Working Wednesdays: Selling Ice Cream in Bournemouth

Jonny Blair worked at Best Break Bournemouth for 4 years selling ice cream

Working Wednesdays – Selling ice cream by Bournemouth beach in ENGLAND. One of my most enjoyable jobs to date – spent FOUR Summers doing that!

Selling ice cream goes down as one of my favourite jobs. I spent 4 summers doing this as one of my jobs. It did seem at one point I would actually prolong my stay in the English seaside town of Bournemouth as I was constantly working and enjoying life there. But one day it all changed – I jetted off to Taiwan and well that was almost four years ago. However, realistically my job selling ice cream in Bournemouth played a major part in why I now travel the world…

Jonny Blair living a lifestyle of travel sold ice cream by Bournemouth beach for 4 summers

Selling ice cream by the beach in Bournemouth – living some kind of dream for 4 summers in the beautiful seaside town!

I started selling ice cream in May 2004. I had just recovered from a broken arm and was working in the local Tesco supermarket while studying a degree in Public Relations at Bournemouth University. One day I walked past the ice cream booth in Bournemouth and just asked have you got any jobs going? The sun was shining and it seemed like a good idea. The answer was yes and I started the next day.

a lifestyle of travel - Jonny Blair and his international friends

Nights out partying with my new friends from my ice cream selling job

That day my life changed. I worked with 6 people – one from Germany, one from Guinea (in Africa), one from Colombia, one from New Zealand, one from Poland and a token English guy. I suddenly had covered four continents of culture in one work place. It got better – over the next few months as the place became busy, I worked with Canadians, Spanish, Brazilians, Latvians, Chinese, Japanese, French and even an Albanian. I enjoyed days selling ice cream with them and nights partying. It was all a big dream. The job was paid higher than minimum wage and we worked long hours. But it was all fun.

Best Break bournemouth a lifestyle of travel selling ice cream

While selling ice cream in Bournemouth, I was reading travel books and meeting new people from all over the world. Life had changed.

I returned to the same job in April the following year for the summer stint and managed to keep the job on as part-time through the winter too. I had friends from all over the world now, just from selling ice cream. In 2005 I visited Poland and Germany for the first time. By the time summer 2006 came round I was ready for more global adventures, while still working hard selling ice cream. Then I got a job doing PR for Apple in London, so I moved. That was June 2006, and 3 summers had been fun (though I wasn’t able to complete my third summer).

Artur Rafal and Jonny Blair in Warsaw in Poland in 2007

From selling ice cream to drinking in Poland with my new mates. This was one journey just beginning!

In 2007 I met 6 of the friends I had made from the ice cream job when I travelled round the world. That’s when I started my first travel blog on blogger.

Jonny Blair holding Mr. Softees in Best Break Bournemouth

Selling ice cream for the last time in 2009 – kind of a swansong as I returned to Best Break in Bournemouth before setting off for Taiwan…

In 2009 I gave selling ice cream one final fling before booking said flight to Taiwan, moving to Australia and the rest…

Jonny Blair holding 10 Mr Softees in Best Break Bournemouth

10 ice creams in one hand – and I broke the record once by selling 16 in one single move in 2009. I was a pro after 4 summers of doing it!

In terms of the actual job itself, I broke the local record for the largest ice cream as well as the most sales of ice cream in one single action (8 Mr. Softees on my right hand and 8 Mr. Softees on my left hand – 16 ice creams held simultaneously!). There’s a few videos of this at the bottom of the post!

Oli Frame's party in Bournemouth in 2009 with the Best Break team

Partying with the ice cream crew for one last time before it was time to fly to Taiwan. I loved this job!

I have my photos, my pay slips and my memories. BUT most importantly this job gave me wonderful friends from around the world. If you worked with me at Best Break, Mobile 2, Mobile 3, Mobile 4, the Crazy Golf course, West Beach, East Cliff, the Trailer or the Trolley then thanks for the memories. I loved it and it gave me inspiration to see the world. Here’s a few other related posts:

Meeting Julio in Colombia (I sold ice cream with him)

Meeting Rene in Germany (I sold ice cream with him)

Meeting Rafal and Artur in Poland (I sold ice cream with them)

My Videos, which you can subscribe to:

Jonny Blair’s YouTube Channel

A VIDEO OF ME CREATING A RECORD OF 9 SOFTEES IN ONE HAND (Think my final figure served to a customer in one go was 16 – 8 in each hand):

A VIDEO OF ME CREATING A RECORD OF 14 CONES IN ONE HAND, WHILE SELLING ICE CREAM IN BOURNEMOUTH:

I WAS GIVEN A RECEIPT BY MY WORKMATE OLI TO TAKE ROUND THE WORLD WITH ME, WHILE SELLING ICE CREAM IN BEST BREAK IN BOURNEMOUTH:

Working Wednesdays is a regular feature on Don’t Stop Living – a lifestyle of travel – something which I’m condemned to and trying to make you live your dreams too!