Cat began her Ticket to Ride journey by learning to surf on the flagship South Africa course back in 2008, before graduating with a Business Management degree from Surrey University and now she is now the Surf Division Manager based in the Newquay, Cornwall office. Mixing her studies, work and pleasure in the ultimate way.
Name and job title: Cat Aylwin – Ticket to Ride Surf Division Manager
How long have you surfed? Well I first surfed in Polzeath when I was about 14 and my school ran a couple of weekend trips there a year, but it wasn’t until I found the TTRide team at a gap show a few years later that I got more intrigued and then booked onto the South Africa trip and got hooked.
What do you love about surfing? To be honest, considering the hours and experience I have had surfing in Cornwall and on trips abroad, I really should be better than I am but I don’t mind, I just love getting in the sea, it’s a huge natural high. It’s also the most wholesome fun thing to do with mates.
How did you get into the surf travel game? It all started on the South Africa Ticket to Ride Trip in 2008, then I went to Uni and studied business. Four years later with good degree under my belt I traveled around a bit drifting between a few dead end jobs then on a procrastination session at one of said dead end jobs I looked up Ticket to Ride and realised their head office was a 10 minute walk from my house. I randomly sent a CV to Linley (one of the Directors) asking for some work experience and had a three month internship booked in by the end of the week. I’ve now worked here three years, responsible for a team of sales agents, the marketing team, a bunch of surf coaches, lead the relationships with international suppliers, have overseen the introduction of Errant Surf Travel to the company, the expansion of the Cornwall Surf Schools and general growth Ticket to Ride surf travel. I always wanted to work in a small business for this reason, you get to work in all parts of the company and play a direct role in it’s growth. Some things work, some don’t but it’s all great experience and I’m loving it.
What do you love about your job? Having a direct influence on the growth of the company and helping make it as awesome as possible. The surf travel side of things is obviously an awesome perk, the work trip to Bali last year was especially pleasant. Also the office is right on the beach and very close to my house.
Are there any negatives? Well it is still an office job so the 9-6 can be a bit of a struggle if the sun is shining and the waves are pumping!
What is the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with yet? Maybe when a guest in pretty remote Northern Spain badly dislocated his shoulder within an hour of arrival and trying to communicate with Spanish paramedics, who spoke no English. Or maybe when a tiny reef scratch turned into full blown giant-swollen-foot-infection when I was visiting Bali, shortly followed by dengue fever. Neither recommended.
What is the worst request or complaint a customer has eve given you? Without sounding arrogant, we don’t experience too many complaints. But I do remember one customer not being happy that the waves were pretty flat while away in Portugal through Errant Surf. Obviously this is quite a frustrating thing when you’ve been looking forward to your surf trip for months, but unfortunately it’s one thing that’s completely out of our control.
What are the three best things about living and working in Newquay? Nothing beats living by the sea. Cornwall has to be the best place to live in the UK, much better than my brief stint in the Big Smoke. Also The Jam Jar avocado bagels (Google it). And all your friends live with in about 2 miles of each other. The simple life 🙂
What are the three best things about working for Ticket to Ride? Sounds cheesy, but the people. We have the best group of people working at TTRide. Always a pleasure seeing these group of loons every day. Then last year we took on an office on Tolcarne Beach in Newquay, so you can’t really beat a beach-side office. It’s pretty distracting some days but great for the office vibes. Then again there’s the travel! I’ve been fortunate to travel to every location we run trips (apart from Mozambique hint hint)