How One Advisor Made the Shift from the Navy to Agency Owner

With Veteran’s Day taking place in the U.S. on Nov. 11, it’s a perfect time to recognize the impact that military veterans have had on the travel agency industry.

John Gawne, Independent Vacation Specialist with Cruises Inc. in Virginia Beach, Va., took some time to answer questions from TMR about his military service and how he transitioned into the world of travel agencies.

What branch of the military were you in?
US Navy, 20 years, surface warfare officer, but trained as a Human Resource Management Consultant.

How did you transition to civilian life?
I had a contact that enabled me to work as a management consultant for a major bank for nine years until banking mergers caused staff reductions. I was asked to manage a major home furnishing company as general manager, not because I had retail or furniture experience, but because I had experience managing people, and they had a large staff. After a short time, I was hired by a university to develop and run a credit IT program where I had to do planning, manage staff and resources, and some marketing. During a state budget crisis, we lost our funding and I had to find something quickly.

How did you land on pursuing a career as a travel advisor?
I had been to many places while in the Navy — Far East, Australia, Europe, even stationed in Greece for three years. We started cruising annually or semi-annually while working in my post-Navy jobs and through participating on a cruise-centric board on the internet, I became aware of Cruises Inc. When my university job ended, I need something right away that didn’t take a big expense to get started, and I wanted to be my own boss and work from home. For less than $1,000, I attended in-person training and was certified as a Cruises Inc Agent. I equipped my home office with phone lines and computer/printer/scanner/fax.

How has your career progressed?
In my first year as a Cruise Inc. agent I was selected as Rookie of the Year! I have been in the top quarter of Cruises Inc. agents every year since, and we began traveling up to five times a year. I got certified as a Sandals Certified Specialist, an AMResorts Master Agent, and completed certified training with all major cruise lines on an ongoing basis. I used every opportunity to visit and inspect all-inclusive resorts, and made it clear to my clients that we could help them with tours and resorts as well as cruises. I have now been to more than 50 countries and my wife and I have been on more than 90 ocean and river cruises. My customers are all over the country, and some are in other countries.

What makes your military experience useful in the travel agent world?
International travel experience was the most useful, and training in intercultural relations used in Vietnam and in Greece was a natural move toward helping people learn to experience other cultures. The broad variety of assignments I had as a Naval officer required me to manage people, material, and funding. This prepared me to do that in my own business.

How does your experience in the military shape not only your professional life, but your personal life?
Focus on the task at hand until accomplished, drawing on my past experiences, and do it in timely fashion. Be willing to try new things, experience new places, culture, food. Act independently with the resources at hand.