Ian Coles ACC, CTC

Ian Coles is a Certified Travel Consultant and Accredited Cruise Counsellor with Travel Professionals International, specializing in bringing cruise ships and all-inclusive resorts to couples and families.

Despite boyhood dreams of faraway places, I did not originally set out to be a travel consultant. But, in the end, the long and winding road turned out to be the right road.

For a young boy, visits to the airport gave me the chance to watch the luggage trolley – which I longed to drive, or making my way to the roof, where I would watch the airplanes take off and land. With 6 other brothers and an average family income, I did not have much opportunity to travel, but it did not matter to me, I loved the airport. I loved the possibilities it offered.

As I grew, I got involved in other things. I spent many family vacations camping and hiking. In school, I leaned toward business, where I eventually became a computer programmer. And, while I did not place any particular importance on it, I always lingered a little longer than required when I found myself in the airport for one reason or another.

In the meantime, my family grew. I got married and had children. As life settled into a pattern, I realized the joy in life was happening at home with family, but not during working hours. It was time for a change.

That is when I discovered Travel Professionals International. Suddenly, the sights and sounds of the airport flooded my memories: the luggage trolley snaking through the bustling terminal, the roar overhead as jets geared up or down….I remembered the excitement. The possibilites.

In 2004 I decided to start a new venture. But to become the Travel Consultant I wanted to be, there was much to learn. Riding the learning curve did not prove to be a chore. The travel courses and research included such things as attending a “Cruise University”, entering a massive bat cave from a sightseeing dingy, hiking through the back roads of a Caribbean Island and snorkelling the clear and colourful warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the deck of a catamaran. “Work” was now exploring the features of Cruise chips and All-inclusive vacation packages.

Exploring the possibilities I always knew existed was amazing. I knew what it was to juggle a family life and a hectic work schedule and I wanted to help others make the most of their precious holiday time. Now back on the wondrous path I started as a child, I have awakened to a world of possibilities. And I want to share it with you…