Debbie Rains’ family business, Gallivanter Travel, won two Townsville Business Awards

Pioneering business leader Debbie Rains’ transformation of her family’s travel business into Gallivanter Travel has earned her and her team recognition at the recently held Townsville Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.

Gallivanter Travel owner Debbie Rains. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Recognised for her outstanding business leadership, Debbie Rains is revolutionising the travel industry through her innovative vision at Gallivanter Travel.

Proudly born and raised in Townsville, Debbie has spent her life nurturing her family and building a successful career in the travel industry.

As a mother of three adult children and a grandmother of five, her roots in the region run deep.

Debbie’s journey in the travel business took flight with various franchise groups, starting with Harvey World Travel, moving on to Escape Travel, and later, Travel Associates.

“For all of my business life, I have been part of a franchise group,” Debbie told NQ Weekend.

However, following a series of shifts within the franchise framework, she and her team decided that it was time to take the reins and transform into a fully independent entity.

“During Covid, we managed to reinvent ourselves and as such started to question the value of franchise was offering to our business and then when another change was being forced upon us, we took the opportunity to take control of our future. With our newsletter produced weekly under the name The Gallivanter for two years, we had established some branding awareness around this name, so to me, the obvious name for the business was Gallivanter Travel. “

Choosing a new name for the family-run business was the easy part of the rebranding process.

“We then had to set about rebranding every aspect of our business,” Debbie explained.

“So we came up with our logo and style guide and then went about totally changing our look and feel.

The team from Gallivanter Travel at the Townsville Chamber of Commerce Business Awards

“I was so over having to wear black uniforms to work and so this formed the basis of what colours I chose for our new look.

“Our beautiful new green offers a fresh and inviting welcome into the stores now we have refitted all four and our uniforms are light and easy to wear in our climate.”

The rebranding exercise also included a complete refit of their stores, the introduction of a self-ticketing system, and the launch of their new website, gallivantertravel.com.au, complete with a cruise portal.

The transformation did not go unnoticed with Gallivanter Travel recently recognised by the Townsville Chamber of Commerce, winning the prestigious Business of the Year Award and the Business Transformation of the Year Award.

Debbie’s love for Townsville is palpable.

“It’s provided me with an amazing upbringing and opportunity and a lovely place to raise my family and offer opportunities for them to now raise their families,” Debbie, mother of three adult children and grandmother to five, said.

“Growing up we would disappear on our bikes with the neighbour’s kids and explore for hours only coming home at dark. Schooling created lifelong friends and connections and a real sense of belonging. We have an amazing climate, yes it gets hot in summer, and so many things to do.

“It’s still relatively affordable and a very liveable city.”

Debbie said Townsville’s size and supportive nature helps when starting a business or growing one.

“There are a lot of avenues for support, yes you do need to put yourself out there, but someone will know someone who can help or help you make that connection.”

This sentiment is echoed in her vision for business in Townsville, particularly in addressing challenges such as safety and security in the CBD.

“Right now in Townsville, safety and security are two very topical issues. The CBD currently has a lot of unsavoury behaviour happening which moves on when areas are activated.”

Debbie said there were several businesses in the CBD trying to work together to activate spaces and encourage people to come back in.

“We need the Townsville City Council on-board to do their bit and work with vacant building owners to engage and come up with plans to activate their spaces.”

Despite the myriad of challenges, including economic downturns and the recent pandemic, Gallivanter Travel has continued to adapt and innovate.

Gallivanter Travel owner Debbie Rains pictured with her children Brittany and Liam. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“The travel industry and my business journey has been impacted by so many challenges.

“We have endured terror attacks such as 911, London and Bali bombings, GFC and other world recessions, natural disasters where airlines were grounded and people stranded, and numerous viruses like equine flu, bird flu etc, however our biggest challenge was when COVID hit and our borders were closed.

“When our whole business was about people travelling and to have the world completely stop for an unknown length of time, was very frightening. “

During COVID-19, when travel was at a standstill, Debbie and her team discovered new avenues to keep their business afloat.

“Fortunately living up north allowed us to keep travel happening regionally so we packaged trips to Longreach, Whitsundays etc and then turned the sentiment around when we started our charter weekends.

“After a coffee with the manager at Alliance Airlines with the view to try and see how we could work together on some mining business, I learnt that Alliance have a Fokker on the ground every weekend.”

Debbie took the brave and bold step to commit to chartering the Fokker.

“After studying a map of Queensland and Northern Territory with Liam, I came up with the idea of flying directly to Uluru.”

The weekend charter flights grew to other destinations such as Noosa, Hamilton Island and Hervey Bay.

Debbie and her team organised 26 charters during the Covid-19 period.

Brittany Swash, Debbie Rains and Liam Giudes. Photo: Josephine Carter

With a remarkable 35-year tenure in the travel industry, Debbie reflects on the many changes she has witnessed.

“My travel industry career began in reservations at TAA, one of Australia’s two domestic airlines,” she recalled.

From printed flight schedules to the rise of the internet, the landscape of travel has evolved dramatically. Despite these changes, Debbie remains passionate about her work, noting, “We believe in the power of travel to create lifetime memories. That’s why, and it’s true.”

Debbie’s passion for travel extends to her family, with her children, Liam and Brittany, taking on key roles in Gallivanter Travel.

“I am very fortunate that two of my children have chosen to join the family business. I absolutely love working with these two very different individuals, who each have their own strengths.”

Brittany’s role at Gallivanter Travel is the administration manager, and Liam is the company’s general manager.

“Liam will eventually manage the business in the future, ably supported by Brittany, when I retire, which is ... not sure, but soon.”

Debbie said having a succession plan in place, had provided the confidence to make the change to go independent and rebrand the business to Gallivanter Travel.

“Currently Liam is instrumental in introducing our new offering by way of the Cruise Portal, Self Ticketing and Online Business Portal and Brit is transforming and managing our administration to keep up. Looking to the future with younger enthusiasm can only benefit our business.”

Debbie Rains says she is fortunate two of her children Brittany and Liam, have chosen to work in the family business. Picture: Shae Beplate.

The family-oriented atmosphere at Gallivanter Travel permeates not only their internal operations but also their community involvement.

Debbie has held numerous volunteer roles over the years, advocating for local initiatives and mentoring upcoming entrepreneurs.

“Giving back is part of my ethos.”

Debbie believes that fostering connections and supporting the next generation of leaders is essential for the growth of the community.

She emphasises the importance of community support for local businesses.

“Supporting local businesses is paramount if we wish to sustain and improve our liveability. Businesses cannot survive unless they are supported by their communities and getting recognition helps bring focus to our businesses and awareness that there are some amazing operators here and as such you don’t need to look elsewhere.

“As a business, our philosophy is to support other local businesses as a priority and really love it when other businesses then support us.”

Debbie said the business has always been a member of the Townsville Chamber of Commerce and Townsville Enterprise, so as to be part of that larger business community all advocating for the larger business community on the bigger stage.

Looking to the future, Debbie is excited about the potential for growth.

“Currently, Gallivanter Travel is located in Townsville, Mackay, and Rockhampton, however, I can see the green popping up in other locations down the track.”

Originally published as Debbie Rains’ family business, Gallivanter Travel, won two Townsville Business Awards