Bhutan? Check. Italy? Check. India? He's been through the New Delhi airport, survived and can tell you the tale. Most recently? Most recently Carl Paiva has returned from a two-day cruise on the Norwegian Epic – an aptly named boat. But for the CEO of CTravel this is more than mere play; it's learning about his product; it's work.

It is work and experience that CTravel has been providing to Bermuda for the last ten years. And as the economy struggles and travel tastes change, CTravel is changing too – today. From its headquarters on Queen Street it will be downsizing and moving next door. Some of the travel agents– those who do not have clients that come into the office – will work from home.

It's a sign of the times. Times that Mr. Paiva has experienced firsthand with almost 40 years in the business. So how did it all start? What does a travel agent do? And, really, what is the purpose of a travel agent these Internet days?

Mr. Paiva embarks here on a Q&A session ...

What got you into the travel business?

"I have been in the travel agency business since 1972. I had just graduated from college in 1971 with a degree in English and Art history.

"I got into the industry by default because I was really planning to go to graduate school for law. I joined Watlington and Conyers (a travel agency in Bermuda) where I started as a shipping agent for the summer. But I became a travel agent in the winter when there were no boats visiting Bermuda.

"In 1975 I joined Meyer-Franklin and stayed there until 2000 and I started CTravel in November, 2000."

So where did the name for CTravel come from? I mean, besides the obvious travel portion?

"The 'C' in CTravel was born out of a marketing seminar that we attended that claimed 'C' was the strongest letter in the alphabet for marketing. Most people however believe it stands for Carl. This works for us too!!"

You have been in Bermuda's travel business for almost 40 years and CTravel is stepping into the next arena by downsizing the physical office. How have you seen the travel industry evolve?

"It has changed absolutely. It used to all be done over the phone, calling airline reservation counters and everything was done on a personal level. We would have to wait for the confirmation from the airline. The airfares were much higher then and to book a hotel or car reservation was done through writing letters and we waited for a response. Everyone was patient. We were doing everything."

And then there were the social ... issues?

"Couples travelling to hotels or on a cruise ship, well we couldn't book a couple unless they were married. They would have to be married and travelling in the same room."

So what is a day in the life of a CEO of a travel agency?

"In my particular case it's dealing with administration, coming up with new ideas, moving with the times, meeting with suppliers, meeting with everyone from a tour operator to a cruise company or speaking to them on the phone.

"Because I am in marketing I am also always trying to come up with new ideas to get on the radio and TV and the Internet (CTravel has its website ctravel.bm, cruises.bm and quickertix.com). I also meet with the staff to discuss new opportunities.

"A lot of the job is personal contact with staff and clients. Suppliers sometimes come down here and they meet with me to explain their vision moving forward and they do training with the staff. Relationships are absolutely critical and in our industry that means meeting face to face or getting to know them over the phone. I also encourage the travel advisors (because that is what the industry calls them) to embrace what they love because the travel industry is so diversified."

I book most of my trips online and when I organised the trip around the world I did it myself. What are incentives for the public to use travel agents these days when everything is online?

"I compare our jobs to that of an interior designer. They need to meet with the clients, understand what they want and introduce the opportunities they have (just like a travel advisor does). And it doesn't cost anymore (money) to sit with a travel agent. We get commissions from the suppliers. We only charge for airline tickets.

"We also have 130 affiliated offices worldwide. If someone said: 'I want to go to Poland' we could call our on-site and they would come back with a suggested itinerary.

"This will mean going to sites the average traveller will not see. For example when I was in Venice I consulted our on-site, but I had them plan one day in particular. It was called 'The little known Venice'. We literally went to parts of Venice where we saw no tourists. We went to the Ghetto where Jewish people were kept during the World War. We met with the Rabbi there and not being Jewish it was a history for lesson for us."

And it provides more security?

"Yes. For example there was a group going to Africa and they were on tickets that were booked online. They arrived in London and some had tickets that had been stolen and they were supposed to meet a travel agent with the tickets onwards to Africa, but there was no travel agent there.

"Then a church group thought they were booking through a Minister in Florida. They booked 20 cabins. It was false and all that money was gone.

"Every year we go to the travel meeting in Vegas and meet with the various suppliers there which means we recognise names and faces and don't need to worry."

For more of the interview visit www.robynswanderings.com and next week we enter a war zone! No I'm not going to Boston again. It's Afghanistan ... for ... a water project brought to you by Robert Zuill.