>>>REALLOCALS>>>
Travel Direct, Kingscliff
Hi TREVOR, how long
have you been a
Local? 12 years
What is the TREVOR
SHEAHAN Story?
After a 3 year stint in the
Armed Forces (with 18 months spent
in Vietnam), I travelled to Europe for a
6-month adventure – that ended up
lasting 25 years. I was fortunate enough to
get a very low-paying job as a “courier”
(tour manager) for an Australian travel
company that organized camping tours
throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Russia
and North Africa. After an 8-years stint
with that company I travelled to the USA
where I managed to get a job for 3 years
with a tour company in Arizona. After they
downsized – I was fortunate enough to
purchase a small travel agency and used
it as a vehicle to operate a European tour
program until 2000 – when I figured it was
time to “come home” and see what was
happening in Australia. 2 years working for
a tour company in Brisbane then lead to the
chance to purchase the former Traveland
agency in Kingscliff. As well as a retail
agency – it also acts as a vehicle for us to
sell our European tour programmes – the
most popular of which is the “Austrian White
Christmas” packages. I live in Cudgen with
my partner Kathie Young (whom I met on
one of my tours), and who works at a dental
clinic in Cabarita Beach. She also assists with
some of our European tours.
What is the best thing that has ever
happened to you? The decision to travel to
Europe to see how they lived on the “other
side of the world”. The old Chinese proverb
of “a journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step” certainly was true for me.
What is the worst thing that has ever
happened to you? 2 medical issues in 2014
severely curtailed my lifestyle which in turn
will affect my future travel plans.
What was your saddest moment? I escorted
a group of Americans to Australia in 1993 –
and my Mother joined our group for a fun
3 days while we were in Adelaide. Sadly –
just 2 weeks later she passed away. Getting
that phone call was the worst and saddest
call I have taken.
What was the catalyst to a the major change
in your life? Unexpected ill-health.
Where does the travel agent travel to?? As
my “second home” is Europe – and I also
escort several group tours each year – I am
constantly returning there to keep abreast of
the latest in travel product and information
that can be passed to our clients. I like to
re-visit some of the destinations I have
not been to for many years, like Athens,
Istanbul, Copenhagen, Tangiers. Recently
I have been re-visiting Vietnam (8 times in
the last 2 years). I visit a school in Nui Dat
(where the Australian Task Force was based
during the Vietnam “war”) and sponsor
them via school supplies, food and taking
the children on outings. I have Cambodia,
Laos and Japan on my travel “bucket list”.
What do you do when you are not Organising
peoples life time trips? Actually – I look at
my time in Australia between tours and
educational trips as “rest time”. However,
as we have the retail shop in Kingscliff and
our wholesale business dealings with travel
agencies around Australia – there is not
much “ ɕ