Thank you

Nineteen years of thank‑yous

Nineteen years is a long time to be doing anything, but when I look back at my time in travel, what really stands out are the people who have come along on the journey with me. So many of my bookings now are from loyal clients who have stuck by me through job changes, rebrands and life’s ups and downs, and from the friends and family they have recommended along the way. This is a little “thank you” to the people who quietly keep my business going year after year.

There isn’t just one “type” of loyal client, and that’s what I love about this job. I have families who first booked with me when the kids were tiny, then came back to book their honeymoon, and are now trusting me with their own family holidays (which does make me feel a bit old, in the nicest possible way!). There are couples who come back for every anniversary, mini‑moon and big once‑in‑a‑lifetime trip. I have solo travellers who were nervous the first time we spoke and now message me each year for their next escape. Then there are the ex‑colleagues, dog‑walking friends and “friends of friends” who quietly recommend me on WhatsApp or over a coffee, and always send their loved ones my way.

I started the business back in 2007 with bookings from friends and family only. It was very much “people who already knew me trusting me with their holidays” in those early days. A bit further down the line I joined more formal networking groups like BNI and Women in Business, and over the years I’ve got to know a lot of local business owners and professionals. Many of them have not only become regular clients themselves, but have also introduced me to their colleagues, customers and friends, which has helped my little travel business grow far beyond that original circle.

When I look at where this year’s bookings have come from, it really brings home how relationship‑based my business is. There are ex‑work colleagues, people I first met in the local pubs (and at bingo), cousins and their children and even grandchildren. There are clients referred by existing customers, who have passed my name on to their friends, family, colleagues or even people they’ve met on holiday. Some have found me again on social media after almost 20 years from past career paths. There’s my oldest school friend, the couple whose honeymoon I booked in the early days and who now have two young children I’m helping with family trips, nieces and their families, people we met while travelling in Canada or on cruises, and those who spotted a small piece of local advertising and took a chance on me.

Of course, it hasn’t all been straightforward. 2020 was a huge hit to the travel industry, and the years that followed were slow until the world properly opened up again. Even now, there are more days than not when a notification from our 24/7 duty office pops up about something happening somewhere in the world that could affect clients. On a personal level, the last few years have brought more than their share of ill health for me and for people close to me. All of that is part of why I wanted to write this: simply to say thank you.

Thank you to each and every one of you: not only those who have booked your travel with me, but also the people who have quietly passed my details on, mentioned me in a conversation, or liked and shared my posts. Every booking, every referral and every little bit of support helps keep my business going, and I don’t take any of it for granted.

As I head into my 20th year as your Travel Counsellor, it’s reminded me that this work isn’t really about flights and hotels, it’s about relationships and trust. If you are already one of my lovely “regulars”, thank you again for being here and for trusting me with your precious time away. And if you’re reading this and thinking you’d quite like your own “personal travel person” who gets to know you and looks after you year after year, I’d love to welcome you as a new client and help you plan whatever you’d like to look forward to next.