Despite working in travel, for a tour operator then AITO, nothing seemed to satisfy her wanderlust and no adventure was too big a challenge.
She’s even helped deliver a yacht from Athens to Tahiti, navigating the boat past enormous cruise ships and tankers through the busy Panama Canal.
However, after the pandemic shut down global travel, Marietta was made redundant. Her full-time role was no more and she feared facing age discrimination trying to find another job at 59.
But as one door closed, Marietta opened another, taking the decision to become her own boss.
After training as an independent travel consultant with The Travel Franchise, she made her first booking for a friend’s holiday in Italy just a few weeks later.
Since then, her business has continued to blossom.
Bookings have flooded in as customers appreciate her extensive travel experience and last year she received her biggest commission ever after organising a holiday just shy of £60k to South Africa.
“Until redundancy, I never had the confidence to make the leap myself,” says Marietta.
“Now that I have, it’s liberating.
“I’m using my long-established contacts and time on the phone to build my own customer base. Age discrimination can’t affect you when you’re your own boss!”
Marietta still travels on holiday and on agent FAM trips to destinations including Costa Rica and Cape Town, exploring the world and extending her knowledge.
“I have always been in awe of travel agents, unable to comprehend how they can retain so much information about destinations and operators. Now I’m one of them!”
Marietta also enjoys the fact that she helps others.
“My client base is mainly women over 50 who, like me, feel that life is for living – with no regrets; we still have a desire to explore the world, and to create our own adventures.”
And Marietta is currently busy creating her next adventure - she has bought a plot of land overseas and plans to build her own home….
“The freedom of being my own boss has also given me the freedom to move to Cyprus!
“The great thing about the franchise is that I can run my business from anywhere!”
“It’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” says mum Becky Westaway who got her travel franchise for free!
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Emma plans to work alongside her daughter to make her travel business more of a family affair.
Ben aimed to work part-time but managed to get his money-back in our challenge and is on the way to over 100k a year in commission
I did £340k of turnover in my first year. I’m now looking for my next challenge, reaching 1 million turnover by the end of year 2.
'I’ve more time with my family now. I have more time to get away with my family. It’s given me a new lease of life and something to be joyful about.
'The Travel Franchise offers you everything you need to create a successful travel business and to be your own boss. It’s hard work, but starting a new business is within any sector. The growth in the business and quality of the training and materials you are equipped with really puts you in a superb position to build a fantastic travel business.
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