Meet Allie Coker, one of our Business Travel Consultants on the Oak team! Allie tells us more about her role at Diversity Travel, her highlights at the company and her dream travel destinations.
What does your job as Business Travel Consultant involve?
I am on the Oak Team here at Diversity Travel and have been for the last 11 months. My focus is on our academic clients and we look after all of the university accounts here. Day to day my job can vary, but my team and I generally organise all aspects of academic research trips and conference travel. We also take care of a range of different travel requirements for our customers, from multi-sector flight itineraries to simply booking a taxi to a hotel for the night!
How long have you worked here and what role(s) did you previously have at Diversity Travel? How did they differ from working in the Oak team?
I have been at Diversity Travel for over three years now. I started off on the Rail team before moving over to reservations last December. Rail was very different, as although the itineraries were less complex, we could service all clients across the company. That’s a lot of travel policies to learn! I enjoy having a niche speciality in the academic market as it allows me to develop a very specific skillset and makes me a better consultant overall.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love the unpredictable nature of what itineraries can be. It could be as simple as getting someone from London to New York, or as complex as arranging travel to the middle of Africa with internal flights across the continent. There is something really satisfying about sorting out a really complex itinerary for academics.
What’s been your highlight while working at Diversity Travel?
When I was on the Rail team, we had one person who was deathly afraid of flying and had to get to Rome for An Audience With The Pope. Getting someone from the Highlands of Scotland to Rome without taking a plane is one I will never forget!
What are you looking forward to career-wise?
I am constantly learning in this job and that’s what I love. I am looking forward to learning as much as possible and becoming a complete travel guru.
What’s the best place you’ve ever travelled to and why?
South Africa, without a doubt. Me and a friend started out in Cape Town and finished in Johannesburg, and it was just an adventure getting between the two. We also went on safari and saw some beautiful animals in the wild, including a lot of elephants and one very stubborn Zebra.
Where would your dream travel destination be?
I turn thirty next year (I know I don’t look it as I am an utter baby face 😉) so the big plan is to backpack around Asia for a few weeks. I want to travel from Vietnam to Thailand and just experience everything.