Contact Jackie Brown
- Mobile.0275481004
- Location. Bay of Plenty
- Email.jackie@bumstumsandgums.co.nz
About Jackie Brown
I started in the tourism industry at the age of 18, working in ski resorts in the winters, and surfing resorts in the summers, I then lived in the Greek islands for a year working as a meet and greet for cruises. Went on to live in Iceland for a short period (too cold). Lived in Australia for 5 years (Adelaide, Sydney, Perth) before returning to the UK and was a European tour guide for Top Deck travel (the good old days when we used double decker’s), came off the road to be an adventure travel consultant in Decker Travel (Earls Court) before opening the first Flight Centre in 1987 (at London Bridge). Later moved to TFC tours in Piccadilly Circus where I was GSA for cruise ship The Achille Lauro and Sunline Cruises, as a well as corporate consultant for many major companies. Moved to Perth and worked as a travel consultant for FC and also for Commonwealth bank travel in Fremantle. After a few years moved back to the UK for a while, then on to Malaysia for 5 years, where I lived the ex-pat life of cocktail parties and afternoon teas at the embassies! After Malaysia I moved to NZ where I opened the “Bayfair Flight Centre” (when the mall was a lot smaller than now) after 5 years, I was asked by Bay of Plenty Polytechnic if I could teach the National certificate in travel level 3-5, I continued doing this for over 13 years before expanding my teaching role to teaching on the bachelor or tourism management, hotel management and finally creating a post graduate programme in entrepreneurship, which I taught for the next 9 years. Whilst teaching I bought Travelsmart Tauranga, which I sold some years later (it was hard to teach and manage an agency remotely) then 10 years ago, I went to Thailand for a face lift and thus started my Bums Tums and Gums journey. Since I was still teaching, I took advantage of the 10 week school holidays, escorting 10 clients at a time up to the hospital, I have now escorted in the region of 250-300 clients for surgery, as well as many travelling independently. I quit teaching travel and tourism after 22 years to do more trips to Thailand, only to have Covid close all borders, so I pivoted and created my own opportunity but starting a training company for empowering women to get back into employment having lost their jobs due to covid, this led to course for women out of prison, rehab and just those who had lost their mojo!
I am also a wedding celebrant and was voted NZ’s most outstanding celebrant in the Wedding industry awards, married to Steve Brown, one of NZ’s top wedding photographers with 3 silver awards (Europe, world and Italian) in wedding portraits. In between running Bums Tums and Gums, I run short empowerment courses called “Changing Lanes” for women who have “lost their way” whether it be confidence, self-esteem, my course gives them back the tools to add to their kite, live the best versions of themselves.
Availability: 7 days a week.
