Travel Counsellors named in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work, five years in a row
Travel Counsellors has been named in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list for 2026, marking its fifth consecutive year of recognition as one of the UK's most respected employers.
The award, judged on anonymised employee survey data, recognises organisations that consistently score highly on culture, wellbeing, leadership trust, and day-to-day experience. Travel Counsellors placed in the mid-size employer category, where it has ranked each year since 2022.
Steve Byrne, CEO, said: "This recognition matters to us not because it's an award, but because it reflects something we genuinely work at every day. We have always believed that if our TCs and our team feel genuinely cared for, everything else — the service, the growth, the culture — follows from that."
If our people feel genuinely cared for, everything else follows from that.
What TCs say about the culture
The survey results are one measure, but the stories TCs tell — unprompted, in their own words — are another. Across the 2026 survey responses, the most frequently cited themes were: feeling genuinely supported when things go wrong, the quality of the technology, and the sense of community across the TC network.
Jo Williams, who joined TC after a decade in high-street travel, said: "It oozed care from day one. I've never felt like I was on my own. And when there was a difficult booking situation — a client whose flights were cancelled mid-trip — the support team were there within minutes. That's not something you get when you're doing it alone."
Why culture matters more when you're running your own business
One of the less obvious aspects of what makes Travel Counsellors different is the relationship between being your own boss and still feeling part of something larger. TCs are independent business owners — they set their own hours, choose their own clients, and keep a significant share of what they earn. But they're also part of a network of more than 2,000 people, with a support team in Manchester, and a community that meets face to face at regional events and the annual conference.
Nat Adams, who joined TC after 12 years in corporate hospitality, described it this way: "I wanted freedom, but I didn't want to feel alone. That's exactly what TC gives you. The structure is there when you need it. When you don't need it, you don't notice it."
- 5th Consecutive year on the Sunday Times list
- 91% TC satisfaction score in the 2026 survey
- 2,000+ Travel Counsellors across six countries
What this means for people considering joining
For anyone weighing up whether to join TC, the award is a data point worth taking seriously. It's based on anonymous surveys — not curated testimonials — and the people answering the questions are the same people who would be your peers if you joined.
The franchise model works best when the relationship between TC and its network is built on genuine trust. Five years of independent recognition suggests that relationship is holding.
Looking ahead
Travel Counsellors will be hosting its annual conference in Manchester this autumn, where the award and the survey findings will be discussed in more detail. Recruitment is open across all routes, with the Leisure Academy and Corporate Academy intakes the most subscribed to date.
