24 September 2019

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… or so they say! What they don’t say is that making things so wonderful takes often takes some careful planning! Here are just some ways that I can help make this Christmas one to remember! Christmas Parties Love them or hate them, most of us attend a party of one kind or another. If its down to you to organise the ‘office do’ this year then let me help. Travel Counsellors have access to fantastic rates at venues across the UK and I can arrange group travel, accommodation and the all-important entertainment! Its also possible to take individual payments from those attending if you’re thinking of charging a ticket price. A one-stop shop for your party planning! Friends and Family If, like a lot of people these days, you have loved ones who live abroad and you’d like to visit them for the festive period, the key to securing the best flight prices is to book early! When it comes to visiting friends and family, December is the most popular month in the whole year. Flight prices to Australia from the UK especially sky rocket and if you want to make sure you get a good price on your ticket I would recommend you book in January. Yep, that’s right, seasoned Christmas travellers will be booking for next Christmas before they’ve even finished the leftover Turkey! Not to worry if you have only just decided to make the trip this year, there are a few ways to still bag a bargain. • Travel before 9th December, after this date prices increase to high season • Be flexible on your travel dates • Consider in direct flights, maybe with a stopover. This can improve availability Shopping Who doesn’t fancy a bit of Christmas Shopping in New York? With the world famous Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree and ice skating rink being on the top of everyone’s ‘must see’ list there is also the amazing Rockette's holiday show. You can take a romantic horse drawn carriage ride around Central Park, stop at Tiffany’s for an extra special present, see a Broadway show and of course shop until you drop! The prices of everyday items, toys and clothes are lower than in the UK. Did you know international visitors get tax free discounts in a lot of shops including Macy's on Herald Square. There are a number of discount designer outlets just outside of Manhattan and you can easily spend a day at one of these. Top Tip – go over with just hand luggage and bring back a checked case with all of your purchases! Winter Sun or Ski? Fancy leaving all of it behind and making the most of the time off work by jetting off for a relaxing holiday? You are not alone! Lots of people decide to run to the sun or slip away to the slopes and enjoy a holiday abroad. The possibilities are endless from the white sands of the Caribbean to the white mountains of the Rockies, whatever takes your fancy! Many hotels will host Gala dinners on Christmas Day and New Years Eve so there is still the option to celebrate and indulge if you want to. Gift of Travel Stuck for gift ideas? How about booking a weekend break away for someone special or buying gift vouchers for the young ones who have the wanderlust? I can offer documents in a presentation wallets and gift vouchers in any denomination. Please get in touch for more info. Whatever your plans are this festive season please get in touch, I’d be happy to help.

25 September 2019

You probably have heard the unfortunate news that tour operator, Thomas Cook, has ceased trading. My thoughts are with those customers and Thomas Cook staff who have been affected by this, and we are here to help with advice or support in any way we can. When situations like this happen, it raises questions about how well your travel spend is protected. And for business travellers especially, they want to know ‘What protection does my TMC offer?’ It may seem like its been a while since a big tour operator ceased trading but, in reality travel firms and airlines fold all the time. In the past week 3 very long term, very experienced and trusted travel brands have collapsed. You probably haven’t heard about all of them, why would you? Here at Travel Counsellors we’ve already taken that worry out of the equation for you. Prevention Travel Counsellors and any good TMC will be constantly monitoring the market to insure we, and you, are not left exposed should the worst happen. Its great that I can assure you that here at Travel Counsellors we’ve got not only your back but the policies, people and expertise so that you don’t have to worry. Knowledge Our 24-hour duty office is constantly monitoring travel and world events. We can track our travellers, keep them aware of potential issues and help them get home quickly in an emergency. We are usually on the phone or email with a friendly word of warning or some advice before travellers are even aware of an issue. Damage Control When Thomas Cook creasing trading on a Sunday evening, our Duty Office team ran reports, identified clients affected and set to work to ensure they could continue to enjoy seamless trips wherever possible. Point of Contact Not having anyone to turn to when away can be scary, to know that I am on the end of the email, phone or app whenever you need me gives you peace of mind. Travel Counsellors also have a 24/7 duty office operating in 7 countries giving you around the clock support. Every time you book with me you can take comfort in the fact that there is always help at hand. We’ve made it simple regarding Financial Protection too. At Travel Counsellors, we offer full financial protection through our own financial trust, which alongside ATOL protection, ensures your money is safe. If you would like any more information on how our financial trust protects your travel please get in touch.

21 June 2019

I am fortunate to have a loyal base of regular clients who come to me for all their travel needs. I’ve heard fantastic stories about many holidays I've arranged and I've seen some beautiful photos and videos - they really do bring the destinations to life. The Hamilton Family are fairly new clients that have recently returned from their annual Family Sun Holiday and as they gave me free reign to design this trip for them, trusting I'd come up with a trip they'd love, they were kind enough to answer a few questions for me on their return! Feedback is fantastic for learning and it’s also good to know what make trips a success, likewise I know some people like to check out on-line reviews and get a second opinion from others before committing, people are naturally curious and we enjoy finding out exactly what a destination/hotel/resort is like down to the very last detail! So what better way to satisfy that curiosity than to share some insights from the Hamiltons with you about their holiday?! Questions: Where did you visit? Caribbean, Dominican Republic. We stayed in the Hard Rock hotel and Casino in Bavaro. Who went on this trip? Family of 3. Mum, Dad and 5-year-old. What was the purpose of the trip? Chilled family holiday. What time of year did you visit? May/June at the start of rainy season. It did rain but only very early in the morning or later in the evening. How long were you away for? 10 days. Which airline did you fly with and from which airport? We flew form Gatwick with British Airways. How did you come up with this specific holiday? My very talented Travel Counsellor Donna Eldred found this holiday for us. How do you think using a travel agent benefited you? They can apply their knowledge and give time that I didn't have looking into different possibilities. Do you feel as though you received good value for money with this holiday? Absolutely!! We were told by lots of people in the resort that we got a very good deal. Would you recommend Donna Eldred to friends and family? 100% yes. She is excellent at her job. She knew exactly what would be right for us for this trip. Have you used Donna Eldred before? Yes, Donna arranged previous trips to New York and Rhodes for us. Tell us about your itinerary This was a purely chilled holiday so we only ventured out of the resort once. We went on an organised trip to a dolphin experience where we got to swim with dolphins. Did you take any tours on your trip? Only if you include to the pool bar for a snack :) What was your favourite part of the trip? It has to be swimming with dolphins, we did this to give our 5-year-old an experience. We all loved it. Although I have to give special mention to the beach which was absolutely beautiful. How would you rate the hotel you stayed at? Good 4* The rooms are big with a decent size bathroom. All rooms have views to garden areas or if you can afford them to the beach. Daily mini bar restock, although we did have to ring and request a restock on a couple of days. What facilities were available at your hotel? The hotel has 13 swimming pools including an excellent kids pool, kids club, 10 restaurants, 18-hole mini golf course, an amazing spa, a fully equipped gym with Les Mills fitness classes, a casino, a night club, a theatre with a show every night. For the big kid in us, there was laser tag, virtual reality gaming room and escape rooms. The hotel had vacation planners who would help you book whatever you need from trips to restaurants. There were also minimarkets and duty-free shopping throughout the hotel. You really didn't have to leave the complex. The complex is very big and a bit overwhelming at times though but once you found your favourite spots to go and how to get to them it was a breeze. Top tip: If you get a room near the main hotel don't forget anything when heading to the beach or pool as these are a good 10-15 min walk or a golf cart ride away. Explain how this holiday suited your family and if there were any negative aspects: We were after an all-inclusive very relaxed chilled holiday where we could just sit back and relax and that is what we got. Positives: The staff were amazing and really looked out for the kids, they were very good with the kids. The house keepers would leave gifts for the kids and all the waiting staff would go out of their way to make the kids feel special. The hotel was spotless, staff worked hard to keep it looking good. The choice of food also suited us as we could pick a restaurant that had a menu to suit us, although we did try all but one of the restaurants. The spa was also amazing. It had a full menu of treatments, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, pool, hair salon and nail room. The staff were lovely and very professional. Negatives: Being hounded by the Legendary Reps trying to sell timeshares. It didn't matter how many times you said no, they still kept trying. Most of the restaurants catered for the American pallet so it was difficult to get truly authentic Caribbean food in the hotel. Did you try the local cuisine? What was it like? We didn't leave the hotel for food but one restaurant was dedicated to Caribbean food. Not totally authentic but still tasty. Tell us about your favourite meal Favourite cocktails had to the Sweet Child of Mine (Bourbon based with passion fruit) or the Isla Bonita (rum based with pineapple). For the experience, the best restaurant was Zen an oriental themed placed with show cooking at your table. The best food we ate was in the Mexican Los Gallos. Nice margaritas and authentic tacos. Did you bring back any souvenirs? Rum, rum and more rum. Obligatory t-shirt. If you were going on this holiday again, is there anything you would do differently? Ask for a room away from the Casino and closer to the pools. What’s your favourite memory of the holiday? Apart from swimming with dolphins, stepping on to the beach and walking to the sea listening to the waves and watching our daughter build sandcastles. Now you are home from this holiday, where would you like to visit next? Cuba or Mexico

07 May 2019

We outsource things in life every day • someone else fixes our gas and electric • someone else grows our food, then sends it to supermarkets in little packets for us • someone else fixes our car when it goes wrong • someone decorates our homes, cleans our windows, plumbs in a shower • someone else cuts our hair • someone else makes our clothes • someone else collects our mail for us and puts it through our door • someone takes away our rubbish The list goes on, so how come so many of us rarely consider outsourcing our travel? When overhearing people talk about travel agents, I have heard people and businesses say ‘I can do it myself’. This is true and can also be applied to most things we outsource; we can make a coffee at home for approx. 3p a mug but think nothing of buying it from a coffee shop for £2.85! You outsource, or use a professional, because they do a better job. They are experienced, they are trained, and they are knowledgeable. Outsourcing saves you time, it gives you piece of mind and you know you will get the right, quality product at the end. Look around, research, get inspired, utilise the information and images available to us online, in books and get recommendations from friends & colleagues. The same as you might when researching a new hair style or trying to fathom out what’s wrong with the car this time. But when it comes to actually booking your travel, outsource it. After a while, you wont need that first stage, you will trust that your agent will come up with the perfect product, same as you trust your hairdresser knows what style will suit you and knows what’s on trend. The same as you know the coffee shop will make you the perfect coffee. Call me on 01442 540 068 / 07477 926 816 or email donna.eldred@travelcounsellors.com.

24 April 2019

Increasingly I am seeing more people take up the 'bleisure' concept, the idea of tagging a few days of leisure on to their business trip. It’s a great idea and I'd always encourage it. Most recently I had an exec fly to LAX for a meeting. Although she has been many times for business, this time she decided to stay in California for an extra 48hrs and take some surf lessons in Huntingdon Beach. Not only did she have a great time, she secured lower priced airfares for her company as she was flexible with her return dates. She was relaxed when she returned to the UK and she now has a genuine topic of conversation with her clients in the area. Business travel has historically been perceived as a perk, something to aspire to. These days the reality is that business travel is frequent, tiring and it often means time away from the family. Where’s the fun in four days in Hong Kong if you only see the inside of your hotel room, your meeting room and the airport lounge? The buzz word “bleisure” makes sense for the business travellers of today. They are given the opportunity to genuinely experience a destination while taking minimum annual leave and reducing the expense of personal travel. For employers it actually makes huge business sense! Reduce Disruption in the Workplace Employees who take advantage of bleisure trips usually spend less time out of the office. Instead of heading off on annual leave for a week or two at a time, employees tend to tack on only a few days at the end of their business trip reducing disruption to your business. Reduce Stress and Create Great Client Relationships Don’t forget travel can be tiring, especially to long-haul destinations and for frequent travellers who are putting on their best show for clients. By encouraging employees to combine business travel with leisure time helps to prevent burnout and reduce stress levels for them. Most importantly in my opinion, travellers who spend more time in a destination where they are visiting clients or colleagues have an opportunity to really explore and understand local customs, culture and common topics of interest – perhaps even pick up a new language. This creates the conditions for improved insight and deeper client relationships. We all know people buy into people and giving employees a common ground with clients or something to bond over – perhaps a favourite surf beach, or speciality restaurant – will only benefit your business relationship. Increase Employee Retention As job hopping is now commonplace and retaining millennial employees is more difficult, one way to increase retention is to Introduce travel perks. Including a bleisure clause in to your travel policy can make you more attractive to new recruits and help you secure the best talent. Travel content is all over social media and with increasing numbers of business travellers keen to explore international destinations all you need is an employee to Hashtag your company name for the #BestBusinessTripEver and your profile is increased in more ways than one. Cutting business expenditure You could actually save money on the business flights. Unsurprisingly, flying is most expensive on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. If your employee is looking to add on a couple of days to their business trip and returns or flies out midweek, the company could save hundreds. I’d be happy to offer guidance with writing with your travel policies. They can be a great tool within the workplace, everyone knows where they stand, you can advertise it to your staff and applicants, and everyone will be in a good position to confidently and accurately make the most of their travel itineraries. Donna Eldred Corporate & Luxury Travel Specialist T 01442 540 068 M 07477 926 816 E donna.eldred@travelcounsellors.com W https://tctravelmanagement.co.uk/donna.eldred

08 April 2019

Starting out with a Travel Management Company (TMC) can be daunting, there are sometimes trust issues and the various levels of services available and associated fees can be a minefield to negotiate and understand! I’d like to offer you personalised Travel Management and Business Travel, the easy way and as you want it. If your employees are booking their own travel, you’re missing opportunities to improve efficiencies in your business when it comes to your travel wallet. It’s not a secret, it pays to outsource your business travel! Here are some of the financial benefits you can expect when using a TMC: 1. You will release your employees to focus on the job they are there to do (the average business traveller wastes half a day looking up flights, comparing prices and airlines and finding hotels for each trip) 2. A TMC will have access to lower priced air fares and hotels than you can source yourself 3. The initial purchase price isn’t always the main consideration – you will be informed about costs involved in changing a ticket and flexibility of your arrangements 4. Your personal travel manager will be a professional in the industry and knowledgeable about airlines, destinations and travel trends. You will often be given advice that is priceless. 5. A TMC will be able to critically analyse your business travel spend and identify areas where you can save money 6. Flexible payment terms to suit your business needs, no credit card bills to pay, or interest incurred When you come to me for your business travel needs you can rely on me to implement your travel policies to your exact requirements. A client focused and personalised service makes it easy for you to tell me exactly what you need and for me to follow your guidelines and policies. If needed I can assist with writing a Business Travel Policy which will help to guide your employees through the travel booking process and ensure you’re in control when it comes to how much they spend, reducing travel costs and giving you peace of mind that travellers have the flexibility and freedom to book independently with me but remain within your guidelines. I will tailor my service for each and every member of your team – ensuring that their dietary requirements, frequent flyer accounts and other travel preferences are always taken into account. Using a TMC allows you to have everything related to travel in one place. From managing bookings to analysing data: • Your team can access travel information and contact me online, by phone or through our fantastic travel app, myTC. • Having me as a single point of contact also means you have just one relationship to manage and one bill to pay for all your travel requirements. • You can keep track of where your employees are going making it easier to ensure they are prepared for meetings before they travel. • Business reporting is available, and invoices can be produced in line with your finance department requirements. • Personalised room requests, preferred seat allocation and frequent flyer consideration is all as standard Get in touch! I’d love to chat about how we can make your business travel effortless again. Donna Eldred, Corporate & Luxury Travel Specialist. Donna.eldred@travelcounsellors.com T 01442 540 068 M 07477 926 816