Travel may be heading towards a recovery, but the scars from the past two years remain; as businesses rebuild, it is vital the industry’s renewed focus on mental health remains firmly on the agenda.
To keep up awareness and boost support, TTG Media has embarked on the next stage of its Get Travel Talking campaign with Abta LifeLine, with five Get Travel Talking Champions ready to start their mental-health first-aid training and pledge their support for their industry peers.
For Tony Mann, managing director of Idle Travel in Bradford, mental health is a “deeply personal” subject, having grown up with his mother’s own struggles. “Mental health had a stigma attached to it back then,” he said. “It was something to be kept quiet and not talked about. That has changed, and we’ve realised that everybody is affected in some way.
“It’s not necessarily visible, but it can be debilitating and creep up on you very quickly. We need the industry to focus on it, especially after the stress everybody has endured during the pandemic.
“Being part of this scheme means so much – if we can help just one person muster the strength and courage to pick up the phone and speak to someone in our industry who is going to listen and not judge, it will be a great success.”
Each Champion will undertake a two-day mental-health first-aid training course run by St John Ambulance, learning practical skills to spot common signs of workplace mental health struggles and effectively guide those in need towards the right support.
St John Ambulance has been delivering mental-health first-aid training since 2017 and launched its own accredited qualification in May last year. Equipped with the knowledge and confidence from their training, the Champions will available to anyone in the industry wanting to speak to them.
Training course places have been funded by a collection at last year’s Travel Industry Awards by TTG, and TTG will follow the Champions as they complete their training and share their experiences to further raise mental health awareness.
‘It’s OK not to be OK’
“Having dedicated, trained Champions in the workplace is a great step forward in changing the culture and reducing the stigma attached to poor mental health,” said St John Ambulance operations manager for mental health, Deborah Ayris. “We’re delighted to support TTG and Abta LifeLine in their mission.”
Vertical Systems managing director Chris North is another Champion. He has become a vocal advocate on mental health after finding himself “in an incredibly dark place” in recent years. “After opening up about my own challenges, I learnt mental-health issues are far more common than I realised,” he said. “I’ve spoken to colleagues, customers, friends and family, and in every case, someone has been suffering in some way.”
North has held regular talks and coffee mornings with industry colleagues during the pandemic, especially homeworkers, and through Get Travel Talking wants to “shout from the rooftops that it’s OK not to be OK”. “In travel, we’re generally bubbly people; we sell dreams to customers, after all. You always have to smile and put on your ‘game face’ but every so often we need some help.”
Gina McRobbie, branch manager of Love To Travel in Coatbridge, will also be taking up the Get Travel Talking cause. She said living 300 miles from family during lockdown made her focus on the importance of mental health and “making sure nobody feels alone or isolated”.
“As an industry, we’re still feeling the effects,” she said. “Most will have family or friends they can speak to, but they don’t understand what it’s like for those of us who work on travel’s front line – it’s been draining. Talking to someone who’s gone through the same thing can be a massive help, to know you’re not alone.”
Similarly, agent support manager Carol Blackburn from The Personal Travel Agents in Partnership with Your Co-op wants to encourage more openness and discussions around mental health across the industry. “Sometimes, just opening a conversation with someone about how you’re feeling is all that’s needed [but] it can be the hardest thing to do,” she said. “There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to mental health, but knowing there is help out there and someone to talk to or someone that can direct you to areas of help is invaluable.”
Champion David McDonald, managing director of three-branch agency World Travel Lounge and LGBT operator Chillimix Holidays, said the support of colleagues had helped him through tough times, adding he wanted to offer the same assistance.
“I want to be there for any travel colleagues who don’t feel able to talk,” he said. “There’s one word to describe what we’ve been through in the last two years – relentless. As an industry, we’re exhausted, battered and bruised; we’re trying to recover our businesses while we’re still stressed, running on empty and with different worries and pressures.”
Trudie Clements, Abta LifeLine director, said the aim was to extend the Get Travel Talking Champions network over time. “We’re so excited our Champions network is getting under way. Please do get in touch if you would like to be involved in this important initiative for our travel community.”
