While most of us are used to travelling with family, friends or happily as a solo explorer, some may require an extra bit of help along their journey, especially those who are travelling for work and have a busy schedule to keep.
Step in Brigitta Gumpold; the all in one personal assistant, massage therapist, fitness trainer, nutritional guide, and private chef for your green smoothie, who will ensure your travel plans are met and your health and fitness stay tip top while you’re on the go.
We spoke with Brigitta to find out just what it is that makes her the only travel assistant you will need and what skills and expertise she brings to the role.
So, Brigitta, tell us how you work and what it means to be an all in one travel assistant?
To cover all the above, I save my high-end business clients having to book massage-sessions, go to the gym; I make sure they get their hands on the right food and, above all, they have somebody taking care of some of their business issues like a typical PA would.
They prefer having their PA, massage-practitioner, fitness-trainer and nutritional guide all in one person and, even better, a person who is healthy. My bag is always packed too, so if I am required to travel at short notice, I am ready to go. This is again where the versatility of my services and my flexibility as a person is of benefit to my clients.
How is the current Covid-19 pandemic affecting business for you?
Already prior to the current C19 chaos, my clients loved the fact that they can have some ‘all in one’ help, but I have had a recent rise in enquiries from clients for two new reasons:
Even though most of us are not allowed to travel at the moment, there is still some business travel going on. Lots of clients ask me to fill in for their usual PAs as some of them don’t want to or cannot travel under the current circumstances. Lots of enquiries are coming in because some people don’t want to expose themselves to travelling as much in the future as they did without thinking in the past, so this is where my work, my versatility and my willingness to travel is a game changer.
The second reason: Going forward lots of business-travellers don’t want to expose themselves to having to have contact with more people than necessary but still want their massage, their fitness-trainer and PA. Meaning: while prior to C19 they wouldn’t even think about it, now they see it as a benefit if they can have many fields covered by just one person.
What expertise do you bring as a massage therapist?
Anyone travelling frequently for business knows how important it is to have the opportunity to get a nice massage but also knows how difficult it is to get one exactly at the time when you need it. Early in the morning, a massage can be a power-boost to start your day well, late at night (after all those long meetings) it will relax, and an on-demand massage during the day can be a life saver.
I am a certified Lomi Lomi Nui and reflexology practitioner and it is one of my easiest tasks to pamper my clients with exactly the massage treatment they need in the time available. Every massage is tailored to my clients’ needs, I am not running a ‘standard-program’ but quite the opposite. Out of the already exclusive, traditional Hawaiian, Lomi Lomi Nui massage, I have developed new types of massages, which you are not able to get anywhere else. And when it comes to time, a massage doesn’t have to take 45 to 60 minutes to be effective, it’s a question of dedication and skill of the practitioner to ensure deep relaxation or a much-needed power-boost that can be achieved within 15 minutes.
What can someone hiring you expect as a fitness instructor?
All of my fitness routines are achievable without the use of a gym, and most of them require no equipment either. The only item that may be needed is a yoga mat, which I bring along with me.
Most of my clients who want support with their fitness while traveling love the fact that none of my routines are longer than 15 minutes, they can be even be completed at the airport if one is very eager! If clients have an early start, I can be at their hotel room door at 5.30am ready to motivate them towards their fitness goals every day. And of course, after such a workout I am there to offer a massage before their working day begins.
How can you help clients with their nutritional needs while travelling?
I consider myself a nutritional guide and private chef, though I support a diet where all the food is eaten mostly raw, steamed or grilled, so there isn’t too much cooking involved! If my clients wish to follow a certain diet also while travelling, I make sure they don’t deviate from their path due to a lack of options on the road. From breakfast until dinnertime I make sure the right food is served, whether I am preparing this food or not.
I can take on the role of the personal assistant in regards of my client’s diet by calling ahead to hotels to discuss meals and making sure the smoothie at the breakfast table has the right ingredients. During meetings I make sure only appropriate snacks and drinks are served and, if there are dinners to attend, I will contact the restaurant. To summarise, I work around the clock to ensure my client only gets food within their chosen diet.
What other abilities do you bring to the role of personal assistant?
As mentioned above, my work as a personal assistant covers all sorts of topics including the organisation of my client’s diet, but is surely not comparable with the role of a typical PA.
I feel that my background; being self-employed for the last 25 years, being a savvy traveller and having looked after a busy household, besides running a successful career for the last 14 years in the UK make me a very organised person myself. I am certainly used to organising all sorts of things for others, I am handy with gadgets, electrical equipment, and I speak German and English, which comes in handy.
What I do for my clients while we travel is really to take care of everything that needs organising; taking phone calls, calling ahead to hotels and business partners to make sure everything is organised to my clients satisfaction, and so much more.
