Katrina Smith
My expertise
I'm based in
Newark
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It's Nice To Meet You
Hi, I’m Katrina, your personal travel expert. I’m passionate about creating unforgettable journeys, designed entirely around you. My goal is simple - to make sure you have the best and most amazing trip imaginable.
With over 30 years in the travel industry (I started back in 1994!), I bring a wealth of first-hand experience and insider knowledge to every itinerary I create. Whether you’re dreaming of a bespoke holiday, a luxury cruise, ticking off a bucket list destination or a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, I take the time to understand your needs and tailor every detail to perfection.
From your first enquiry to the moment you return home smiling, relaxed, and full of new memories I’ll be with you every step of the way.
Some of my favourite destinations include South Africa, Canada, and India — three incredible places, each offering something truly unique. I’m also a huge fan of cruising, both river and ocean, and as a certified Cruise Master with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), I can expertly match you with the perfect cruise line for your style.
I’m available seven days a week, at times that suit you — because your travel planning should be as stress-free as the holiday itself. Let’s create your perfect travel experience together.
Travel guides
Explore my guides and blogs
Canada & Alaska: My Unforgettable Journey From Mountain Peaks To Glaciers
If you are dreaming of a trip that feels truly once in a lifetime, Canada and Alaska make an incredible pairing. I was lucky enough to experience this myself in August, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable journeys I have ever taken: a perfect blend of dramatic scenery, outdoor adventure, indulgent food and the pure magic of an Alaska cruise.
26 Feb 2026 5 min read
Journey Through India - A Luxury Adventure with Uniworld River Cruises
There are trips that linger in memory, and then there are journeys that define it. My recent luxury voyage through India with Uniworld River Cruises was nothing short of transformative — a seamless blend of opulence, culture, history, and heart. Sailing the Sacred Ganges Our adventure began in style aboard the Ganges Voyager II, Uniworld’s all-suite river ship, where personalized service met the
30 Jul 2025 5 min read
Exploring South Africa: A Journey through Cape Town, Franschhoek, and the Welgevonden Reserve
South Africa is a land of breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and unparalleled wildlife experiences. Recently, we had an unforgettable journey through this diverse and vibrant country, starting with the iconic city of Cape Town and venturing into the picturesque town of Franschhoek before immersing ourselves in the untamed wilderness of the Welgevonden Reserve. Cape Town: Where Hist
26 Mar 2024 5 min read
Tobago, The Hidden Gem of the Caribbean
Welcome to Tobago, the hidden gem of the Caribbean that captivates every traveller with its breath taking beauty and rich biodiversity. This small island, located just off the north eastern coast of Venezuela, is a true tropical paradise that boasts pristine rainforests, diverse birdlife, and a mesmerizing natural phenomenon - bioluminescence. In this blog, I will take you on a journey through the
23 Jul 2023 5 min read
Adventure in iceland
As a travel organiser, arranging a trip to Iceland for a group of 12 clients was no easy feat. However, the end result was worth all the planning and effort. The three nights we spent in Iceland were filled with excitement and adventure, and although we didn't get to see the Northern Lights on this particular trip, there was still plenty to see and do. Our first night in Reykjavik was spent on a
27 Dec 2022 5 min read
Nile River Cruise
In February 2020 I took the trip I had been dreaming of doing since I was about 10 years old (so quite a long time ago). I took a 10 day tour to Egypt, the first 3 nights were spent in Cairo and the next 7 nights were on a cruise down the Nile. After arriving late in the evening and going straight to our room in Giza, we woke up the next morning excited for our morning ahead – a trip to the pyrami
28 Jun 2022 5 min read
Why Cruising is Great for Families
Choosing the family holiday is never easy. Mum wants one thing, dad wants another, little Johnny wants to play games and his big sister just doesn’t want to do anything anyone else wants – sound familiar? With many cruise lines sailing from Southampton it is so easy. You turn up at the terminal, a porter will take your luggage (you will next see it in your cabin on the ship) and your car is parke
18 Jun 2019 5 min read
Ancient Fes
I was recently invited by the Moroccan Tourist Board on a trip to Fes in Morocco. My journey started with a flight from Gatwick Airport to Fes with Air Arabia, a low-cost airline with direct flights from the UK to Fes. The flight is just 3 hours long, but it is worth noting this is a dry airline, so no alcohol is allowed on board. We arrived into Fes, to a beautiful modern air terminal, and then
05 Jun 2019 5 min read
Expedition Cruising with Hurtigruten
Expedition cruising with Hurtigruten involves smaller ships with amazing and adventurous itineraries, exploring places like Antarctica and the Arctic, the Galapagos Islands and the Caribbean, the Norwest Passage, Greenland etc. I recently met with Mark from Hurtigruten to find out a bit more about them and their expedition fleet. What an amazing company they are, with over 125 years experience in
08 May 2019 5 min read
Tying the Knot Overseas
Weddings overseas are becoming more and more popular, with beautiful locations, exceptional weather and prices kinder to your wallet than a UK wedding. Planning your wedding can be one of the most exciting times of your life – but it is also one of the most stressful. From grand arrangements to the finer details that make your wedding unique, there’s plenty to organise to ensure your wedding go
12 Mar 2019 5 min read
Beauty at Sea
On 3rd March I was very lucky to be invited to the launch weekend of the new MSC Bellissima in Southampton. Bellissima is the second Meraviglia class ship, the first being MSC Meraviglia. Possibly my favourite part of the ship (although I have several favourites to be fair) is the atrium, which is a real “wow”. Here you find the famous Swarovski crystal staircases. There are 640 crystals per st
06 Mar 2019 5 min read
A Little Piece of Paradise in Jamaica
I have recently returned from the most amazing stay at the Roundhill Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was originally opened in 1953 and was the private haunt of style icons and the jet set such as Noel Coward, Oscar Hammerstein, Errol Flynn, David Niven, Princess Margaret, JFK and Jackie, and more recently Harry and Meghan. It still retains the old style glamour and delivers the same high level
05 Nov 2018 5 min read
Barbados - A Culinary Experience
Barbados is one of my favourite Caribbean islands. With unspoilt beaches, clear waters, wonderful rum cocktails and amazing jerk chicken, what’s not to love! 2018 is the Barbados Year of Culinary Experiences. Bajan cuisine brings together the influences of the Caribbean, Africa, West Indies and Europe to create a truly unique and authentic culinary experience. Barbados is unofficially known
01 Oct 2018 5 min read
Ravishing Riviera Maya
In June I was lucky enough to gain a place on a trip to Mexico with nine other Travel Counsellors. I had not been to Riviera Maya before, so I was very excited to sample this part of Mexico. We flew with Thomas Cook in Premium Class which I would 100% recommend - they have seats with extra space, upgraded in-flight entertainment, premium meals, complimentary drinks, increased luggage allowance
04 Jul 2018 5 min read
New York, New York
What can I say about New York that hasn't been said before? We did a five-day trip to New York towards the end of April, staying at the Warwick Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The hotel was central to so many places of interest - just a 10-minute walk from Central Park, 10 minutes from Times Square and 10 minutes from The Rockefeller. It is a fabulous hotel which in the past has hosted the likes o
14 May 2018 5 min read
9 Days of Adventure in Sri Lanka
I am finding more and more lately that my clients want personalised itineraries. They don't want "off the shelf" trips. This is something I love to do - to get to the bottom of what and where my clients want to travel. One such itinerary is a nine-day adventure in Sri Lanka. After arriving in Colombo, we take a private transfer to Negombo, which grew from a historic little town with many legaci
14 Feb 2018 5 min read
Reflections of the Danube
My husband and I were lucky enough to sample a Danube river cruise with Tauck recently. Sailing from Vienna to Regensberg and then onto Prague. Our journey started with 2 nights in Vienna staying at the 5-star Hotel Grand Wein in the heart of the city - just down from the wonderful Vienna Opera House and a short stroll to St Stephens Cathedral (where we did do the climb of over 340 steps to the to
27 Oct 2017 5 min read
Canada and Beyond
Like a lot of people I have a bucket list of places I want to visit. Very close to the top of my list are Canada - specifically British Columbia and Alberta and Alaska, and what better way to see them than to travel in style and combine the destinations. An ideal itinerary would be to start in Calgary and drive to Jasper, take the wonderful Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver and then an Alaskan cru
01 Sept 2017 5 min read
Independence of The Seas - Mini Cruise
My husband and I, and five other Travel Counsellors with their partners and children decided to take a weekend away together and sample a mini-cruise from Southampton to Bruges and Le Havre with Royal Caribbean. The first thing to think about from the ladies point of view was what to wear. Even though it was just a three night cruise, there is still a formal night – a fabulous opportunity to dr
03 May 2017 5 min read
Marrakesh - Modern and The Traditional
I was very lucky to go on a trip organized by the Moroccan Tourist Board in March. I have been before, but over 20 years ago so I was eager to see what if anything had changed. Marrakesh is just a short 3.5 hour flight from the UK. The transfer to our hotel was very quick, being just 15 minutes from the airport. We stayed at the Movenpick Mansour Eddhabi Hotel which is well placed to see all th
03 Apr 2017 5 min read
The Lovely Island of Cyprus
I recently visited Cyprus courtesy of the Cyprus Tourist Board. Our first stay was in the lovely Olympic Lagoon Resort in Ayia Napa. This is a fabulous hotel with several swimming pools and even a lazy river. There are many different types of accommodation at this resort hotel some with their own plunge pools and some great family rooms with small terraces and gardens. The hotel also organises wed
26 Jan 2017 5 min read
Perfect Honeymoon Paradise
On 24th October 2016 my new wife and I set off for our honeymoon to Mauritius. Katrina had organised everything for us so we didn’t have any worries at all. She had even organised for us to use the Marhaba Lounge at Dubai airport whilst we were waiting in transit. Mauritius was everything we expected, with its white sandy beaches, fabulous watersports and great hotels. We had an amazing time,
24 Jan 2017 5 min read
Koh Samui
My sister and I visited Koh Samui in November 2016. We flew via Phuket and arrived into one of the prettiest airports I have seen. Our stay was at the Baan Samui Resort which is right in the centre of the hustle and bustle of Chaweng. However once through the entrance of the hotel everything was calm and serene. We were greeted with a welcome cold flannel and a lovely cocktail and shown to our
05 Jan 2017 5 min read
Guest Blog from Heather Kingdon on Trip to Tromso
I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights, so when Katrina mentioned Tromso in Norway I was immediately interested. My daughter and I set off on Friday 25th November on a Norwegian Airlines flight and were so excited when they announced on the tannoy that they would soon be turning off the cabin lights as the Northern Lights would be appearing on the left hand side of the plane – and that
14 Dec 2016 5 min read
Magical Elephant Hills, Thailand
In November I was very lucky to visit Elephant Hills elephant camp in Khao Sok in Thailand. Let me first of all start by saying Elephant Hills is a sanctuary for elephants, not somewhere where they are ridden or made to work. Here you feed them, help to scrub them down and generally watch them have a very enjoyable life. Elephant Hills is a luxury tented camp. I must admit I was concerned about
14 Dec 2016 5 min read
Fabulous Barbados
This was our family's first trip to Barbados and it was just as we had expected, if not better. We travelled out with British Airways from Gatwick and arrived punctually. Picking up our hire car was quick and easy, and then we were on our way to our villa in St James. Our villa was one of 8 villas, all with their own plunge pool, use of a large shared pool and right on the beach (no road to cro
17 Jul 2016 5 min read
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Let's plan your dream trip together
Tailor-made for you
Your holiday isn’t just a trip away. It’s a longed-for escape, time to reconnect with loved ones, or a dream adventure you never thought possible. That’s why I take the time to truly get to know you and understand your hopes and expectations, then use my experience, connections and passion for the destination to create a trip that makes those dreams a reality.
Personalised service. Always
When you plan a holiday with me, you’ll be given my personal mobile number from the very first call. I’ll listen to your thoughts and ideas like I would a friend and arrange accommodation, activities, and flights that are all personalised to you. And I’ll share my personal tips and recommendations, so you can experience the true beauty of each destination.
Stress-free travel, and more time for what matters most
I believe your time away should be stress-free, easy, and seamless from start to finish. So, I take care of all the details for you - from ATOL protection, insurance, and flexible payments to access to the myTC app, which keeps everything in one place.
Support when it matters most
If the unexpected happens, you can rest easy, knowing that I’ll handle any last-minute changes, flight cancellations, or disruptions before you even pick up the phone. So you always feel happy, carefree, and ready to make the most of every moment.
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