Sandra Potter

Having had a love of travel as long as I can remember, it was natural that I went into the travel business as a secretary over 50 years ago. I soon progressed to being a travel agent which nearly stopped when almost my first call was for a ticket to Lubumbashi – not only had I never heard of Lubumbashi, but I didn’t even known which continent it was on. Those were the days prior to computers and everything had to be looked up in enormous manuals and booked over the telephone.

However, I learnt fast, and it was not long before I was sent on my first educational trip to the US. They worked us hard – in 6 days, we visited New York, Washington, Phoenix and San Francisco! It was enough to make me realise that I wanted to return. Unable to get a Green card to work in the US, I moved to Canada in 1972 for two extraordinarily happy years during which I travelled all over Canada and the US. After my return to the UK, I had the opportunity to start selling holidays to Canada. I leapt at it and Frontier’s story started with an 8-page brochure featuring ski holidays to Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Whistler. 40 clients the first year, 80 the next and then suddenly we were up and away selling holidays to both Canada and America. It was all very exciting. These days I spend more time in the garden, taking my dog into the local hospice where he is a huge hit and, of course, travelling.

Since that first hectic trip, I have been lucky enough to visit America many times both on business and for pleasure. I love the open roads, the friendliness of the people, the sheer variety of terrain, food and experiences there are. I have ridden over the hills of Wyoming, watched alligators in Louisiana, seen the amazing “fall” colours of New England and whizzed down the sand dunes of Oregon. I have done more wine tastings than is good for my liver and eaten so many good things that my waistline expanded. But it is not only the great outdoors and National Parks of the US that are so extraordinary, thanks to generations of philanthropists, there are amazing art galleries, museums to be enjoyed, concerts to be listened to and sports events galore to be watched.