Based in Wigan

Allison Taylor

Available for new enquiries

It's Nice To Meet You

Hello,

Welcome to my page and thank you for taking the time to visit.

I'm Allison, married to Steve and we have two children Hannah and Joshua we live in Hindley, Wigan. For us our holiday time is the most precious time of the year and we love nothing more than creating memories to last a lifetime. I’ve always had a passion for travel and I endeavour to be the best travel friend you’ll have.

As an independent Travel Counsellor, I will help with all aspects of your travel needs including Summer sun, ski, city breaks, worldwide and Cruise. As I'm independent, I have the luxury of being able to search the whole market, to ensure you have the most memorable time.

I will save you time by researching all availability and give you peace of mind, knowing that your money is 100% financially protected. I will help plan your trips, with my extensive knowledge from many years living and working overseas, for a major tour operator followed by several years spent on the high street in travel stores.

We as a family have enjoyed traveling to many countries including USA, Thailand, Mexico, Caribbean and our favourite is Florida to name but a few and my expertise is not limited to these destinations. Planning my own wedding in the Caribbean and that of many clients, I can appreciate how important it is to look after every detail.

I pride myself on the service I offer and will ensure that I tailor make exactly the right holiday for you, taking care of all the little things that make a big difference when planning the perfect trip. As your Travel counsellor I’m here to support you, throughout your booking and travel journey.

So, whether you are looking for a well-earned week on a beach, site seeing city break, adrenaline fuelled race down the ski slopes or a once in a life time trip on a round the world cruise, I’m here to help.

Please feel free to give me a call, drop me an email or send me a text.


Allison

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Contact Me

Whatever your holiday needs I'm here to help you, so simply give me a call or send me an email with your contact details on and I can get things started for you:

Find me on social

My Videos

Carnival Magic

9/14/2021

An insight into our family holiday on board the Carnival Magic sailing the Caribbean

My Blog

I absolutely live and breathe travel and I love to write about my experiences! Please take a look through my posts - you might find your own holiday inspiration.

Cruising in covid times Part one

14 September 2021

Having supported and guided customers through the varying travel rules throughout the summer, it was FINALLY my turn to travel Internationally for a cruise on NCL Getaway from Rome. I wanted to write this blog to try and help paint a picture of what’s required for those considering overseas travel at the moment. I must admit when starting to complete yet another form to travel, I did ask myself if this was all worth it? fast forward a couple of days to when I was on the pool deck with a glass of fizz in hand and enjoying the sail away party as we left Rome, yes it was all worth it. Having only booked my travel 4 days before, I didn’t have much time to get organized, so ensuring my travel would be as smooth as possible 1st thing I needed to do was to create a checklist of everything that was required for travel to Italy. This is something I do for every single client (I do not want a panic call from the Airport that something is not 100%) Travel to Italy (This can change at any point do not accept this as current guidance) 1) Complete a passenger locator form 2) Provide a negative COVID 19 test PCR or Antigen 3) Provide proof of vaccination 4) Call Covid-19 helpline on arrival 5) Surgical masks to be worn on journeys to and from Italy 6) Passport Validity Return to UK 1) Provide a negative test before return flight 2) Pre-book a day 2 test 3) Complete UK passenger locator form 4) Provide proof of vaccination The first thing I needed to arrange was my testing, there are so many companies offering testing with several options on how to be tested, such as home test kits, drive and walk-in centres and testing at the airport, it took a while to find one I was comfortable with, the most cost-effective seemed to be home antigen testing and they started from £15, however I was nervous about delays in delivery so opted for a company that offered a test for £29 which included guaranteed delivery via DPD if ordered by 8 pm and a test certificate issued within an hour of submitting the results. I also checked Trustpilot reviews and was pleased to see they scored 4.9 from over 13000 reviews and then one final check was that they are registered on gov.uk as an official test supplier. After placing my order an email confirmation quickly followed to say that my order had been accepted, then later that evening a new email advising that my order was with DPD and I’d get an email in the morning with a 1-hour slot of the exact delivery, this all felt very reassuring that my tests would arrive the next day. The following morning as promised my email arrived instructing of a delivery time between 1634 and 1734 and my test arrived at the very start of the delivery window. The test was exactly the same as the new NHS lateral flow tests, having boxes of these in the cupboard as part of our home testing for school, it did feel a touch frustrating having to pay £29 for a single test, but they are the rules that we have to follow and we have to use a private test to travel. The test which had to be completed within 48 hours of arrival in Italy, had a QR code on and after scanning on my phone a webpage with instructions was opened and a form to complete after I had the test result, which thankfully was negative. The last part of the process was to upload a picture of the test strip next to my passport and then within an hour my results had been validated and my test certificate for travel was issued as a pdf attachment on email for me to print at home. I also needed to order my PCR test to take within 2 days of my return to the UK, this has to be ordered in advance as a code is required to enter on the passenger locator form to return to the UK, obviously this isn’t something you want to be dealing with whilst on holiday, so I had to order this before travel. The PCR test is the more expensive Covid test and from my initial search the cost was between £45 and £100 per test, I did come across a drive-through test for £20, which had me questioning if it's too good to be true, I came to the conclusion that they are on the gov.uk approved list, so as long as they issue my code to enter on the locator form if once home they don’t deliver on the test or results, this is something I can deal with once home. I don’t think I’d take the same chance on my test to get on holiday or to get on the flight home, but for the test once home I was happy to take the saving and deal with any issues once back. I already had my proof of vaccination via my NHS app which I needed on my UK cruise in August, I did choose to download and print a copy as well and I’m sorry I know this is bad for the environment, but for my own reassurance, I just wanted a pack with all my various documents ready for the airport. I was also asked to upload this pdf to my airline reservation for both the outbound and inbound flights. Surgical masks was an easy one, a quick order on amazon prime and these were delivered the next day, I took a couple for the flight and needed a good amount for the cruise anyway, as NCL required masks to be worn when moving around the ship. Passport validity, the EU have a requirement that you must have 6 months valid on your passport from the point of entry, this cannot include any extra months added from your last renewal, I have a few years left on mine so nothing to worry about here. Having sorted all that next was the passenger locator form, this can only be completed within 48 hours of your arrival in Italy so with my flight due to arrive Wednesday morning I chose to complete this Monday evening. The form was fine took about 10 mins and at the end, a pdf with a QR code was generated for me to print for the airport, without this you are unable to board the flight.

Cruising in covid times part Two

14 September 2021

Travel Day Despite being a regular traveller, I have to be honest I was a little nervous and before setting off for the airport, I double and triple checked my paperwork against the guidance, as it turned out I was worrying about nothing and other than a 20 min queue for bag drop, I breezed through the airport all the forms were fine and accepted and I had plenty of time for shopping, breakfast and a coffee before boarding the flight. Arriving in Rome again was all straightforward, a bit of a queue for passport control and then a check of my passenger locator form and my vaccine passport and then it was off to baggage collection and out of the airport for a transfer to Civitavecchia to board the ship. After an hour transfer, I arrived at the port and it was onto the last round of form checking and covid test before boarding, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) ran a really smooth process and within 30 mins my negative test was confirmed and I was onboard. On the cruise NCL have strict Covid protocols and the cruise felt really safe onboard, all guests and crew must be fully vaccinated, masks are to be worn when moving around the ship, hand sanitisers located all over the ship, the buffet was served to you so you don’t have multiple hands touching utensils, additional cleaning was in place and you would regularly see staff cleaning touchpoints such as lift buttons, handrails, door handles etc Our cruise arrived in Spain and as arriving on the cruise we weren’t required to complete any forms, all we needed to get off was our cruise card and passport, we were also advised to have our vaccine passports handy in case these were required in any restaurants etc. Having left Spain, the day before we arrived back to Italy NCL arranged the antigen tests required to enter Italy and fortunately, the same test results could be used to enter the UK, so yay one less cotton bud up my nose! The results came through really quickly on email and were followed up by a paper copy delivered to my stateroom overnight. Also to re-enter Italy another passenger locator form was required, NCL provided details of what was required and I chose to complete this whilst in port in Majorca to use my 4g data rather than relying on the ship's wifi. Although the ship did offer 30 mins free wifi to enable you to complete the form on the ship and to access your email to get your covid test results, Return to the UK So to return home I already had in place my negative covid test result from the antigen test provided by NCL, I’d also completed my UK passenger locator form whilst I had a good 4g connection in Majorca, as the afternoon in Majorca was within 48 hours of my return to the UK. The form seems to go on and on and seemed to take around 20 mins to complete, the code from my bargain PCR test was accepted so that was a relief! On arrival to the UK we had about a 30 min wait at passport control, on presenting my passport I had my passenger locator form ready on my phone only to be told it was all linked to my passport and they could see the form on-screen, so that was it I was back in the UK and whilst a lot of hoops to jump through, everything went really smoothly. I know this blog has been quite lengthy, but it's a true reflection of what needs to be followed for travel, whilst it may seem daunting when broken down into stages it really is straight forward and going through this process shouldn’t be the reason not to travel, what really does need to be considered is the cost and to make sure you include the cost of your testing with your holiday budget. Oh actually there was just one last thing for me and that was my bargain day 2 PCR test, the company I had booked with was a drive-through with a site at Birchwood near Warrington, this was only a 10 min detour on my drive home from the airport. On arrival at the site I was greeted by a friendly staff member who gave me my test pack and clear instructions, I completed the test and linked the test pack to my order via the website on my phone, which was all fairly straightforward, so after depositing the test in the dropbox it was home time. I had my results in my inbox at 11 pm the same day and I was really impressed, considering the price.finLLY **disclaimer - Please note these travel rules were correct at the start of September 2021, rules can and have changed regularly and at short notice so if you are due to travel to Italy please check the current advice from gov.uk. Anyone who has booked with me will receive full details of travel rules and I’ll help you every step of the way to ensure you are fully informed of the latest guidance.

Trusted Travel

11 June 2019

I take great pride in what I am booking for my customers. I am not on a salary so all the time I spend on people’s enquiries is my own time. I work on commission from suppliers when customers book, so you are assured that I will want to find you the best holiday to suit your requirements. Chances are I am the same price as most operators and I often package the holiday myself to get the best deal. It just means I take care of it for you and you get the service I offer with it. This is my own business and I pride myself on the service I offer my customers and always being here for them. I love arranging my customers holidays and helping those who truly value the service I offer and understand the time and care I put in to finding them the right holiday. I may sometimes be more than online, but this is not a like for like holiday, it's a transaction and nothing more and I think I am worth that little more for that peace of mind, my knowledge, my care, my time and my contacts. Sometimes we all need to bet on ourselves and not undervalue our worth. Every booking I make, that customer is supporting me, my family and my dream rather than supporting an online big supplier who will never show gratitude that your booking means something to them. If you would like me to help arrange your next holiday, please contact me on 01942 470036

Stress free travelling

05 June 2019

Top ten tips for avoiding additional stress at your airport during peak travel 1. Long Haul - get to the airport a minimum of 3.5 hours before 2. Short Haul - get to the airport a minimum of 2.5 hours before 3. Check in online 24 hours prior to departure and print off your boarding passes 4. Set off from home earlier - no one can predict the traffic 5. Arrange parking for the Meet and Greet (nearest to the airport terminal) 6. Take plenty of snacks for the car journey and waiting for your flight as well as bottles of water for pre-security 7. Wear comfortable clothing. Belts, shoes and jewellery will all have to be removed at the Security Gate (not the clothes!) 8. Have toiletries (under 100ml) in a see-through sandwich bag ready for the Security Gate 9. Parents, as long as you have the kids, passports, money and credit card, nothing else matters. Children pick up on your stress, if you cope, they will! 10. Book with a Travel Counsellor, we worry about all this, so you don't have to!

My customer stories

Sent by Linda Ellison

Allison provided an excellent service

Sent by Christian Green

Fantastic Customer Service!! Super helpful, even during unsocial hours! Really looking forward to my Holiday and will definitely look to use Allison again in the near future.

Sent by Hayley Elliott

Allison has went above and beyond to help me find my holiday and any questions I have had shes been on hand anytime of the day or night

Sent by Emma Hastings

Amazing service by a amazing lady, highly recommended

Sent by Christine Wright

Always fast & friendly service, Allison always gets us the best deal. Always at the other end of the phone for quotes & questions. Thank you.

Sent by Alice Todd

Allison is absolutely wonderful! Would recommend to everyone I know. Thank you

Sent by Jo Dixon

Allison is amazing, excellent at her job I always recommend her to all friends and family

Sent by Debra Dickson-Hope

Already recommended Allison to a number of friends and family. Why would you not share such great service and someone who goes above and beyond.

Sent by Andrew Wright

I would highly recommend Alison Taylor. Her knowledge and fantastic customer care were very much appreciated. We will definitely be back to book our next holiday.

Sent by Vicky Oliver

Really easy to book. Great information given about the ship due to taking her own family onboard.

Sent by James O'shea

Allison is fantastic, so helpful, and responsive, even helping us when we contacted her on her weekend when we were away to sort something for us at our resort. Could not recommend her any more highly!!!

Sent by Julie Webster

Allison is fabulous for booking all our holidays & cruises. She is so friendly & trusted. She sorts all the bookings (all inclusive) of trips etc. She is always at the other end of the phone for any questions before or after your holidays. Thank you.

Sent by Alison Heyes

Allison is very helpful and has lots of time when helping plan our holidays

Sent by Aidan Standing

Additional Comments : 10/10 so far! Allison is very helpful and always makes herself available to answer any questions or concerns. As this is my first family holiday, I feel better knowing no matter what I need, Allison’s there to help! Definitely would recommend to all my friends and family!

Sent by Carol Gate

Allison is always so helpful. We wouldn't go anywhere else now .

Sent by Delia Bailey

Not the first time we have used Allison and definitely won’t be the last. So helpful and easy to deal with.

Sent by Grace Walsh

Very helpful and informative, nothing is too much trouble.

Sent by Zoe Howarth

I Can highly recommend Allison. We booked with her for the first time this summer.Allison looked after everything for us, all we had to do was turn up. Allison had checked us in, printed off all our documents and was on hand when i had a last minute covid paperwork panic.Our private transfers worked out great .Thank you Allison xx

Sent by Christine Wright

I would recommend Allison to anybody as she is very professional, very friendly her paperwork is amazing with the most fabulous ticket wallets with everything you need printed and luggage labels hand written!!!

Sent by Claire Judd

Allison is really friendly and knowledgeable and it was a pleasure using her services. I would not hesitate to recommend Allison.

Sent by Gemma Nicholls

Already recommended Travel Councillors and Allison to everyone I’ve told about the holiday and will continue to do so and use Allison again in the future

Sent by Jennifer Kerr

Alison, is a star. She always produces fabulous holidays and they are always exactly what we ask for.

Sent by Karen Arora

Allison worked hard to find me exactly what I wanted.

Sent by Donna Winnard

Highly recommend Allison to all my friends and family as her service from start to finish is impeccable

Sent by Sara Tichen

Allison was amazing it finding me a good deal and for someone who hates spending time shopping around, using Allison was perfect for me She put my mind at rest ans sent through all the documents very quickly I have recommended her to friends

Sent by Vanessa Platt

Allison was fantastic helping us find our perfect family holiday. Trying to find us the best price possible. We look forward to going on our holidays!

Sent by Deb Brookfield

Alison has been absolutely amazing, she has done so much to help us, having to move our holiday due to lockdown, answering all my questions!! We have just booked again with her. Alison has a good knowledge of the holidays and areas. She is so friendly, helpful and nothing is too much trouble. I will definitely being using Alison for all our holidays and recommending her to all my friends and family.

Sent by Aidan Standing

10/10 so far! Alison is very helpful and always makes herself available to answer any questions or concerns. As this is my first family holiday, I feel better knowing no matter what I need, Alison’s there to help! Definitely would recommend to all my friends and family!

Sent by Valentina Moran

Allison is really friendly and helpful, she adapted our holiday to fully meet our wishes and no request was too much. I would certainly recommend to others!

Sent by Jennifer Rushworth-Claeys

Allison has gone above and beyond for us and our holiday. We have already recommended Allison to friends, family and work colleagues. We will definitely come back to Allison for future vacations.

Sent by Aimee Bradshaw

I would definitely recommend Allison to anyone. She has been friendly, helpful and really knowledgeable about the Covid rules and testing. Nothing has been too much to ask and I really felt like she had gone the extra mile for us. Thank you so much!!

Sent by Donna Winnard

Fantastic personalised support with ongoing support always at hand. Would highly recommend to anyone booking at holiday.

Sent by Debra Hunter

Alison is superb. Listens to what you want from your holiday. Searches for the best deals and keeps in regular contact. Offers friendly reliable advice.

Sent by Jennifer Kerr

Without doubt the most helpful person I could ever wish to book a holiday with.

Sent by Natalie Spencer

Attention to detail fantastic, nothing too much trouble. She will be my go to for all future holidays, I have told all my friends and family too.

Sent by Millie Maninjwa

Allison has been amazing she managed to find our first holiday to Turkey with in our budget. She kept us informed with different packages and we are happy with what we booked. We can’t wait for our first holiday in Turkey 2020. Thank you again Allison Taylor. From Maninjwa’s family

Sent by Daniel Pilkington

Fantastic service. Gave plenty of good advice and different holidays to view and good recommendations and knowledge of the areas. Couldn't help enough

Sent by Hayley Miller

Very quick to respond to my query and provided lots of useful information on the destinations thank you for organising my family holiday Allison we are so looking forward to it

Sent by Louise Finch

Allison offers a fantastic, professional service. She fully understood our requirements and budget as soon as I contacted her and carefully selected a number of packages that suited our needs. She offered excellent advice to reassure any concerns we had about flying indirect and we are very much looking forward to our holiday. Thank you Allison!

Sent by Karen Arora

Allison found us exactly what we wanted. I would highly recommend her services.

Sent by Nici Aldfidge

Some time ago I rashly promised my daughter Cerys that I would take her to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum if she took GCSE Art. Her Art teacher has been telling her she needs to go to some art galleries, so our long weekend in Amsterdam is now booked, as well as our tickets to both museums I haven't been to Amsterdam for years, so I'm very excited to go again! Many thanks to Allison Taylor for finding us the perfect hotel - I know I was fussy!!! Anyone wanting to plan a holiday, I'd recommend Allison to put together the perfect package x

Sent by Tony Holmes

Allison was very helpful in every way and so cheerful in getting us sorted, would definitely recommend Allison to anyone wondering where to go for a holiday

Sent by Emma Moore

Alison is lovely helped me with all my enquiries and found me the best deals

Sent by Zena Parkinson

I found Allison very friendly, efficient and thorough. I will be happy booking all future holidays abroad via Allison and would highly recommend her.

Sent by Jennifer Kerr

Allison made our holiday hunt so easy. She is a joy to work with. Nothing is ever too much bother. Thank you.

Sent by Jamie Hart

Allison was great. she kept me informed with all the options and updates on hotels and flights and found us the perfect City Break.

Sent by Wendy Drinkwater

I NEVER PROMOTE BUSINESS BUT... Travel Agents are so dated. Allison is much more than that. Travel Counsellors are the way forward if you want a truly personal service and customised package. EVERYTHING is taken care of. Holidays are not just about a flight and a hotel. Let her know if she can help you and you’ll see exactly what I mean. Thank me later

Sent by Lindsey Gould

Allison found the perfect holiday for us at the best price it's our first family holiday abroad and it was really easy to do I would recommend Allison to all my family and friends

Sent by Lisa Collier

Allison provided excellent, hassle free advice and I booked my perfect mini break, I will certainly be using her again for all of my holiday needs

Sent by Victoria Nickson

Fantastic service received from start to finish Allison always goes the extra mile her service is truly personal thank you.

Sent by Jane Hand

Excellent personal and patient service

Sent by Carol Gate

Alison is lovely very helpful and she is always quick to respond. Nothing is too much. Thank you for all your help.

Sent by Mark Taylor

A very easy and pleasurable experience. Very happy indeed. I will be recommending Allison to friends, family and work colleagues. Thank you for assisting in our holiday enquiry and looking after all the little things that will make our next holiday a memorable one.

Sent by Alice Todd

Allison has been amazing. I have never thought to ask anyone for help when booking holidays but I'll never book myself again! Allison found us the most amazing holiday package which was everything we wanted and more! She communicated everything to us clearly and we have complete peace of mind knowing she’s only a phone call/email away if we have any questions. I’ll make sure to spread the word to my friends and family. Very happy!