Helen Vincent
I'm based in
Poole
It's Nice To Meet You
Hello, I offer a confidential, personal and bespoke travel service using my 30 years experience in travel to find the very best holiday for you.
I have the pleasure in arranging personal (and group) travel for clients, everything from city breaks, family holidays to luxury long-haul holidays. My areas of expertise include: luxury, tailor-made, long-haul, luxury & adventure travel and cruising, groups and activity event trips. Pre pandemic I booked over 350 people from all over the world including the British Youth Sailing team to the World Championship in China flights and tours. I can book everything from honeymoons, safaris, cruises, road trips, luxury trains, touring, excursions and even all of it put together to fulfil your dreams.
Travel Counsellors gives me access to the industry best holiday tour operators, airline, ground agents and activities all safely protected with own ATOL, with a 24/7 crisis team on hand to support all clients booked through this system at all time anywhere in the world. I felt it was the perfect opportunity to work personally with my clients, arranging and sourcing the very best holidays and business travel. All backed up with award winning technology with the support of a world leading independent travel company, one of the biggest Travel company in the UK.
My personal travel experience includes Sri Lanka, Maldives, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador and The Galapagos, Peru, Argentina, activity holidays: cycling, skiing and water sports, Morocco, India, Australia, Thailand & Asia, Indian Ocean, Hong Kong and China - and throughout Europe.
My experience prior to Travel Counsellors of owning a bespoke tour operator for 18 years, arranging some of the most fabulous holidays in amazing places - which was voted TTA Tour Operator of the Year in 2011/12, has given me considerable experience and expertise in the industry.
After successfully selling the business to take a break in 2013 I have since then been asked many times for advice and help to book super holidays, so I have decided to team up under the Travel Counsellors umbrella to offer these services and enjoy being part of the TC family.
I very much look forward to helping you plan your perfect holiday - where would you like to go next?
Travel guides
Explore my guides and blogs
Escorted Touring in Italy
Amo l’Italia! Italy holds such a special place in my heart - an affection forged in my teens when I was an Au Pair in Lugano on the border of Italy and Switzerland. A very special and most wonderful time. Quite simply, I think I fell in love - with Italy, it's people and, basically, all things Italian. Over the years I have visited this stunning country many times. In particular, I have spent ma
30 Jun 2023 5 min read
Aurora Expedition Cruising - and the New X-Bow hull ship
What a lovely day out we were treated to with Aurora Expeditions - kayaking in the Solent and a high speed rib ride to the Needles, spending time with the passionate staff from Aurora Expeditions. What is expedition cruising? The first expedition voyage to Antarctica was some 25 years ago for Aurora and their spirit of adventure still burns just as bright. There are limited group numbers to e
24 Sept 2019 5 min read
Skiing in Les Gets & the Portes Du Soleil
Family or Friendly French ski resorts The Portes du Soleil ski area is one of the biggest winter playgrounds in the world, with 12 linked resorts on either side of the French-Swiss border. In the heart of the French and swiss Alps, the ski area Alps is located between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, skiers come for the excellent snowfall - more than 8 metres every year! The Portes du Soleil offers 4
23 Sept 2019 5 min read
Antigua
I just love Antigua, 365 white sandy beach, relaxed way of life and super food - what is not to like? It is only a 8 hour direct flight from the UK - daytime flight out and overnight on the way home on BA or Virgin - making it a perfect winter get away. Or combine with Miami, as we did this summer, only 3 hours from Miami direct flight. The island is easy to get round, car hire is very safe - t
23 Sept 2019 5 min read
Iconic Miami
It had been 20 years since I had visited Miami and going back with our now teenagers was going to interesting ... well it doesn’t disappoint. Hot, clean, friendly and definitely iconic. Getting around is so easy with the free trolley buses (with air conditioning and free Wi-Fi). Download the app so you can see where the stops are and when the next trolley is coming. Tip - using only electric golf
11 Sept 2019 5 min read
Celebrity cruise on Carnival Sensation
My family’s first cruise ( with teenagers of 16 & 18 yrs) was going to be an experience on way or another! It was a 5 night cruise out of Miami - we chose this cruise as it fitted with our holiday dates and included Havana. Unfortunately Mr Trump then with 1 month of departure date - declared that Cuba was off limits to Americans and American cruise ships - we were very disappointed. However the
11 Sept 2019 5 min read
Classic crusie liner
I recently had the chance for a ship visit on the classic ex Transatlantic ocean liner The Astoria. Having watch this ship sail majestically into Poole Harbour I look forward to seeing the cabins, and accommodation on board. A great size ship taking only 550 passengers with 2 restaurants, 5 lounges, bars and Calypso Show lounge, nightclub and outdoor swimming pool it certainly is comfortable. Th
30 Mar 2019 5 min read
Costa Rica - Family holiday
When my children were 6 and 8 years old, I felt they were old enough to join me and my husband on one of my research trips, combined with a family holiday to Costa Rica. They loved it and a great highlight for them was Arenal Volcano near Lake Arenal, the largest volcano in the world, erupting every day since July 1968 until 2009. The local Costa Rican guide had the children in the front of th
25 Oct 2018 5 min read
California - Road trip
This trip was arranged by Visit California, with 10 groups all visiting different areas of California. My group visited the northern region from San Francisco. I would say this is an area of specialist interest for those who like a road trip and want to see the unusual California. The Redwood Forest are amazing, and these are now my favourite trees. I love the way they grow a little family
07 Sept 2018 5 min read
Thailand - City, beach & jungle
How lucky to win a place on a Travel Counsellors trip to Thailand. I love traveling and to travel with my super colleagues to an amazing place is such a bonus. Thank you so much to Emirates and Centrara and EXO. I flew with Emirates to Bangkok via Dubai staying at the Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao. A busy time in Bangkok, somewhere I haven't visited for 25 years! The roof top bar/resta
07 Sept 2018 5 min read
Glagapgos
I visited Lonesome George in February 2008. Galapagos is such an incredible place with an amazing variety of wildlife. Many of the creatures are endangered species protected by the Darwin Research Station. Our Galapagos ground agents were kindly able to provide a detailed history of Lonesome George, we hope you find this an interesting read. Celebrating the Life of Lonesome George, the world-fa
07 Sept 2018 5 min read
Ras al Khaimah
What is this.... well if you haven't heard of Ras al Khaimah it is one of the 7 United Arab Emirate states, only 40 minutes from Dubai airport along some very new road. Ras al-Khaimah, historically known as Julfar, is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Its name could be taken to mean "headland of the small huts", which can be attributed to the indigenous buildings tha
07 Sept 2018 5 min read
Singapore
A short stopover in Singapore on the way home was not long enough! I love this city and would have liked to have a few days to explore and take in the sights and sounds. If you have a flight layover - the airport offers a free tour of the city, with two options. Depending on the time you have you must be in transit for this though. As we were travelling on a NON through ticket we had to co
04 Sept 2018 5 min read
Hong Kong
Hong Kong what a city! Busy, vibrant and some serious shopping to be done! Start with the Star ferry for the famous bay crossing, an institution for the locals and a mythical voyage that the national Geographical Traveller magazine lists as one of their 50 experiences of a lifetime. From the boat you can appreciate what some consider as being the most beautiful skyline in the worlds, where t
04 Sept 2018 5 min read
Xian - The Terracota Worriers
The Terracotta Warriors are on everyone's bucket list - they are incredible. However, I would like to prepare you if you are planning a visit, the Chinese Government now allow 80,000 visitors a day in the site! It is madly busy in the viewing of the pits of the warriors, so be prepared for queues, jostling and the heat. Standing in battle-ready formation and numbering into the thousands, the T
04 Sept 2018 5 min read
Beijing
Visiting Beijing is a must when in China - it is busy, with a population of 20 million! I have been some 28 years ago to China and Beijing but don't remember much apart from bicycles everywhere. That had really changed and now the car is king, and the roads are really busy. Use of the subway is recommended as the fastest way to get about. Though funnily enough, they are now trying to reintroduc
04 Sept 2018 5 min read
Club Med - Bali
A week of relaxing in Bali. This was my first visit to Bali, (I know, how have I missed this special place!) We picked Bali as I have always wanted to visit and the climate seemed perfect for August, which so many places in Asia are not at that time of year. The weather was a super 28 degrees, sunny and not too humid - the dry season. We had one day of rain in the hills of Ubud but that didn
04 Sept 2018 5 min read
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Why use a Travel Counsellor
Let's plan your dream trip together
Tailor-made for you
Your holiday isn’t just a trip away. It’s a longed-for escape, time to reconnect with loved ones, or a dream adventure you never thought possible. That’s why I take the time to truly get to know you and understand your hopes and expectations, then use my experience, connections and passion for the destination to create a trip that makes those dreams a reality.
Personalised service. Always
When you plan a holiday with me, you’ll be given my personal mobile number from the very first call. I’ll listen to your thoughts and ideas like I would a friend and arrange accommodation, activities, and flights that are all personalised to you. And I’ll share my personal tips and recommendations, so you can experience the true beauty of each destination.
Stress-free travel, and more time for what matters most
I believe your time away should be stress-free, easy, and seamless from start to finish. So, I take care of all the details for you - from ATOL protection, insurance, and flexible payments to access to the myTC app, which keeps everything in one place.
Support when it matters most
If the unexpected happens, you can rest easy, knowing that I’ll handle any last-minute changes, flight cancellations, or disruptions before you even pick up the phone. So you always feel happy, carefree, and ready to make the most of every moment.
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