For travel industry personnel who have been deprived of their regular travel fix during 2020, there can be few more idyllic ways to enjoy an afternoon than with an indulgent lunch cruise on beautiful Sydney Harbour with a small group of colleagues. This was exactly the treat which awaited six of TravelManagers’ New South Wales-based personal travel managers (PTMs) and three National Partnership Office (NPO) team members when they accepted an invitation from TravelManagers’ Operations Manager, Pru Gallagher, recently.
Gallagher says she conceived of the lunch cruise after enjoying a lunch cruise with Journey Beyond’s Cruise Sydney in June. She contacted Journey Beyond’s Business Development Manager, Craig Owens, who was happy to offer a comparable cruise experience for a TravelManagers crew.
“Invitations were sent out to all of our NSW-based PTMs, along with our Sydney-based National Partnership Office [NPO] team,” Gallagher explains. “We may not be able to venture overseas at the moment, but we can still get together and enjoy some amazing destinations and experiences at home in Australia. We’ve all been through some tough times this year, and I thought the opportunity to come together, swap war stories and just unwind a little was a good one.”
Jennifer Jones, who is TravelManagers’ representative for Wahroonga, was one of the PTMs who gratefully accepted the invitation, and describes the cruise which departed from Darling Harbour and returned two and a half hours later as “well worth the effort.”
“There’s a fantastic camaraderie within the TravelManagers family,” she explains, “and this was a great chance to catch up with friends and colleagues and to share our various COVID-19 experiences and challenges. The amazing food and the ever-changing scenery were a bonus!”
Once aboard their luxurious 78-foot vessel, the group sailed under the Harbour Bridge and down the harbour as far as Watson’s Bay before circling back past Taronga Zoo and Luna Park. Along the way they were treated to a delicious à la carte lunch, complete with a selection of beers, wines, soft drinks and tea or coffee.
Such was the enjoyment of those who participated that Jones says there has been much talk of another cruise later in the year when the weather is somewhat improved.
TravelManagers’ Operations Manager Pru Gallagher (3rd from right) rounded up a cheerful crew for a 2.5-hour Sydney Harbour lunch cruise. She was joined by (L-R) PTM Tanya Tyler, NPO’s Graciela Craig and Penny Toon, PTMs Jennifer Jones, Sue Kuti and Michelle Michael-Pecora, Craig Owens (Journeys Beyond), and PTMs Lana Kanchik and Annalize Troost (in front).
“For me, as well as being a real morale booster, it was great to be reminded that we have some world-beating experiences right here on our doorstep,” adds PTM Sue Kuti, who is TravelManagers’ representative for Randwick, NSW. “I’ve already been thinking about which of my clients would enjoy a spring-time cruise of their own!”
For more information or to speak to someone confidentially about TravelManagers please contact Suzanne Laister on 1800 019 599.
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