Claire Walker

I'm based in

Penrith

Available for new enquiries

It's Nice To Meet You

Hi, my name is Claire. I am a personal Travel Counsellor based in the village of Little Strickland near Penrith, Cumbria and I look forward to being able to assist you with your travel arrangements.

My career in travel has spanned over 30 years including working for a well-known multiple travel agent. During my career, I have been fortunate to travel to many destinations including Europe, Canada, Australia, the Far East and Malaysia, America, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean and this has given me invaluable knowledge to share with my clients.

Some of my favourite trips have been to Dubai and the Middle East staying in some of the best hotels in the world. My most recent trips have been to South Africa, Vietnam and St Lucia which now feature at the top of my 'favourite' list!

More recently with my family I have enjoyed some great holidays to Europe - including a great short break to Reykjavik and a family holiday to Sardinia. As a mum I have a busy life and I appreciate the needs and requirements of families with children of all ages when booking your holiday. Having travelled extensively prior to having children with my now husband (then boyfriend and fiancé) I can recommend resorts and accommodation to suit all your needs no matter whom you’re travelling.

I love the travel business and take pride in going the extra mile for my clients to create the perfect itinerary to suit their needs exactly. Working with Travel Counsellors enables me to do just that, by being flexible and available when my clients need me and I offer a bespoke service that is personal to them. You can be assured that everything you book with me will be 100% financially protected.

Whether you are looking for a city break, package holiday, ski holiday, a wedding, honeymoon or a more specialised tailor-made holiday, I aim to provide the highest possible customer service and ensure that each and every travel arrangement meets or exceeds your expectations. My customers love the fact that they will always speak to me personally. In an on-going survey conducted by Travel Counsellors, it showed that 100% of my customers would return to me to book a holiday and they would also recommend me to their family and friends.

If you are interested in contacting me to discuss your travel plans for the future, please don’t hesitate to call or email me, I would love to hear from you.

signature

Explore my guides and blogs

Relax on a River Cruise

Relax on a River Cruise

'Cruising is not for us': that's what we thought before we boarded our river cruise in Amsterdam. One week later and we were converted by the spacious cabins, amazing food, well organised excursions, attentive staff and the chance to visit 6 lovely places on route. Most of all though, we loved the relaxation of sitting out on the sun deck with a glass of wine taking in the castles and scenery of t

09 May 2019 3   min read

Sunny Sardinia 2016

Sunny Sardinia 2016

Flying into Olbia airport on a direct flight from Manchester takes just over two hours making Sardinia the perfect island for families and couples alike. Many people hire a car on arrival at the airport as it is easy to drive over there and there are lots of hidden beaches and other places to explore. We initially took a short transfer through the beautiful scenery to the small town of Cannigione

06 Jan 2019 2   min read

South African Adventure

South African Adventure

My first visit to South Africa and the region of Kwa Zulu Natal didn’t disappoint - I loved it for its variety of city, safari and history. I travelled with a small group of Travel Counsellors on a trip hosted by Qatar Airways and KZN tourist board. Following our flight with Qatar on their new route from Doha to Durban, we experienced the city that has had a huge amount of investment over the l

01 Jan 2019 3   min read

First Visit to Vietnam

First Visit to Vietnam

Vietnam has always been on my bucket list so I was excited to see this amazing country. This was also my first experience of Thai Airways and with an upgrade to Business class from London to Bangkok and Bangkok to Saigon this was the perfect start to the trip. We finally arrived at Saigon after a 16 hour flight to be greeted by 38 degrees heat! From here we had a 1.5 hour transfer to the first

17 May 2015 4   min read

Mission Possible in Dubai

Mission Possible in Dubai

I visted Dubai over 6 years ago when it looked very different! To get the change to visit again and see the tallest building in the world was incredible! We stayed at the One and Only Royal Mirage for two nights and also had chance to visit “101 Lounge” and “One and Only The Palm” where we sampled the most amazing chocolate fondant I’ve ever tasted. While in Dubai, we enjoyed a trip to the ‘S

29 Oct 2012 2   min read

Celebration Weekend in Lisbon

Celebration Weekend in Lisbon

Having never visited Portugal, my husband and I decided to book a weekend in Lisbon to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We stayed for three nights in total and I would suggest that as a minimum to explore Lisbon. You can actually walk from the airport in Lisbon as it is situated so close to the city centre but a taxi should only cost you between seven and ten euros, depending on where yo

31 Jul 2012 3   min read

Family Holiday in Lanzarote

Family Holiday in Lanzarote

It's 20 years since I was in Lanzarote. However after the Princesa Yaiza Suites Hotel in Playa Blanca was recommended to me by some of my colleagues, I felt it was high time to return to the island and try out this hotel. We flew with Jet 2 from Newcastle arriving in Lanzarote in the evening and took a 40 minute transfer to the Princesa Yaiza Suites Hotel in Playa Blanca. First impressions of

12 Jul 2012 2   min read

Girly Weekend in Sorrento

Girly Weekend in Sorrento

We chose Sorrento to celebrate a friends 40th birthday and we were not disappointed. We flew from Liverpool to Naples then took a private transfer along the winding coast road to Sorrento for a three night stay. We stayed in a boutique hotel, Maison la Minervetta, a comfortable 10 minutes walk from the main square, Piazza Tasso, where we spent many afternoons watching the world go by. From the

03 Jul 2012 2   min read

Our family holiday in Cyprus

Our family holiday in Cyprus

Having a four year-old meant we had to change some of the requirements of our holidays that we had looked for in pre-children years, such as length of flight and the need to have a kid's club in the hotel. However, we felt we didn't want to compromise on the standard of accommodation we would like to stay in and after much deliberation we decided to go for the 5* Elysium Hotel in Paphos. From t

14 Nov 2011 3   min read

What my customers say

Claire was absolutely brilliant at helping us book our family holiday to Sorrento, very helpful and knowledgeable and she worked quickly to make sure everything was in order, we would highly recommend Claire and will certainly be going back to her in the future to help with our next holiday. I have recommended Claire to some of our family and friends for their future holidays.

Lynsey Bowman

Penrith

Claire has been really helpful, listening to our requirements & providing different destination options for us to consider that we wouldn’t have found ourselves.

Elaine Allan

Penrith

Claire is always the first person we speak to when planning our trips. Her knowledge and expertise is second to none. We have recommended her to many friend and will continue to do so. Superb in every way.

Julie Shead

Penrith

Cannot thank Claire enough for the time she took to sort our big trip. Her honest opinions on some of our random requests were greatly appreciated. Sorting a special trip is very much a joint effort between our requests and Claire’s knowledge and experience. She makes it so much easier.

Carole Whitfield

Penrith

We as a family find that Claire goes above and beyond to find what we are looking for , she is simply amazing to speak to and deal with x x

Anthea Harrison

Penrith

Claire always provides amazing holiday options, and is always there to support you from before booking to getting home. She's as essential as your passport!

Katie Bellwood

Penrith

This is the 2nd time I have booked with Claire, the first time was as a single parent with a young child in which all my nerve's and concerns were completely laid to rest and most recently as a blended family of 4. Claire listened to what I was looking for and provided options for just that! I needed to change my dates at the last minute and nothing was to much trouble. Within a couple of days I had tailored holiday options suggested, agreed and booked with out spending countless hours trolling the internet, I cant recommend enough, thank you!

Vicky Kite

Penrith

Claire is always very professional and friendly and we feel very confident and relaxed when she has arranged our travel 100% attention to detail.

Mandy Kitching

Penrith

10 every time.. such a personal experience, it’s knowing if there is any problems or issues that may occur at any point during your holiday you can speak to Claire and she will do her very best to sort it for you.. knowing you have her on the end of the phone is very reassuring . Definitely will continue to have Claire look at booking our future holidays .. thank you Claire

Julie Jackson

Penrith

Claire came highly recommended and has fully lived up to that recommendation.

Peter Hughes

Keswick

Nothing has been too much trouble for claire with the number of emails i sent her, with various requests and changes. She certainly took the stress away and found the perfect destination for a girls trip away. Claire is now on the hunt for a perfect holiday destination for my daughter and her boyfriend. Will certainly be using Claire again and will recommend to everyone i know.

Elizabeth Barker

Appleby

I recently had the pleasure of working with Claire and I cannot speak highly enough of the exceptional service I received. From the moment I contacted Claire she gave me expert advise and attention to detail were first class. Claire took the time to truly understand my travel preferences and needs. Her suggestions for destinations and activities were spot on, and I appreciated the personalised itinerary that was tailored to my interests.

Susan Dowes

Carlisle

Would never consider booking thro anyone else Claire now knows exactly what are preferences are and tailors that according to our budget. Very personal touch you'd never get online or a visit to a travel agent.

Katherine Wade

Penrith

Claire has found us some great holidays with her experience of travelling and living abroad. Saves time looking online or searching through endless brochures. We will certainly be using her again.

Vivien Waugh

Carlisle

We can’t thank Claire from TC enough for taking so much care of us on our last holiday, so we highly recommend her to anyone who wants great service and attention!

Jeanette Brown

Carlisle

Claire was very helpful in supporting us with our trip. She is very knowledgeable and nothing was to much trouble . Highly recommend x ??

Jackie Bennett

Penrith

In this day and age, it's great to find someone who will help ,is easy to talk to , do as promised and in whom we have confidence to get us the best holiday at the best price. This is why we use her services every time we wish to travel abroad ...Thanks Claire x

Lianne Fleming

Appleby

Claire is always very helpful,friendly yet professional I have used her quite a few times & would definitely (& have done) reccomend her to others

Linda Renwick

Penrith

Slightly out of the ordinary trip, needing a round the world ticket also I am a smoker. Had tried two other agents before Claire who couldn't help, very pleased with all she has done

Ailsa Wood

Penrith

Continue to use Claire to perform holiday searches for us and continues to provide an excellent range of options. Always quickly responds to emails. Thanks!

Graham Harris

Newcastle

Listens to your requirements and tailors a package to suit your exact requests rather than normal travel agents trying to trailer a standard package and make it try and for your needs . Quick to respond and very clear in the holiday and details that can be provided and looks at all possible options to ensure it’s as cosy effective as possible . Definatley use again and have already recommended to a friend.

Tony Young

Dumfries

Excellent service, we will certainly use Claire again and highly recommend her

Lynne Robinson

Penrith

I have used Claire about 4 times now and I think she does a fantastic job . I wouldn’t use anybody else she goes above and beyond to make sure it is exactly what I am looking for highly recommend .

Lynn Todd

Penrith

Claire is my go to every time we book a holiday and has been for years now. Claire is so helpful and always on hand when we need her. Wouldn’t go to anyone else.

Katrina Birkett

Penrith

First class before I've even boarded, seldom found these days!!!

Timothy Livesey

ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH

Claire gets to know her clients well so that even when given a 'random brief' , she can put together the perfect holiday !

Elizabeth Newport

Penrith

So easy and convenient to use and nice to have peace of mind that you are getting everything that you wanted included.

Samanther Henderson

Appleby

We have used Claire for nearly 10 years, she always provides a fantastic service and recommendations for the perfect holiday destination and accommodation for us.

Emma Pigg

Penrith

Claire has always been most helpful and efficient. She is always prepared to go the extra mile to accommodate requested changes to a suggested itinerary.

Christopher Savory

Carlisle

Always happy with Claire, she is so good. Helpful ,efficient and a pleasure to do business with.

Alan Bowe

Keswick

Additional offers

More destinations to enjoy

Let's plan your dream trip together

Icons 4

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.

Icons 2

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.

Icons 3

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.

Icons

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.

Find Tc Difference

Start planning with me

0/500 characters

Give me a call

Let’s talk through your ideas, no pressure.

01931 725600

Let’s connect

Villas 1 Awali Background Colour Banana Island 3 (2)

Finding your match...

Every unforgettable journey starts with the right person by your side.