Based in Wigton

Gillian Steele

It's Nice To Meet You

Hello, my name is Gillian Steele, I am a personal Travel Counsellor and have worked in the Travel Industry for over 30 years now.

I have lived in Wigton, Cumbria all my life and I am married with two grown up children.

My travel career started in 1983 in a small independent travel agency where I worked until 2008. I thoroughly enjoy working in travel and still have the same enthusiasm as I had when I was 16 years old (all those years ago!)

With many years of experience, I have a wide and varied knowledge of destinations throughout the world, and have the knowledge to package together holidays using various tour operators to suit each individuals needs. I have visited many destinations over the years from UK based holidays, to Australia, Iceland and South Africa, and have taken many family holidays. Even if I have not visited your desired destination I will endeavour to find out what you need to know. One of my favourite European destinations is Zante - for a great family holiday because the people there are so friendly. South Africa is my number one long haul destination - again for the friendly locals, the scenery and the fantastic safari opportunities.

I will go that one step further to make sure an accommodation or destination will suit my customers needs so they come back HAPPY! Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than a happy customer!

So I hope to hear from you soon.

signature

Contact Me

Whatever your holiday needs I'm here to help you, so simply give me a call or send me an email with your contact details on and I can get things started for you:

Find me on social

My Blog

I absolutely live and breathe travel and I love to write about my experiences! Please take a look through my posts - you might find your own holiday inspiration.

Educational Trip to Thailand

21 March 2018

I was lucky enough to win a trip to Thailand through Travel Counsellors and what an amazing experience it was. I flew with Emirates to Bangkok via Dubai. I would recommend the airline; their entertainment system was brilliant and although I was in economy the was plenty of legroom. Changing planes in Dubai was easy too although there is a bit of walking between terminals to be done. We arrived in Bangkok and the first hotel I stayed in was the Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao, for two nights. A lovely hotel with good facilities – a bar, restaurant, spa and outdoor swimming pool. Our first trip in Bangkok was a trip along the Chao Phraya River on a long-tail boat, turning into the canal area. This was a lovely experience seeing the diversity of buildings along the way. We stopped off at the Royal Barge Museum where we saw the boats used by the Thai Royal family to mark special occasions. Our second stop was Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn which is a 79-metre-high beautiful Pagoda. In the sunshine the pagoda was stunning. In the evening I visited the Asiatique Night Bazaar. This area was full of local shops, restaurants and bars. It’s a good area to visit of an evening. In this complex was the Muay Thai Live show which showed the legend and history of Thai Boxing. After the Bangkok visit our next stop was Hua Hin – it’s about a three-hour transfer to get to here and the accommodation for two nights was at the Centrara Grand Beach Resort and Villas – a beautiful hotel set on the beach and close to Hua Hin centre. Whilst there I took part in a Thai cooking course which included a visit round the local market to see all the local produce. I really enjoyed this experience; the cookery school was modern and the cooks very informative and were very good with anyone that had dietary requirements. After Hua Hin the next destination was Kanchanaburi where the Death Railway and the Bridge over the River Kwai are situated. Before visiting these landmarks, we took a long tail boat to the next hotel which was the River Kwai resotel. Here we stayed in lodges for two, which were lovely considering we were in the jungle. Whilst here we visited the Mon Village, a village populated with people who were originally from Mynamar and made their home in Thailand. We were shown their way of life and their temples before going back to our hotel on manmade bamboo rafts. A few of us decided to float down the river in lifejackets, I found this a lovely relaxing experience. In the evening we were shown a cultural Mon dance show, which was very entertaining and different! The next day we headed back to Bangkok and on the way visited the Death Museum and Hellfire Pass. This was an emotional part of the trip seeing what the Prisoners of War endured building the railway for their Japanese captors. Next stop was the bridge over the River Kwai, now a very busy tourist trap. Our last night was spent back in Bangkok at the Centara Grand at Central World - an amazing hotel with fabulous views of the city amid the shopping areas of Bangkok. One of the highlights was the tuk tuk ride through the centre of Bangkok at night- totally mad but brilliant. We had a meal in a local Chinese restaurant then made our way to Patpong market where we picked up some cheap souvenirs (with a bit of haggling). All in all, I had a fantastic time in Thailand and can't wait to go back!

Prague Weekend Break

26 June 2017

Myself and my husband decided to go to Prague for the weekend. We left Friday afternoon from Newcastle and returned on the Monday. We stayed at a hotel near to Wenceslas Square and found the location to be perfect. We were given a free walking tour by our transfer company which we did on the Saturday morning. Our guide was amazing and took us to all the main sights in the city ending up at the Castle on the hill. It was a 4 hour tour but we got so much out of it and therefore knew where we needed to go to sightsee in depth in the afternoon and the following 2 days we were there. The sightseeing included: Old Town Square Astronomical Clock tower Powder Tower Charles Bridge Jewish Quarter Various churches and statues Prague Castle Prague itself was busy and especially so of a weekend when there tends to be a few stag parties about but this didn't stop our enjoyment of this beautiful city. Cost of living was cheap and even if you had a beer or glass of wine in a prime location this didn't break the bank. In some areas away from the tourist sites to eat and drink was very good value for money. We found the best way to get around was by foot, however there are trams available to get round the city if required. We enjoyed it so much we have decided to return in the winter months when the nights are darker and I should imagine the city will be even more magical when it's lit up.

Los Cristianos

25 May 2011

After the snowy weather in January we decided to seek a bit of sun & picked to go to Los Cristianos in Tenerife. We wanted to stay somewhere central & booked the Reveron Plaza in the Town Square, this was on Bed & Breakfast basis & we were very pleased with our choice. The location, the staff, the room, the breakfast & the pool were great & would recommend this Hotel to couples as there are no grounds but it does have a rooftop pool. We spent out days wandering and found we could walk for miles along the promenade towards Playa de las Americas and beyond, these areas were mainly flat & easy to walk along. The beaches in the Los Cristianos area were sandy & very clean, further along the beaches weren't so great but most Hotels in this area had good grounds with decent size polls to compensate Of a night time we visited local cafes/restaurants where we found the food to be good & inexpensive which was surprising due to the currency being the Euro. As I'd never been to Tenerife before I had a good week with hot weather (no rain) and a nice breeze to make it even more pleasurable.

Fantastic Western Canada

25 May 2011

To celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary my Husband & I decided to travel to Canada & Alaska. The Canadian part of the holiday was done as part of a coach group. We arrived in Calgary and transferred to Banff for a 3 nights stay. Banff is a lovely small town in the Rocky Mountains & we found it very safe to walk around whether at night or during the day - the only thing to watch out for is bears, luckily we never saw any close up! However we did come across deer one morning before we went for breakfast. We had a wander round Banff and surrounding areas – we managed to walk up to the Fairmont Banff Spring Hotel for a look around & then up to the Hot Springs for a relaxing half hour in the warm waters. Whilst in Banff we visited Lake Louise which is a stunning area with a fantastic Chateau Hotel on the lakeside, the Lake is the most beautiful bluey/green I've ever seen. The whole Rocky Mountain area we visited was very scenic & dramatic. From Banff we travelled to Vancouver via Kamloops (with a 1 night stay), this was a long journey but again lovely scenery on the way with many stops of interest. Arriving into Vancouver was a bit of a shock as we had just encountered lovely towns & villages on the way & arrived into a city with high sky scrapers, our hotel was called the 4*Marriott Pinnacle Hotel. The Hotel was very well positioned for walking to different parts of the city. We enjoyed walking along the seafront to Stanley Park which was about an hours walk away but once there you felt as though you were in the country rather than a big city. We really liked Vancouver & would class it as 1 of our favourite cities in the world. From our base in Vancouver we visited various other places including Grouse Mountain & the Capilano Suspension Bridge (which is a place to avoid if you don’t like heights!). Whilst in the area we went to Vancouver Island this was a ferry journey from the mainland which in itself was enjoyable. On our way to Victoria (the capital) we visited Butchart Gardens & even though I’m not a gardener I really loved this place. It was beautiful & the colours of the flowers were amazing. We then proceeded to Victoria which again is another beautiful city and is very safe to walk around. It has lovely buildings and a gorgeous harbour where we wandered and saw many street entertainers. All in all Canada was brilliant & can’t wait to go back!

Albufeira in the Algarve

25 May 2011

Myself & my husband visited the Algarve in October a few years ago and we stayed in the lovely Cerro Mar self catering apartments, The apartments were great, very spacious with everything you would need for a 1 or 2 week holiday, they are high up in the resort so the sea views were magnificent from the balcony. The pool area was great and very well kept. The nearest resort to the accommodation is Albufeira Old Town which was lovely, this is accessed by about 100 steps down into the town square which has cobbled stones with many bars & restaurants that were all reasonable in price. There are street entertainers during the day & of an evening we would find many professional singers in various bars we went to.Once you pass through the square you can go under an arch and find the golden sandy beach of the resort where we spent many a day really relaxing. We found the area totally relaxing & wouldn't hesitate to go back again.

My customer stories

Sent by Elizabeth Johnston

Yes I would definitely recommend Gillian it is hassle free she organises everything

Sent by David Hewat

Such a great service. Friendly fast and informative. Thouroughly recomend

Sent by Amy Harvey

Really personal service and Gillian really listened to our requirements. She offered lots of information and was always on hand when we needed her

Sent by Angela Johnson

Gillian gave first class service and advice on everything about our holiday. All questions answered.

Sent by Phillip Maitland

She listened to what are needs were, and gave us options, and her recommendation

Sent by Diane Schofield

Excellent support very conscientious and patient. Very quick service and dedicated to getting things done wouldn’t go to anyone else now

Sent by Diane Schofield

Excellent support very conscientious and patient. Very quick service and dedicated to getting things done wouldn’t go to anyone else now

Sent by Paul & Audrey Kettle

Excellent service would recommend

Sent by Susan Clark

Once again Gillian has taken the stress out of finding our ideal holiday for this year. She is so helpful and efficient. Looking forward to our first ever cruise.

Sent by Michael Richardson

Excellent service, would recommend

Sent by Neil Thomson

Gillian is fantastic, never lets me down, she knows what we like, I just ask her and she finds me a holiday, perfect!!

Sent by Rebecca Farrimond

Gillian has a good understanding of our requirements and never fails to find us a good deal!

Sent by Ian Rudd

I would most likely recommend you as it makes it a lot easier knowing everything is done correctly and everything will be covered if anything goes wrong. It’s also worth it because it’s not much difference in the price if booking direct.

Sent by Emily Clark

Very helpful, gets back to you really quickly with quotes or queries. Very approachable and knowledgeable about different places, where's good to go etc. Brilliant service :)

Sent by Charlotte Irving

Gillian has been a great help through out our booking process. We have also booked trips via Gillian for during our holiday. It has been a great experience. Thank you

Sent by Lauren Jackson

We always go to Gillian to book our holidays. We have always had excellent service and she has always booked fantastic hotels and given great advice to our family. We had to cancel a holiday due to an accident and Gillian was there to help and guide us. Would recommend booking with her every time.

Sent by Amanda Groves

Gillian has always worked to give us the holiday we asked for the price we have given her. Her customer service is outstanding and I have already recommend her to my family and friends

Sent by Bernadette Dalzell

Wouldn't go anywhere else always get excellent service from Gillian

Sent by Alan Mccracken

Excellent personnel service , polite and very helpful.

Sent by Audrey Brown

Gillian is always so helpful and I have already recommended her to my friends

Sent by Yvonne Oxtoby

Gillian got me the best possible deal and was extremely helpful with everything, would definitely recommend her!