Donna Puffett

I'm based in

Rayleigh

Available for new enquiries

It's Nice To Meet You

Hello. Thank you for taking time to visit my website!

Working from my office at home, without the distractions of the high street and noisy call centres, I am able to offer exceptional customer service to ensure each and every trip meets and exceeds your expectations.

With Travel Counsellors I can offer a one-to-one travel service, using my experience of 24 years, combined with a unique system which no other travel agency or tour operator has access too. This enables me to book flights, accommodation and transfers separately which more often than not beats standard tour operator packages.

I am passionate about everything 'travel' and even if I haven't been there myself I still love to investigate the details on somewhere new.

I have travelled to California, Florida, Alaska, Las Vegas, Colorado, New England, Caribbean, Cuba, Canada, South Africa,Indian Ocean, India, Morocco, Dubai, Egypt, Israel, Greek and Canary Islands, and most European countries. This includes cruising, touring, city-breaks and experiencing some wonderful fully inclusive resorts!

I have attended the Walt Disney ‘Stars Programme’ in Florida and Paris gaining first-hand knowledge on what Disney can offer. I am an Australian specialist so I can plan itineraries and advise visiting the "top end" of Australia. I took part in the Dubai Expert programme staying in Dubai for four days, carrying out over 10 hotel inspections and visiting the attractions of this vibrant and growing city.

I have visited Jersey, a wonderful unspoilt island very close to home. Fantastic for gourmet food lovers, especially seafood! I have extensive knowledge of some of the most inspired operators, be it Sandals, Virgin or Cunard to name just a few.

I can arrange every aspect of your travel needs from weddings, group and special interest tours, car hire, package deals, tailor-made, flights only, cruise and long-haul.

My aim is to build long-term partnerships with all my clients based on trust, honesty and friendship.

The Travel Counsellors concept provides a friendly and hassle free way of making your travel arrangements from the comfort of your own home or office. Everything that is booked with me is 100% financially protected by our Travel Counsellors Financial Trust.

My experience is there for you. Allow me to take the legwork out of surfing the net, or waiting to be seen in a travel agency! I look forward to hearing from you and hope to turn your dream holiday into reality.

If you would like any further information, or an informal chat about your travel plans, now, or at any time, please contact me by phone or email.

Thank you.

signature

Explore my guides and blogs

Romanian Jewel

Romanian Jewel

In October I experienced the inaugural short flight of two hours, 15 minutes from Stansted to Oradea, Romania. Our transfer took 15 minutes to Bali Felix staying in the new President Spa Hotel. This hotel is part of a group of hotels on the same resort built on a thermal plain. The temperature of the thermal water is 37-38C and this is used in all the 17 pools within the complex. Adjacent to t

12 Dec 2017 5   min read

The Smiling Coast

The Smiling Coast

On my recent trip to the Gambia our group met at Gatwick for our six hour flight with Monarch airlines. We arrived at Banjul to a welcome blast of African heat! Our home for the next five days was the 5* Kairaba Hotel. My terrace room was very spacious, overlooking the landscaped gardens. I instantly felt relaxed and was taken back with how friendly everyone was. Every morning the resident peac

08 Jan 2013 5   min read

Colourful Colorado

Colourful Colorado

Colorado, a state of contrasts. After a comfortable flight with American Airlines via Dallas I arrived in Denver, the “mile high” city. With a short transfer time of 30 minutes you reach Downtown. Our overnight stay was in the historic Brown Palace Hotel. The rooms were spacious and included unique period features. The location was ideal as it was only a brief walk to the city centre but as

19 Jun 2012 5   min read

Turkey captivating Kalkan

Turkey captivating Kalkan

On a short visit to Turkey we flew from Gatwick on Easyjet to Dalaman, a quick 3.5 hour flight. Visas are obtained on entry so don't forget your £10 note! It was my first visit to a Turkish resort. Our transfer was by minibus and took an hour and forty five minutes. During the journey we passed through green valleys, mountains and acres of greenhouses filled with ripening tomatoes - very scenic

23 May 2011 5   min read

Scenic Jamaica

Scenic Jamaica

This was a fantastic short visit to Jamaica which definitely exceeded my expectations of the island. I travelled on the re-instated flight with British Airways on the Montego Bay service which has resumed after a sense year absence. On my first day I climbed Dunn's River Falls at Ocho Rios, which was a exhilarating experience - all 600ft! The guide was very sure footed and I highly recommend

30 Nov 2009 5   min read

Queen Victoria Cunard & Norwegian Fjords

Queen Victoria Cunard & Norwegian Fjords

Experiencing my first cruise on Cunard as we left Southampton with the sounds of the ship's band playing and accompanied by many small boats escorting us from the port, I felt quite emotional. I was very impressed with the layout of the ship, she is very grand. I've never seen so many Grand Pianos in one place! There were also plenty of bars (12in total) and three main restaurants. The journey

11 Sept 2008 5   min read

Sharm El Sheikh & Taba Heights

Sharm El Sheikh & Taba Heights

I experienced a multi centre stay in Egypt. Spending 3 nights at The Grand Rotana,1 night at The Hilton, Coral Bay and 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency, Taba Heights. I travelled along with 15 other Travel Agents, including a fellow Travel Counsellor. We flew out from Gatwick with Monarch Airways. I would recommend upgrading to premium class as the seat pitch was considerably more comfortable and

02 Jun 2008 5   min read

What my customers say

Booking with Donna was easy. We gave her our requirements and she used her expertise to find a suitable holiday that fit our brief and budget. Donna found us flights that saved a lot of money and then checked in before and after the holiday to make sure we had everything we need. I feel like we got a very personalised service and felt reassured that there was someone I could contact if anything went wrong- however we didn't need this as everything went as planned.

Jeni Windsor

Colchester

Our Honeymoon was amazing, thank you. We really did not want to leave ! All hotels were good, private transfers fantastic, allowing us to relax far more. We've already said we would love to go back in the future.

James Phillips

UK

Excellent, quick, precise and most efficient. Donna answered my questions very quickly and anticipated some I had not thought of. Much appreciated and I would highly recommend to family ,friends and colleagues.

Micheal Davies

Rayleigh

Very helpful,listened to what I wanted and budget,delivered exactly that ! Fantastic and stress free.

Sarah Catchpole

UK

Hi Donna, thankyou for organising our trip to celebrate Carols 60th Birthday. The hotel in Miami was very nice and only a short walk to Ocean Drive. Norwegian Lines were very good and would recomend them as a cruise provider. Had a relaxed atmosphere and the staff were all friendly and helpful.

Iain Patterson

Chelmsford

Fantastic service from Donna! Nothing was too much trouble for her to look into and she has found the perfect packages to make our holidays the best they can be - thank you Donna.

Claire Wells

Benfleet

Hi Donna Firstly, I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed Dubrovnik it truly was fabulous on every level, thank you so much for organising it all for us, it does make life so easy!

Dee Mathers

Billericay

The holiday was great. All your arrangements went faultlessly, with flights and transfers all on time. Don't know if you've been to Oludeniz, but it is very much a tourist town with lots of activities that you can sign up for. The hotel was fine and we met lots of people who were making retun trips, and quite a few had made multiple visits. Thanks for your help with arrangements and I am sure we will in touch again.

Roger Grimwade

Southend.

We have been using Donna for a number of years and she has helped us create some of the most spectacular memories. Whether it has been an apartment in Spain for a family holiday; a first time cruise or a stay in the jungles of Africa, we know all will be in place and Donna will have thought of everything. Donna seems to know all the secrets of a great holiday no matter what we are after and I know our holidays have been all the more special for her help and advice. And it doesn't end with the booking, any questions and Donna is there and when we had to cancel because of illness, all the stress was taken away as Travel Counsellors were there to assist. Thank you Donna

Dawn Clark

Chelmsford

Hi Donna , Just a short note to thank you very much for recommending and organising our holiday to Tromso and beyond. We had the best time ever and saw the Aurora Borealis every night except for two when we had heavy snow storms. MS Nordlys was a lovely ship, the staff, service and food fanastic and we ate Norwegian all the time which we were pleased about. I will recommend this trip to everyone and your service as well .

Sally-Ann Judd

Chelmsford.Essex

Donna Puffet is always very helpful and very efficient - I have always been very happy with the service she offers.

Jackie Ullyart

Chelmsford

Donna has been our Travel Counsellor for several years now. She is always available to help even when we are away on holiday and that sort of customer care and service is rare these days. Value for money coupled with great service keeps us coming back to Donna. We are pleased to recommend her without hesitation. Michael and Heather Frost.

Michael Frost

Chelmsford

Donna is always fantastic and we have recommended her on several occasions.

Trevor Parrett

Rayleigh

I had a 'big' birthday this year and I knew that I wanted to celebrate in style with a holiday. After a brief chat with Donna she came up with the most perfect holiday for me and my friends. Everything about the trip was absolutely perfect! Donna was so helpful every step of the way and answered any queries we had instantly. I could not recommend her highly enough, she does a great job at a great price ,you really couldn't ask for more. Thank you so much Donna you are a star!

Dee Mathers

Billericay

Many thanks for arranging our trip to Disneyland, Paris. We were really impressed with the organisation of our schedule and everything worked exactly according to plan. The Disney Hotel was everything that we had hoped for and the bus shuttle service was excellent. We all had a thoroughly good time and have brought back many happy memories of our stay in Disneyland. It was lovely to see the grandsons enjoying themselves and they have been telling everyone what a wonderful place it is. Once again many thanks for arranging this trip for us. We will certainly use your services again when we next require a bespoke holiday.

Jill Denton

Leigh on sea

Forget holiday brochures and the internet, just pick up the phone and call Donna, tell her where you want to go and how much your budget is. Within no time you will have a choice of wonderful destinations to choose from. Let Donna know your favourite and it's booked along with all the other bits and pieces that take time. Any problems just ring and she is there to help. Excellent service, nothing is too much trouble.Highly recommended.

Dave Bowes

Windsor

I have used Donna at Travel Counsellors several times and have always been immensely impressed with the service received. I particularly feel her forte is in the bespoke holiday - I have literally emailed what I want from my holiday, destination and my budget and within, at most, 24 hours I have quotes and details emailed back to me. In December 2009 we were in Paris when the Eurostar services were suspended - I am convinced it is only because we had booked through Travel Counsellors who immediately sourced flights, taxis etc from the airport, that we got home to our daughters in time for Christmas! Donna provides a very professional service in an excellent manner and I wouldn't - and haven't - hesitated to recommend her.

Clare Parrett

Rayleigh

Donna has booked flights for me on several occasions and without fail, finds me the best option, saving me hours of research and stress. She has infinite patience when I suddenly have to change the dates and goes back and comes back with more options on complicated routes. Her knowledge is huge and I recommend her to many friends and clients.

Rosemary Cunningham

Benfleet

We needed to find a special location for our wedding and Donna found somewhere special that did exactly that and organised a great travel package that ticked all the boxes. Donna is a true professional who provides a fantastic service. I can refer Donna with confidence to anyone that wants something special from their holiday.

Steve Reed

Burnham on Crouch

Donna has been absolutely superb in delivering an itinerary that matched my requirements from a very sketchy brief. Since accepting her proposed itinerary she has been in regular contact, providing helpful and relevant advice leading up to the date of vacation. I would not hesitate to recommend Donna to assist with delivering your travel plans.

Gary Raven

Leigh-on-Sea

Hi Donna, Just wanted to say "Thank you" Kalkan was fabulous. Something for everyone. We all had a really great time. Hotel brill! Restaurants, Turkish people, weather - could'nt have been better...Thanks again. Hilary

Hilary Ashman

UK

This is just to say what a fabulous time we had on the Princess Cruise. We really appreciated the lovely suite with the balcony - it made all the difference. It made life easier that you had thoughtfully placed us near to the lifts. We really enjoyed all the places we stopped at, Ajaccio was beautiful. So thank you for all your help. Thank you also for the Ruby anniversary card. Thanks again, Jackie.

Jackie Ullyart

Chelmsford

We have now enjoyed several superb holidays arranged with meticulous care for us by Donna. She always looks after our interests with commendable and entirely professional diligence. We are delighted with the service that Donna gives us and as a consequence have a very high opinion of Travel Counsellors as a company.

Michael Frost

Chelmsford

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.

01268 856580

Let’s connect

Travel Counsellors

Finding your match...

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