TravelMole Time Traveller: ABTA’s Nikki White

ABTA head of destinations and sustainability Nikki White takes a trip down memory lane.

What was your first job in travel?

It was on the trainee scheme with Forte Crest when I was studying hotel and catering management. I got a taste for the dynamics of people travelling and the buzz of hotel operations. Having worked as a veg chef to hands-on housekeeping and restaurant redevelopment I still wasn’t put off being part of the hospitality industry. The fact that the hotel was based in Milton Keynes left a lot of scope for developing the travel part of my career! My first career job was then working with all different parts of the travel industry at an agency where we specialised in strategic travel marketing. This gave me a great opportunity to work with tour operators, destinations, airlines and hotel chains.

What was the high point of your career?

It might sound slightly odd, but stepping out of my career for a year was a real high point. After 13 years with one company I took the plunge to go back to studying a Masters in sustainable development as it was becoming clear this was so fundamentally important to the long-term survival of the industry but it was still an area that few knew how to incorporate into business. It also gave me a rare chance to reflect on all the high points of my career to date, being appointed to the Board before I hit 30 was my own personal high and to think how I could encompass my previous experience with more of an emphasis on sustainability in travel and tourism. As I was completing my Masters a friend saw an ad for a job that was about travel and sustainability (amongst many other elements) and that was the real high point, bringing it all together in the new role at ABTA.

What was the low point?

I was working with the Star Alliance during 9/11 and seeing such a tragic and monumental external event impact the way it did on so many people in the industry and beyond was incredibly hard. From a professional perspective it impacted many colleagues and had far reaching consequences for the airline and travel industry, but it also did bring out the best in people and the support shown amongst the industry was overwhelming.

What's your biggest regret?

I don’t do them, I’m quite a yoga addict and it’s really taught me a lot about relishing whatever comes. However, my biggest learning is to go with your instincts more. I knew I was ready to challenge myself and study again about two years before I took the plunge. The fear of change can limit people but wondering ‘what if’ won’t get you anywhere and can hold you back from something so much better. It’s something I think the education system could develop in people so much more.

What would you be doing now if you weren't in travel?

More than likely I’d be a chef. It was a close call at the start as I so enjoyed catering and the theatre of each production. But you don’t get out and about enough to see the world when you’re in a kitchen for hours on end. Now I just get satisfaction travelling and experiencing new food, and catering for friends and family en masse!

Time Traveller is sponsored by HarpWallen.co.uk