Meet TRAVELTALKS DIGITAL EDITOR,MATT LENNON
Matt is well known to the travel industry and a passionate advocate for travel advisors.
Matt Lennon was quite literally born into the travel industry.
With a mother still involved in the travel industry (currently an MTA Travel agent) and a father who has owned and run travel agencies in the past, the business is very much in his blood.
So what was the only logical path for him to follow? Of course it was to be involved in the ‘family business’ so to speak. Not quite, at least not initially.
Another of Matt’s passions is journalism and from a young age, the desire was strong to forge a career in the media. And while he did earn qualifications in media, the lure of the travel industry was strong.
So when the opportunity came up to combine the two, naturally this was a perfect fit.
Now at Traveltalk as its Digital Editor, we chat with Matt to find out a bit more about his adventures around the world, which are only just getting started.
What was your first ever job and what lessons did you take from it?
Before I was even legally allowed to work, I was helping out at my Mum’s travel agent slideshow marketing evenings preparing fruit and snack platters, and occasionally working the light projector rotating the slides (remember those?)
But in terms of a real first job, this was at Dominos Pizza back in 2000. I’ll never forget working the night of the opening ceremony for the Sydney Olympic Games and quoting customers two hours for pick-up orders and four for delivery.
What’s the first thing you do when you start a new position?
I’m a sociable guy and love to meet new people, so will walk the office and say hello to colleagues, even if I’m not working closely with that person.
Working from home now makes this redundant obviously but that just makes me more personable and eager to chat to you when I’m at an industry event.
What did the pandemic teach you about travel?
It taught me many things, perhaps chiefly that ‘travel agents’ should be the new definition of the word ‘resilience’ in the dictionary.
I also learned the world is smaller than ever and we should all see as much of it as possible in the time we have.
Aisle or window seat and why?
I see merit in both but personally, I prefer the window.
Actually, scratch that, I prefer business class where I can have both!
Where is your most favourite destination in the world?
Broadly, I love North America – both the USA and Canada. More specifically, my favourite cities are Indianapolis and New York City.
You might think Indianapolis is an unusual choice but I am a mad fan of the Indycar Series. My favourite annual sporting event is the Indy 500, which I have been lucky enough to attend once.
So while America will always rank highly, I also tend to find something I love about everywhere I go too.
What trips do you have planned for 2023?
I’ll be spending Christmas 2022 and the first week of 2023 in the UK with my partner’s family. Beyond that into 2023, we shall see what the year brings…