Attention! Travel DAZE is mere weeks away!
Tickets are running out fast BTW, so grab them here while you still can.
And to get you even more dang excited for this Kick Arse event, we though you should get to know this year’s speakers a little better.
Jacqui Timmins is the general manager of Travelzoo Australia and South East Asia, has over 25 years experience in the travel industry, and is an all-round inspiration. Oh, and she was recently ranked number 15 on our Women in Travel Power List for 2018.
And start getting excited, because she’s also one of our speakers at Travel DAZE! Timmins has a wealth of experience, and we can’t wait to hear her invaluable advice. She’s also super excited to speak at the event too – but can you blame her?
What are you most looking forward to at Travel DAZE 2018?
There’s a great line up of speakers at Travel Daze this year and clearly, I’m honoured to be part of the event.
From my point of view, it’s always fascinating to hear about the experiences of my peers in the travel industry – especially the challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve overcome these to drive positive change in their business and industries.
I’m also looking forward to meeting some of the future stars of the travel industry.
The event’s theme is Kick Arse. How are you kicking arse in your current role at Travelzoo?
Well I like to think I’m kicking arse at Travelzoo, or at least the team is. I joined Travelzoo 12 months ago and have been focusing on finding the best and building the foundations of a business we can scale up: we have a multi-talented team with a great blend of youth and experience, robust (growing) membership levels, an increasingly diverse client base and strong revenue growth.
So we’re definitely kicking arse and I like to think strong leadership is part of the formula. On a personal level it was great to be recognised in the recent 2018 Women in Travel Power List too.
What’s been the most rewarding travel experience you’ve ever had and why?
It’s difficult to pick a single experience as there have been many. But the first trip I took as an independent traveller was to Africa and I’d have to say it was transformative.
Sleeping under the stars on a houseboat in Lake Kariba with the late-night sound of hippos is not something that can be replicated anywhere else in the world. There’s something magical about the untamed, wild African continent whose enchantment you cannot escape.
What message do you hope you can impart to the attendees of Travel DAZE?
Kicking arse can be challenging and hard work. It includes failures, learnings, resilience, success stories, and reward – both commercially and personally. But, there’s no joy without the journey – and what better industry than ours to travel.
Who’s been your greatest inspiration in the travel industry and why?
There have been many – depending on where I have been in my career. But, travel (the reason we’re all drawn to this industry) is ultimately about exploration, pushing new boundaries and adventure.
I’m going to cite a woman called Isabella Bird, who was an English explorer, writer and photographer, and the first woman ever inducted into the Royal Geographic Society of London in 1892.
She defied convention, often travelling solo, journeying to Australia and then Hawaii, where she hiked up an active volcano. She explored the Rocky Mountains in Colorado before travelling to Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Morocco, and the Middle East, writing books like The Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan and The Yangtze Valley and Beyond.
Can you imagine how kick arse she was for the time? Her adventures inspire us all to get off the couch and do.
Travel DAZE 2018 will be held on Monday, September 3 2018, at Belvoir St Theatre. Grab your tickets right here, and for all the other deets, head to the website.
