Your Holiday, Handled: What Happens When You Enquire With Me

Step 1: All the Different Ways You Can Get in Touch

People find me in all sorts of ways, and there is no “right” or “wrong” way to contact me. However you find me, you get the same one‑to‑one, independent travel advisor experience rather than a call centre.

You might:

• Be referred by friends or family who have booked with me before
• See me on social media and send a quick message
• Drop me an email
• WhatsApp me
• Pick up the phone and call
• Or fill in the enquiry form on my website

The online enquiry form is becoming really popular because it lets you share a bit more detail straight away:  who is travelling, rough dates, ages of children, where you are thinking of, and any first ideas. It is a brilliant way to give me a head start.

People often come to me after hearing about my personal holiday planning service from someone they trust, or they discover me as their new travel advisor for family holidays on social media.

But honestly, whatever works for you is fine. The important thing is that you feel comfortable contacting me in the way that suits you. 

However you reach out, you will always hear back from me personally, not a call centre or a chatbot.

Step 2: My First Reply

I always try to reply using the same method you used to contact me. So if you send me a WhatsApp, I will reply there. If you email me, I will email you back, and so on.

In that first reply I will usually:

• Say hello properly and thank you for getting in touch
• Confirm what you are looking for in simple terms
• Ask a few extra questions so I can start putting the picture together
• Offer to arrange a call if that suits you

If you are happy to chat on the phone, we will arrange a time that works around your day. If phone calls are not your thing or life is too busy, that is absolutely fine. We can keep everything on email or WhatsApp. The whole point is that this fits around you, not the other way round. 

From the very first reply, you will get a feel for how my tailor made holiday planning works: relaxed, friendly and completely focused on what you and your family need.

Step 3: Getting to Know You and Your Holiday Style

Before I can put any quotes together, I need a mix of the practical details and the “who you are” details. Both are really important.

First, the essentials:

• Rough dates or exact departure date
• Destination ideas, or at least the kind of places you have in mind
• Who is travelling and ages of any children
• How long you want to go away for
• Your preferred departure airport(s)
• Any budget guidelines or limits

Anything fixed, like specific school holiday weeks, work restrictions or annual leave dates

These basics are what I need to create personalised holiday quotes that are actually realistic for you.

Then we get into the fun stuff: what you actually like on holiday.

I might ask you things like:

• Where have you been before and what did you love (or really not enjoy)?
• Any hotels or resorts you have stayed in that felt “just right” for you?
• Are you an active family who likes to get out and explore, or are you happiest around the pool and on the beach?
• Do you prefer quieter, more relaxed places or somewhere with a bit more buzz?
• Are kids clubs, waterslides, evening entertainment or a spa important?
• Do you like self‑catering, half board, all inclusive, a mix…?

I will often ask for examples of places you have stayed previously, because that gives me such a good feel for your taste. It is not just about stars and prices, it is about the sort of environment where you feel at home. This is the part that turns a standard booking into a bespoke family holiday, because I am not just filling in boxes, I am learning about your travel style.

The more open and honest you are here, the better I can match what I send you to what you will genuinely enjoy. This is where working with a personal Travel Counsellor really makes a difference compared with booking online on your own.

Step 4: Setting Up Your Customer Account & Portal

Once I have your key contact details, I will set you up with your customer account and send you an invite so you can access your secure MyTC portal.

In your MyTC portal you can:

• View all your quotes in one place
• Compare options side by side
• See your booking information and documents once you confirm
• Make secure payments

Your MyTC portal is where you will always find your latest bespoke holiday quotes and, once you are booked, all your travel documents in one secure place. 

I do not email quotes as attachments. The portal is your one central place to view everything safely and clearly, and it means we are always looking at the same up‑to‑date information.

Step 5: While I Work on Your Options

Once we have had that initial chat (whether by phone, email or WhatsApp) and I have what I need, I will start working on your options behind the scenes.

This includes:

• Checking live prices and availability
• Matching hotels and destinations to your family, your style and your wish list
• Looking at the practical side: flight times, transfer times, room layouts, facilities
• Double‑checking that what looks good on paper actually makes sense in real life for you

Behind the scenes I am doing all the research you would usually have to do yourself: checking live prices, reading the detail, and using my experience as an independent travel agent in the UK to narrow it all down for you. It is all about taking the stress and guesswork out of holiday planning so you can enjoy the fun bits.

Sometimes, before your full quotes are ready, I might send you a PDF of a particular hotel I think could work, or some information about the area you are interested in. That way you have something to have a read through while I pull everything together.

It keeps you in the loop and helps you start to imagine yourselves there, without you having to do all the research yourself.

Step 6: Your Tailor‑Made Quotes

When your quotes are ready, I will upload them to your MyTC portal and let you know they are there waiting for you. You will then be able to see your tailor made holiday options side by side.

Most of the time I will send around three options. That might be:

• Three different hotels in the same resort or area, so you can compare style and price
• Or a mix of different areas or even different destinations if you are still deciding where to go

I do not believe in throwing twenty random options at you. Instead, I carefully pick a small selection of bespoke holiday quotes that really fit what you have told me.

Each quote will clearly show:

• What is included
• The overall feel and style of the hotel or destination
• Key features that link back to your wish list
• The price, so you can compare like for like

You can then log into your MyTC portal, have a proper look through everything in your own time and talk it over with whoever you are travelling with.

This is step‑by‑step holiday planning with a travel expert, rather than you scrolling through endless websites on your own.

Step 7: Honest Feedback Is Essential

After you have had a chance to look at the quotes, I will check in with you to make sure you have been able to access everything and to see what you think.

We can:

• Chat things through on the phone, or
• Stick to WhatsApp or email, whichever you prefer

I always say this at this stage: please be completely honest with me.

If you:

• Do not like a hotel
• Are not keen on the area
• Feel it is too lively, too quiet, too big, too small
• Think the price is a bit higher than you hoped

Tell me. You are not going to offend me. In fact, that feedback is really helpful.

If you love it but something is not quite right yet, that is just as useful to know. This is your holiday, and I want you to feel genuinely excited about it, not just “that will do”.

Honest feedback is a huge part of how my stress free holiday planning service works. The more open you are, the better I can adjust things for you.

Step 8: Tweaking, Refining, Getting It Just Right

If we do not get it spot on first time, that is absolutely fine. We tweak.

I might:

• Change the hotel or room type
• Look at slightly different dates to help with budget or availability
• Suggest a different board basis
• Or even look at alternative destinations that still give you the feel you want

We go back and forth as much as we need to so that:

• It fits your budget
• It matches your wish list
• And it feels right for you and your family

Sometimes we get it right straight away and you are ready to book. Sometimes it takes a couple of rounds of adjustments. Either way, this is exactly what I am here for.

This is one of the biggest benefits of booking with a personal Travel Counsellor: your holiday is not a fixed package, it is something we fine‑tune together until it feels just right.

Step 9: When You Are Ready to Book

Once you have found the one and you are excited to go ahead, we move on to confirming your holiday.

At that point I will:

• Recap the details with you so we are both 100% clear
• Talk you through the deposit, balance and key dates
• Make the booking for you and update everything in your MyTC portal

From deposit to balance date and all the little questions in between, you have your own UK travel advisor on hand, not a different person every time you call. From then on, I am still here as your point of contact right up until you travel and after you get home. If you have questions, want to add extras, or just need a bit of reassurance, you come straight back to me.

In Short: Why This Way of Working Helps You

This whole process is designed so that your holiday planning is simple, personal and enjoyable:

• You get tailor made holiday planning instead of off‑the‑shelf deals
• You have one personal Travel Counsellor who knows you and your family
• You enjoy genuinely stress free holiday planning, without hours of scrolling and second‑guessing

If you are starting to think about your next trip and would like a friendly, one‑to‑one holiday planning service, just get in touch in whichever way feels easiest for you: WhatsApp, email, phone, social media or my website enquiry form. I would love to help you plan something you can really look forward to.