Cathy Oldfield

I’m originally from Northern Ireland. I live with my partner and have a daughter, a son, two grandchildren, and two Mashi’s called Mollie and Maisie. We’re fortunate to live in a village surrounded by countryside, so there are plenty of places to go walking with the dogs. Of course, holidays are my main passion – but only those that involve flip-flops!

Career-wise, my background has always been in travel. I studied Travel and Tourism at college back in 1985, and before coming to Travel Counsellors, I worked on the high street within independent travel agencies.

When I relocated from Northern Ireland, I applied for a job at the company and progressed to head office, where I worked in various roles before settling in recruitment. I’ve now been with Travel Counsellors for more than 28 years!

I love seeing people’s lives change. I had a lovely email recently from someone who started as a Travel Counsellor about nine months ago. She got her commission remittance and that month she was due to receive more than four times what she had earned on the high street. She was in tears seeing it, as it meant so much to her and her young daughter.

There have been so many highlights over the years. One of the biggest was having the courage to open our annual conference in Glasgow in 2018. It was my 20th year at Travel Counsellors and I spoke about my recruitment journey, as well as my time volunteering in Nepal a few months before.

Another very special highlight came in 2026, when I was inducted into the first-ever Travel Counsellors Hall of Fame. It was a huge honour and a wonderful recognition of my many years with the business and the relationships I’ve built within the Travel Counsellors community.

We treat every candidate as an individual and we build a relationship with that person. Timing is so important, and only the candidate knows when that timing is right. Therefore, there is never any pressure from our end. We will spend as much time talking or meeting with prospective new Travel Counsellors as they would want.

I’ve been with the business for such a long time, and I certainly wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in Travel Counsellors. We encourage new candidates to get in touch with existing Travel Counsellors to hear it from their side.

As with most new businesses, it’s not going to happen overnight. So, financially, you need to prepare for that and have a buffer until commissions start to generate.

I think it’s the tech and tools available, alongside the range of products. There is no enquiry that a Travel Counsellor couldn’t facilitate. For me, it’s also the community – how the Travel Counsellors support each other and work together, as well as the company’s intense focus on wellbeing.