After a somewhat rocky start, Kristin Edgeworth is this month celebrating 25 years as a travel broker, and now heads up a team of five at 360edge.
Edgeworth became a broker in 2001 following the birth of her daughter, joining Jetsave Travel. A few weeks hence the business was sold to travel.com.au, which a year later let go all 77 brokers due to the rise of the internet.
She then spent two years as a broker for GO Holidays before joining the Travel Managers Group.
Her business started gaining pace with Edgeworth hiring her first employee in 2010, whose 16-hour-a-week role became closer to 40 hours after just two weeks.
More hires soon followed and, now part of Wanderlust, Edgeworth’s team of six includes Sally Brasell and Jemma Vinsen, who have been with her for more than 11 years.
She attributes this loyalty to her ‘work hard and have fun’ ethos.
. . . Relationships
Alongside her team, Edgeworth says her client relationships have been key, with some customers with her since her very first start as a travel agent at Travel for Less Remuera.
“Having loyal clients and looking after them has been the biggest thing,” she says. “For me, I’m nothing without my clients.”
Strong ties with wholesalers and knowledge are also important, she adds, especially with the rise of the internet and AI meaning clients know so much more. Edgeworth says her team is ‘always looking at how we can do things better and being open to change.’
. . . What’s Next
Looking ahead, the focus for Edgeworth is finding her work-life balance and a whole lot of travel, with her bucket list including Central and South America, Egypt, Jordan and the Silk Road.
1. With their awards haul at the recent WTE awards are Jemma Vinsen, Roshan Kencalo, Kristin Edgeworth, Sally Brasell and Shelley Richdale. 2. Embracing the ‘have fun’ side of Edgeworth’s ethos is her team hosting a Pink Ribbon Breakfast; Roshan Kencalo, Sally Brasell, Kristin Edgeworth, Jemma Vinsen and Shelley Richdale. 3. Kristin Edgeworth on her first ever-famil to Vanuatu in 1993 with Sarah Hunter (now at GO Holidays), who had just started as the sales executive at Air Vanuatu.
