Washington Vinoles is retiring after an impressive 50 years in the travel industry.
Most recently, Vinoles was a mobile travel advisor with itravel, having joined the network in search of the flexibility to work from home.
He has also held roles including regional manager for Aerolíneas Argentinas where he covered Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan as well as Australia. It is an achievement he counts among the proudest of his career.
When it came to career advice for people starting out in the travel industry, Vinoles was short but sweet: “Be patient and wait for your opportunity.”
When it comes to navigating uncertain times or difficult international situations, Vinoles focuses on the importance of trust.
“You have to obviously trust your travel agent, and the travel agent will be in touch with the airlines… with the situation at the moment in the Middle East, it is very, very complicated, and it doesn’t seem to get any better soon.”
Whilst his career has taken him around the world, his retirement will see him spend more time at home.
“I’m going to stay at home, enjoy my life at home with my wife, do the normal things that we do when you retire,” he says.
“If I do travel, it’ll be within Australia,” he added.
itravel marked Vinoles’ retirement with a LinkedIn post celebrating his impact and thanking him for his work: “Washington, thank you for your professionalism, your friendship, and your remarkable contribution to both itravel and the travel industry over the past five decades.”
