Meera Mavji's family run Travel Agency, Transglobbal Travel Agent, based in Plumstead, London, was shortlisted in the High Street Retailer category at the Royal Greenwich Business Awards.

What do you love most about your job?

I enjoy helping customers plan their dream holidays. I also love that there is always something new to learn daily, i.e. new destination to research, new hotels, helping people to make their travel stress-free. It is a really rewarding sector especially when you get good feedback from customers that makes you self-motivated.

What is a typical day for you and your business?

It varies from day to day, usually it will be a particular destination checking multiple dates and often a new destination or package with specific requirements. We also have to know the entry requirements, and specific cultural knowledge of the destination a customer is travelling too.

A tip for women who want to start their career in your sector?

Travel and Tourism is a very relaxed sector, as long as you have general knowledge with an interest to keep learning and support of a licenced Travel Agent, you can work flexible hours around your family life and also from home if needed.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey to where you are?

After graduating University it was difficult for me to get a job, so with the help of my mum who has all the experience we opened Transglobbal, with any business there are ups and downs and the most difficult time we had was when Covid-19 occurred and grounded all flights.  We are thankful to our customers and Greenwich Council for the support they provided during this difficult time. We are really fortunate that our customers are supportive and recommend our services to others, this has helped our business grow, we are also in the process of adding new products requested by customers to our portfolio.

What do you like most about running your business in Royal Greenwich?

We like the community feel and feel that if we need any help or advice we know who to contact.  We are often invited to partake in visits when the mayor or local councillors visit Plumstead.

We felt very supported by Royal Greenwich in the difficult 2 years we had, when talking to business owners in other boroughs, we realised how much Greenwich Borough supported local businesses.

What role does your business play in the local area?

We support any initiatives Royal Greenwich launches where ever possible, at present I believe Royal Greenwich is in the process of initiating a Safer Greenwich Partnership and we have offered our services. We support our local traders, we try to use local products and services whenever possible.