Kevin Akers, Travel Counsellor and co-founder of The River Experience, shares how his extensive cruise experience inspired him to build a specialist river cruising business
"Before joining Travel Counsellors, I was lucky enough to have cruised extensively. Arguably maybe going overboard with over 50 different trips to my name around the world. At the time, I never really thought of that experience as anything other than a love of travel and cruising but, when I became a Travel Counsellor, I quickly realised that all those years at sea had given me knowledge I could actually use to help customers and build a business.
I already knew that when booking cruises, it’s not simply about finding a ship that sails a certain itinerary at the best price. The ship, cruise line, cabin type, dining, inclusions, entertainment, excursions and overall atmosphere can make an enormous difference. Being able to talk about cruising from personal experience gave me the confidence to start selling it.
Travel Counsellors has enabled me to take that much further. The support from the cruise team and our Cruise Ambassadors is fantastic, while the TC Teams setup has allowed me to work alongside other Travel Counsellors, share knowledge, learn even more and ultimately offer customers an even better service. You never feel as though you are selling cruise alone.
From the shores to the riverbanks
Now I’m taking that experience in a new direction, from ocean to river.
Together with my business partner, Fiona Dinnis, we’ve created The River Experience, a specialist brand focused entirely on river cruising. Still sitting under the Travel Counsellors umbrella, it’s a very different product to ocean cruising and there has been plenty for us to learn, but that is part of what makes it so exciting.
Although The River Experience is still very new, we’re already building a large, loyal and vocal following through our social media communities. They’re becoming places where experienced river cruisers and complete newcomers can ask questions, share experiences and, importantly for us, discover their next river cruise.
For me, it feels like a natural progression. Personal experience gave me the confidence to start selling ocean cruises, Travel Counsellors gave me the tools and support to turn that knowledge into a business, and now The River Experience is taking that journey from ocean to river."
