Michelle Thake has joined Exoticca as its new Business Development Manager for the South. She was previously Senior Trade Sales Manager for Solmar Villas. Michelle has been in the travel industry for 30 years in a variety of roles. Travel Gossip found out a bit more about Michelle in a quick Q&A…
I never travel without… snacks, as I refuse to pay £12 for a sandwich out of principle.
The famous person (dead or alive) I’d most like to sit next to on a plane is… I’m going to break the rules and say two people. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams from Heated Rivalry. They’re gorgeous, funny and basically a guaranteed in-flight entertainment package.
My weakness is… Côte D’or chocolate from Belgium. It’s so expensive but delicious.
The next place I’ll visit is… Barcelona in March to meet the Exocticca team.
The last place I visited was… Lindos in Rhodes. I attended my close friend’s wedding in St Paul’s Bay, and it was magical.
The worst thing I ate abroad was… deep-fried tarantula in Cambodia. Needless to say, if I am ever asked to go on I’m a Celebrity, it will be a hard no.
My bucket-list destination is… Sri Lanka and the Maldives. That combination of culture and barefoot luxury is totally me.
Born and brought up in… born in Luton and moved to Norfolk when I was 11. We had a pub in Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk.
Live in… a gorgeous cottage in Staffordshire on the King’s Estate.
The best piece of advice I’ve been given is… people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel, so always be kind.
If I could eat one meal for the rest of my life it would be… sourdough with avocado, fresh pomodoro tomatoes and olive oil.
The emoji I use most often is… 🫶
The thing I miss most while travelling is… my own bed. I have stayed in some amazing hotels but there is nothing better than coming home to your own comfy and cosy bed.
In my new role, I’ll be… representing Exoticca as a brand ambassador within the trade, helping agents really understand the value and accessibility of the tours. These are often bucket-list trips that customers assume are out of reach, so being able to show agents how affordable and achievable they actually are – combined with a fantastic technology platform that lets them package and book everything in around 10 minutes – makes it an attractive proposition to take to the trade.
The first thing I notice about a person when I meet them is… whether they have got good energy and you can figure the rest out later.
If I won the lottery tomorrow, I would… help the ones I love, create some unforgettable and memorable experiences with those people I love (involving travel of course) and then probably get bored and go back to work. LOL.
