David Bishop

My expertise

New Zealand
South Africa

I'm based in

Edinburgh

Available for new enquiries

Looking for help with your business travel? Find out how I can help here

Welcome to a more personal way to book your travel.

Hello my name is David and I would love to be your personal Travel Counsellor. I have over 20 years-experience as a successful premium travel consultant for an award-winning high street firm, specialising in long-haul luxury travel. I’ve qualified for both the Australian specialist and Canada specialist programs so you can be sure you are speaking to an expert. My customer service focused approach has led to many satisfied leisure and corporate clients over the years.

I’ve lived in Edinburgh for over 20 years now, and am lucky to do so with my 10 year-old and 8 year old daughters. I love this city and think it’s one of the best places to live, work and bring up a family.

I have been fortunate to have travelled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and I have lived and worked in both Australia and New Zealand for almost two years. I have experienced everything from sleeping under the stars in a swag in the outback to staying in some of the finest hotels in the world.

From my varied travel experiences I know what makes a great holiday and can make that journey special for you too. From extra space on long haul flights to room upgrades, or even a table at an “unbookable” signature restaurant, I’m here to help! I have expert knowledge in the premium cabins of all major airlines and have been very lucky to fly business class with Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand and British Airways, as well as numerous others in economy and premium economy. So, I’m well placed to give advice on the nuances of seating product, plane types and routes. It is these small details that often can make all the difference.

Since joining Travel Counsellors I achieved the TC Care award where my peers voted me the most helpful TC globally, while also achieving the Gold Travel Counsellor, standard which means I am in the top 10% of Travel Counsellors globally and one of only a handful of Gold Travel Counsellors in Scotland.

I'm here to support with all the complexities of travel at the moment too, from what form to fill out on departure, to tests required on your return. I'll lead you through every step, safely and securely so you know you are being dealt with by a trusted travel expert.

Whether it is a business trip to Singapore, a weekend break to Venice or a family holiday to Mauritius (my first daughters first and best holiday she’ll never remember!), I’ll be delighted to assist and turn your holiday experience from the ordinary of the internet and high street, to an extraordinary, totally personalised, and unique trip for you.

By booking through Travel Counsellors, every part of your holiday is 100% financially protected either through the Travel Counsellors Financial Trust or ATOL and I’m personally here for you 24/7 if you need anything while you are away.

You deserve the best so please call or email me and let me start your extraordinary journey.

David

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Explore my guides and blogs

Undiscovered Luxury

Adventure Travel

Private Tours

Couples

Solo Travellers

Croatia

Montenegro

Active Holidays

Touring

Undiscovered Luxury

Dreaming of a more experiential Luxury in the Adriatic.

22 May 2026 5   min read

Cruising to the end of the Earth.

Cruising to the end of the Earth.

"Cruising? Really?" I exclaimed as my fiancé floated the idea of doing some of our honeymoon on a boat. Now it wasn't that I was totally against cruising, simply that my travel preferences had previously always been on the less static and more fluid kind of focus. Just rocking up in a place and seeing what there was before moving on, I always preferred to immerse myself a little in the place somet

24 Jun 2019 5   min read

Mexico Madness

Mexico Madness

"What’s spring break" I heard one of the group exclaim, as we queued up to get into Coco Bongos, a nightclub with some level of infamy but also with an equal level of fun attached. I'd luckily won a place on a work trip to Cancun and the Riviera Maya and joined 20 of my fellow Travel Counsellors on a trip to explore the region and some of the best hotels around as well, tough gig! The only issue

02 Jun 2019 4   min read

There is nothing so nice as messing about on a river.

There is nothing so nice as messing about on a river.

I realised after I'd met Gianfranco my driver, who was about to chauffeur me towards my river cruise, that I was about to be immersed in a world that I was not used to. The immaculate new Mercedes S Class was luxury defined, the handmade leather interior and refreshing towel to cool my sweaty brow was a welcome from the oppressive heat of a Bologna summer. This is how all clients who cruise wi

01 Sept 2018 6   min read

Carving out a new experience in North America.

Carving out a new experience in North America.

Most of us who like to slide down mountains for fun have a pretty good gauge on European destinations, what works for us, our families etc and what's the kind of place that suits. Most of us have been on a few of these trips in our time and for some of the lucky few it’s a yearly adventure into the snow. However, with the changes in foreign exchange rates and simply the massive differences in expe

10 Jun 2018 6   min read

Majorca - the unexplored corner.

Majorca - the unexplored corner.

I'll be honest, I didn't have massive expectations for our first family holiday as a foursome to Majorca. I mean we already have a lunatic raver of a 3-year-old and a 4 month old who quite frankly looks like she enjoys a buffet, so I thought they'd fit right into my perception of how the holiday was going to go as a stereotypical Med trip. I am happy to say my perception was 100% incorrect and we

05 Jun 2018 6   min read

Down under but always on top

Down under but always on top

This was one of many adventures I'd done in Australia while I lived there for over a year, and this country has everything to offer the first-time visitor or the frequent traveller. My favourite state is Queensland. I lived in Brisbane for six months and so found the relaxed lifestyle and incredible weather very appealing. There is even a beach in the middle of the city, what's not to love? Wi

14 Jan 2018 3   min read

Rocking and Relaxing in the Canaries

Rocking and Relaxing in the Canaries

Walking into the lobby, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody moving me closer to the feathered Brazilian Carnival ensemble once worn by Sir Elton, I did question what was I getting myself into. Our next adventure with our daughter Summer was a bit of winter sunshine in Tenerife and more specifically staying in the Hard Rock Hotel initially, before moving to one of the Luxury Hotels of the World, the magn

27 Nov 2017 5   min read

Roll the Sheep Knuckles

Roll the Sheep Knuckles

As I sat in a Mongolian Ger in my shorts, with the raging blizzard whirring outside, sipping vodka neat and wondering on my clothing choice, knowing I would soon need to use the facilities and would have to brave -45 temperatures, I did wonder how I had got to this point? And also why there was a board game with Sheeps Knuckles in front of me? But I've jumped ahead a little too far, let me rol

17 Aug 2017 5   min read

Travelling with an 8 month old - What were we thinking?

Travelling with an 8 month old - What were we thinking?

Were we prepared for a journey of 16 hours to Mauritius? Well if by taking 15 bags of nappies, enough baby biscuits to fill a Mcvities convention and furry toys that could rival a clear-out at Toys R Us, then possibly?! Of course though like all good plans, something was bound to go wrong. My wife alas, the true organiser and in control of everything fell ill on the way out, literally as we pa

28 Jul 2017 4   min read

What my customers say

Customer engagement, patience and responsiveness has been 1st class.

Carlo Bannerman

Edinburgh

I have already recommended David to a lot of my friends and he was beyond helpful when one of our friends ran into trouble with cancelled flights just excellent.

Liz Tangney

Fort William

I can’t recommend you highly enough to anyone who asks me about travel advice. Having worked with you for many years now there is no where else I would turn to .

Sue Rush

Durham

I wanted to book a hotel in London for 2 nights close to Wembley stadium where We were going and spoke to David and he found a hotel close to the railway station and in a good location and a couple of minutes away from the subway that we wanted to use, Perfect location and his advice was first class

Allan Buglass

Edinburgh

If I could have given 11, I would have. Sterling service from David once again.

Lorraine Ingram

West Lothian

Great service. Everything was very quick and simple. Understood our requirements and offered a perfect solution.

Emma Endicott

Frome

David is dedicated to helping us get the best possible experience and his knowledge is invaluable to getting a great holiday!

Mike Crawshaw

Harrogate

I recently used David Bishop’s services once again, and as always, the experience was absolutely 10 out of 10. The entire process was seamless and completely stress-free — I didn’t have to worry about a thing. David handled everything flawlessly from start to finish. Thank you once again, David! I would highly recommend his services to all my friends, family, and colleagues.

Francesco Agus

Edinburgh

Patient, professional guidance. Knowledge of locations, climate, resorts, experiences. Oh and making the choosing and booking of a holiday incredibly smooth and hassle free. What a joy.

Maria Mcgill

Edinburgh

Amazing customer service and very quick responses. David is a great help and very knowledgeable will absolutely recommend.

Lewis Cook

Livingston

The flight booking was straightforward. Thank you.

Mary Drysdale

Edinburgh

First class service and delivered the perfect flight itinerary for my Christmas trip to see my brother and family in the states. Thank you Dave!

Simon Bergenroth

South Queensferry Edinburgh

Had multiple holidays/trips booked by David now, and each one has been great. I always get the feeling that had I tried to arrange a similar holiday myself, it wouldn't have been as good or satisfying.

James Barrie

Edinburgh

David was exceptionally response and helpful. He even continued with our booking while he was on holiday himself for continuity. Outstanding customer service. Thank you.

Fiona Insch

Berkhamsted

David has been brilliant with organising our trip which was relatively last minute! He gave us honest advice on what he would recommend doing which we really appreciated!

Klara Retamal Martinez

Leyland

Dave is extremely quick at responding, has expert knowledge and ensured that I got the best deal.

Cara Archibald

Edinburgh

We have used David several times over the years, and he has been a great help, providing peace of mind to a pair who are not he most confident of travellers. He came to the rescue when we were left at the airport by the courier last year, and what could have been a real difficult moment, was dealt with extremely quickly. Cannot speak to highly of his commitment and help.

Paul Bishop

MARKET DRAYTON

All questions answered quickly and helpfully finding us the holiday we want at an excellent price

Gordon Ewart

Edinburgh

Fabulous service and I've already passed on the details on the travel counsellors to all my friends and family to book onto the same cruise as us!

Stacy Murray

Dunfermline

Our adult children introduced us to David and Travel Counsellors when we decided to visit our lifelong friends in New Zealand at very short notice.We are seasoned travelers and have used many of the top travel companies. However we have never experienced such amazing service before, David was able to taylor our flights and connections perfectly including stopovers at various other locations. Thank you David and Travel Counsellors you are our definite go to for future travels.

Lesley Bilsland

Wiltshire

David was very helpful with not only finding me everything I needed but also patient with time since there were a lot of hiccups on my end figuring everything out for my travel. However it didn’t seem to bother him and it only made him even more supportive and helpful!

Magnus Pilz

Edinburgh

Has continually organised great holidays for us. Thanks sooo much!

Thomas Mckewan

Edinburgh

As always, David provides an excellent service. Cannot fault.

Claire Lockley

Market Drayton

David's assistance has been most helpful, very professional and always willing to help

Helen Green

Edinburgh

David's assistance has been most helpful, very professional and always willing to help

Helen Green

Edinburgh

I booked a fairly unique trip to Kansas City for a concert as a surprise trip for my girlfriend. Having never flown to that part of America, and with very little to go on online, I contacted David having had him recommended by a friend. David was so friendly, eager to help and interested in what my hopes for the trip were. He wasn't simply interested in booking things on my behalf, but in our background and our interests in order to fully exhaust all options that would be open to us. He took what he needed from the initial consultation and came back so quickly a few hours later with a wide variety of options. We had various time constraints that needed to be considered, which he worked in brilliantly. With David's immeasurable help, my girlfriend and I had the most incredible trip, fully taking advantage of where we visited because of how personally David managed our trip. I cannot thank him enough for all he's done. I initially didn't realise that Travel Counsellors were so much more than travel agents or brokers. The way he listened to our needs and worked them in without hesitation led to the holiday of a lifetime. David somehow remained patient with me panicking because it all seemed too simple. All in all, 6 flights, 3 cities, 4 airports and 2 hotels in a week went without any delays or issues. The trip was marked by our engagement, one which has been the best story to tell, and I couldn't have done it without David's professional and personable guidance and expertise."

Joel Macleod

Edinburgh

Dave is user friendly - more so than booking online myself

Sylvia Kuzminski

Musselburgh

Extremely helpful and have been kept up to date with relevant information.

Annmarie Biddulph

Birmingham

Peace of mind, experience and knowledge all in one!

Kenneth Logan

Edinburgh

Have used TC's for several years now and just prefer the hassle-free process and great suggestions by my agent - David Bishop, making for a great holiday and knowing that if there are any real problems I can get in touch and they'll help to get it sorted.

James Barrie

Edinburgh

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Let's plan your dream trip together

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Let’s talk through your ideas, no pressure.

0131 516 3920

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Finding your match...

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