn a bit of the local language. This will help you become more of a traveller rather than a mere ‘tourist’. And for godsake, please travel with a reuseable water bottle and metal straw – it is not hard!
Who inspires you most and why?
Being a wildlife warrior, I have to mention Sir David Attenborough and Jane Goodall. Also, the unsung heroes I have met on my travels that are out there around the world, fighting to protect our wildlife and wild places, day in and day out. They do so without recognition, and I admire that so much.
What is your must-pack travel item(s)?
A scarf – it can be a sarong, shirt, blanket, camera cover, headband, anything you need really. My laptop – because a girl has to work still. My reusable water bottle with a life straw in it (so even the grubby water can be drunk) and a first aid kit (because anyone who has travelled with me knows how accident prone I am).
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
Sorry peeps, but I would go it solo. Having not travelled overseas for so long, I would want it all to myself. I would be on the first flight to Africa.
