Why is it that as soon as someone asks for a breakdown of turnover or projected management accounts my brain goes into meltdown? It's happening again this morning. This time it's TOPP which is the insurance which we have to have to cover the clients in the event of our financial collapse (perish the thought) for holidays which don't have a flight involved. The majority are covered by our ATOL (Air Tour Operator's Licence) from the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) but for the few which aren't I have to jump through all the hoops again. Oh, and I've only just finished the Scheduled Airline Failure Cover application.
The trouble with all these things is that they're really little works of fiction. I mean to say - how on earth am I supposed to know how many people are going to book for Northumbria or East Anglia each month bertween now and next spring? It's all guess work and I can't therefore see its value. Grrrrr. Look on the bright side, at least I don't have to spend my life doing sums! Guess it's just as well we're all different.
Things are relatively quiet here now that the brochure's finished and the website's up to date (I think!). It's interesting how the world is changing so fast. Our bookings are well up on this month last year and yet the phone hardly ever rings and there aren't that many emails. I was amazed today to get a postcard asking for details of a holiday and addressed to "Dear Sir or Madam" - now that takes you back to the way it used to be!
We've got a big steam weekend on the Comrie Railroad this weekend - for enthusiasts, not the public - and that makes me realise just how fast this year has gone. Can you imagine it's 12 months since I was telling you about the World 7 1/4 inch gauge Society AGM held here with something like 80 steam trains and about 300 people? Nothing on that scale this year, but it still involves coronation chicken for 40!!!
Better get back to that TOPP projection. Good to get my grumbles off my chest!
Comments