From mother to daughter: The Contiki legacy lives on

We love heart-warming stories here, and we’re no strangers to them either! Travelling with people from around the world is sure to bring about some beautiful tales – but we think we’ve uncovered one that may trump them all right on our doorstep… Meet Paula and Annie Kane, mother and daughter, travel obsessed Kiwis with spirits of fire and hearts of gold, and both working for Contiki!

For those of you who are unaware, Contiki is a household name in Australia and New Zealand, so it’s no huge surprise that both Paula and Annie have had a hand in the company. Paula was a Trip Manager, leading travellers around the world on their adventures, and Annie is a valued member of Contiki’s marketing team. We sat down to interview both of them about what it means to share experiences with the same company, and to continue the legacy. 

Hi Paula, and Annie! Before joining the company, had either of you been on a Contiki before? Had you heard of it before?

“Let’s go in chronological order,” Annie jokes, and Paula takes over.

“Growing up, a lot of my friends had done Contiki tours around Europe in the summer, however I wanted to be a little more independent, so I did a different tour. But I knew about Contiki, and when I ended up in London I saw an advertisement for Trip Manager roles – it caught my eye and that’s really how it began for me!”

“My introduction to Contiki came from this woman,” says Annie. “Contiki was a household name for us in the literal sense: I grew up hearing stories of my mum’s travels, and as a family we did our own tours. A Tiki Tour basically means taking the long way or the scenic route, and so we’d have family drives around New Zealand to explore. Travel was always in my life, I’d never been on a Contiki myself, but was drawn to it.”

Like you say, Annie, has travel always been in your lives?

“Yes, very much so!” Paula chimes. “In 2009 we, my husband and I, decided that the kids needed a bit of culture and exploration, so we took them out of school for 108 days! Annie and our other daughter were actually born in Bangkok, so we took them back to Asia to visit, and then we kicked off on a tour of Europe.”

“It was really amazing – we ended up at a lot of old haunts that I knew from my time as a Trip Manager, and that’s how Annie got her first introduction into travel and seeing what Contiki was all about.”

“Some may even say that that was the longest Contiki trip anyone’s ever been on – 108 days! We haven’t beaten that yet,” adds Annie.

Paula, what initially drew you to the role of Trip Manager?

“What initially drew me to the job was simply the fact that I’d be leading a group of people and standing in front of them every day, entertaining them and also offering them information and culture. I’d done a lot of travelling before, and I knew I’d be good at that, that’s the kind of personality I have.”

“But then as I went through the interviewing and training process, I just fell more and more in love with the role. The training was a long trip through Europe where I got to meet other potential Trip Managers, do a lot of learning, and always have fun along the way.”

And how long were you a Trip Manager for?

“I started in 1989 and I worked through that year doing three really big tours. I did Oktoberfest tours as well from London, and once I had a group of 160 Aussies, Kiwis, and Americans, and it was just me and three drivers with three coach-loads of people. That was my last tour in Europe, and I travelled back to New Zealand after that.”

“I did a season in New Zealand as well, and then I went back to working a normal job. So I was a Trip Manager for two years, but it’s the kind of thing I’ve felt has always been in my blood since.”

“It’s funny,” says Annie, “because my whole life I thought you’d been a Trip Manager for five or ten years just based on the amount of stories you had to tell us!”

What was it like being a Trip Manager in New Zealand, where you’re from?

“Beautiful. I felt so at home and at ease with the knowledge. You know, I’d grown up here and knew so much about the country so I was able to just roll out the information without even really thinking about it. I felt very proud to be able to show all our international travellers New Zealand and what makes it so beautiful and exciting.”

What would you say your favourite part of being a Trip Manager was?

“Oh my favourite part was the people without a doubt. I have so many good memories! One of my favourite days of being a Trip Manager was when I arranged a mock wedding for two travellers on my second trip. It was this really shy Australian boy and shy Canadian girl, and I knew that they had a connection but they were just too shy.”

“We were leaving Florence for Rome and on the coach that morning I informed everyone that there would be a wedding! We had a veil made out of toilet paper and we wrote marriage vows and had this fake wedding on board. It was really fun, and the beautiful thing is that this couple actually ended up getting married in real life and invited me to the wedding in Canada.”

“So, it was the people that made being a Trip Manager so amazing, and it’s what makes Contiki so amazing.”

Have you had the chance to reunite with any past travellers or colleagues?

“I haven’t had a chance to see any past travellers, but I’ve been to a Trip Manager reunion or two. They’re really inspirational events, actually. Hearing everyone’s journey with Contiki, seeing how it’s changed throughout the years. People come from all over the world and it’s great to meet people and see old faces again.”

Annie, you work for Contiki in our marketing team, but was there a part of you that also wanted to become a Trip Manager?

“Yes, actually! I was at a point where I was a bit tired of my job and I wanted to move overseas, and I actually started the application process for it on the Australian side. But then Covid happened.”

“So, I guess it was never in the stars, though I’ve always been drawn to the idea of it, and I feel like it’s something I would have loved, and my mum would have given me plenty of little nuggets of wisdom.”

How does it make you feel that your daughter works at Contiki now, and is carrying on your legacy?

“It makes my heart sing. I’m very proud of the things that all three of my children have achieved, but I have to say Annie and I have a lot of similarities – we have the same character and personality, the same approach to things, and the same passion for travel, and Contiki was an excellent fit for me and it’s an excellent fit for her.”

“When she was going through the Trip Manager application process for Australia I really encouraged her through it, and now she’s in marketing and I’m just so proud.”

And Annie, how does it feel to be following in your mum’s footsteps?

“So proud! Having grown up with my mum’s stories from the past makes me feel so connected to the brand, like I know it so well, and then being able to share these stories with my team is always great fun. I was also able to experience the Contiki magic myself, and I felt so close to my mum in those moments.”

“It feels really special to have that heritage thanks to my mum, but also thanks to being a Kiwi where Contiki is such a huge thing and a part of many people’s lives.”

How do you both feel that Contiki has evolved as a brand?

“Oh, it’s incredible,” says Paula. “When we operated in the ‘80s and ‘90s, most travellers were Aussies and Kiwis going out to see the world and a lot of the trips were camping style, and they still included these exciting and cultural activities, but not as much as today. It’s just really grown, and you can see how travel has changed as well in what people are looking for when they go abroad.”

Annie adds: “I agree, the way that people want to travel is so different now and hearing from my mum’s stories the evolution is clear. The way we travel has just grown, and Contiki with it, and it’s so cool to be part of this sort of generation.”

“There was also this notion, at least here in New Zealand, that Contiki was only good for multi-country European tracks, but now you can see the breadth of the product and all these amazing trips Contiki offers like going to safari in Africa or trekking through Peru, etc,” says Paula.

Through both of your work at Contiki, do you feel as though you share a bond?

“We do, of course, as mother and daughter, and that’s forever. But it is so special to know our journeys have been so similar.”

“I think there are a lot of similarities in the jobs that we do,” says Annie. “As Digital Lead, my job is to listen to people and understand what they need in terms of their digital experience, and as a Trip Manager you [Paula] had to listen to travellers and be very much empathetic towards them. So, it’s different, but kind of the same.”

“I do feel more connected to Annie,” says Paula, “because I know Contiki, I know the brand, I know the people and the product, and it’s great to see her fit in so beautifully. I love asking Annie about how her work is going and I hope she gets to experience more adventures with them like me.”