From Ops to Strategy: My Two-Decade Road Trip Through the Travel Industry ✈️

For over two decades, I've had the privilege of living and breathing the travel industry. When I look back, my career hasn't been a straight path; it's been more like a scenic, often bumpy, road trip that’s taken me through Operations, Product, Sales, Sourcing, and Strategy.

While each role had its own unique demands, the most important lesson I learned is that every ticket counter, call center queue, and supplier negotiation was a crucial building block for the strategic thinking I employ today. If you're building a career in travel, don't rush to the top floor—the ground floor is where the most valuable education happens.

The Foundation: Why You Should Love the Chaos of Operations

My journey began in Operations, and honestly, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. It’s where you truly learn how the sausage is made—and where it often breaks.

Operations is the engine room of any travel business. It's not glamorous; it's intense. You're dealing with cancelled flights, last-minute changes, angry customers, and systems that constantly challenge your patience.

Bridging the Gap: The View from Product and Sales

Moving into roles like Product and Sales became a natural evolution because I had the operational scars to prove what works and what doesn't.

If Operations is about executing the trip, Product is about designing it, and Sales is about pitching it.

• Product: My Ops background meant I couldn't design a product that looked great on paper but fell apart at 3 AM. It allowed me to champion features that solved real-world operational bottlenecks, not just shiny marketing demands.

• Sales: In B2B Sales, being able to talk credibly about the operational efficiency and resilience of our offering—because I had lived it—was a game-changer. It built instant trust with partners. I wasn't selling an abstract concept; I was selling a proven, robust system.

The Apex: Strategy Built on Sand and Stone

When I eventually moved into Strategy and Commercial leadership, I wasn't just armed with spreadsheets and market analysis. I was armed with two decades of experience across the entire value chain.

Strategy that's disconnected from operational reality is doomed to fail. A strategy role requires you to look ahead, but you can only see the future clearly if you understand the foundation beneath you.

Why Diverse Experience Fuels Better Strategy:

1. Feasibility Check: Every strategic initiative I propose is automatically filtered through the question: "Can our Ops team actually execute this effectively?"

2. Sourcing Smarter: Understanding Sourcing negotiation tactics means I know where we have leverage, where we have risk, and how to build partnerships that genuinely align commercial goals with supplier realities.

3. Holistic View: When assessing a new market opportunity, I don't just see the potential revenue (Sales); I see the required infrastructure (Ops), the necessary technology development (Product), and the potential cost implications (Commercial).

My road trip has proven that the most effective leaders in the travel industry aren't the ones who specialize narrowly, but the ones who understand the interconnectedness of every department. The next time you feel bogged down in an entry-level or operational role, remember this: You are building the foundation for your most impactful strategic decisions.