07 May 2024

Welcome to the first of my travel blogs, an area dedicated to nourishing your holiday wanderlust, providing answers to your travel questions, and showing just how much easier your life will be by using a travel consultant. Planning the ‘perfect’ holiday can give you all the feels, from excitement, intimidation, anticipation and best of all the promise of new experiences. But… in reality, sorting your own travel arrangements and booking your own dream holiday is not as straightforward as you might think. Why? Because if you don’t know what you are looking for, it can be very time consuming. There are several steps involved in travel planning and unless you know exactly what you want and when, you might fall into that population of people that spend all their time looking but not booking. This is where I come in – Let’s look at exactly what you can expect from using my services by allowing me to take you through my booking process. 1. Let’s Chat No two families are the same so no two holidays should be either, which is why it is important we have an informal discussion about what you think your dream holiday will look like, with one key thing in mind – Your holiday should be unique to YOU. So, no matter how intricate the details and regardless of the type of trip, rest assured I have your back. 2. To Work I Go The pièce de resistance, this is where I work my magic, and you can take a load off. It is within this stage of the process that you will get access to your very own ‘My TC App’. This cutting-edge technology allows me to provide you with the best itineraries specific to your travel requirements. This will also be the stage in which we amend, add to, and finalise the travel requirements and itinerary. 3. Let’s Book You are ready, you now have your perfect destination, itinerary, and bucket loads of excitement - all that is left is for you to do is to provide me with a few extra details, so we can secure your booking and at long last, your countdown can begin. Rest assured knowing that your access to your ‘My TC App’ and payment portal is secure, and your money is protected. 4. 24/7 Did you know that I provide a 24/7 support service? Which is available during all travel stages, during and after your holiday. Reach out to me anytime via · Phone calls · Whatsapp · Emails · Instagram · Facebook messenger The choice is yours. 5. Post Travel Your holiday is over, you are unpacking, putting on piles of washing and still have that holiday glow… but did you know you can contact me after your trip? Yes, you did read that correctly, of course I want to hear from you after your trip. I know it can be sad and somewhat deflating to come home from your dream holiday, but I love to hear all about your trip, the highlights, the food and most importantly the memories made. So, don’t let the holiday blues in. Instead, come and tell me all about how fantastic your travels were. For those of you that have never hired a travel consultant before, take a look at the benefits below. Benefits of using a travel consultant · Customised solutions · Stress eliminator · Professional expertise · Support · Time saver · Travel alerts Why me? Aside from being a professional within my field, having had explored many countries, cities, and towns across the world – I am passionate about supporting you to achieve your dream holiday and I truly do enjoy hearing about all the memories made. If you’re wanting a stress-free holiday experience, packed full of all the activities you and your family will boast about for years to come, then get in touch today.

06 December 2021

Picture the scene. You’re enjoying the trip of a lifetime. You’ve already spent time in Singapore and have now turned your attention to New Zealand. Today’s itinerary includes a spot of whale watching, after you’ve already enjoyed the sights of the TranzAlpine pass and Waimakariri River. Before long, you know it’ll be onwards to the fabled North Island, which will include seeing the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony and walking Bilbo’s footsteps into Hobbiton. And then SARS-CoV-2 arrives. The world closes. You’re stuck in a foreign country, 18,695km from home. Borders are shutting, flights are grounded, and the virus is running rampant. Unfortunately, this was exactly the situation that my clients found themselves in during the Spring of 2020. They had approached me because this is the kind of heavily researched, multi-centre trip that Travel Counsellors specialise in. Yet they were about to discover the true value of having a Travel Counsellor in your corner: the unrivalled, award-winning support of a true travel professional. And so, I did what I always do for my clients – I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. Of course, in a situation as quickly evolving as Covid-19, this required every ounce of experience gained over the years as I liaised with the British Embassy, the airlines, and the local authorities on the other side of the globe. Ultimately, discussions with the Home Office resulted in spots on one of a handful of return flights for British citizens. Of course, in an ideal world, everything goes off without a snag. I adore the stories of bucket list trips achieved and hearing all about the moments that matter. Yet travel can sometimes be unpredictable, and those are the exactly the situations where I show my worth. I take as much stress out of the situation as possible and fight your battles for you, all with the security of complete, unparalleled financial protection to rely on. It’s now over a year since those events, and the pandemic pushes on. We have the glimmer of hope that is a return to the wider world as restrictions are lifted. However, the situation remains dynamic and ever changing. On top of the UK’s traffic light system, there are requirements on approved pre-departure and pre-return testing and developing FCO advice. And there are further specific conditions at the point of entry, which naturally vary from country to country. My clients don’t have to worry about any of that. They can focus on enjoying their trip, creating memories, and experiencing the sights, sounds and smells that this incredible world has to offer, knowing that just a phone call away, their dedicated Travel Counsellor sits ready to spring into action on their behalf. In their corner.

14 May 2019

How did that happen? I was once a travel agent, I booked peoples dream holidays, I sorted their tickets and made sure they had the answer to any questions that came up. Sometimes we discussed excursions and extras but more often than not I was just a standard travel agent. Then I started to listen to what my clients really wanted, stress free, no hassle, just to travel. When planning these beautiful, wonderful holidays to far flung places, I began adding all the essentials plus all of the fun, exciting memorable trips they could add. Some of them book all, and others book none, but all of them know what options they have to add to there trips to make the holiday easy, unique, special and completely unforgettable. What extras can I add? Tours and trips that you haven’t yet thought off, from; swimming with dolphins to wine tasting and Segway tours (but not all on the same day!), car parking, lounge passes, insurance too and even the spa treatments and restaurant reservations for your holidays. I can sort it all without a second thought, so just hand me your holiday plans and let me begin to put together your dream trips, all you have to do is look over the details and give me the okay to book!

14 November 2018

We all dream about our perfect travel destination and where you choose will be a personal choice to you and your friends or family. I think one thing that’s a common desire for all of us is that we want our travel plans to run smoothly. This is where I can help; I take all the hassle and stress away by taking care of all the travel details, leaving you with just the one slightly stressful task of packing for you and your family (if I could help you I would!). No stress, no hassle, no worrying but instead pure enjoyment looking forward to your amazing destination. Right from the beginning you need to be able to trust your travel expert. I’ll earn your trust by providing various quotes, offering inspiring destination ideas and detailed information about where to stay and attractions to visit. You will feel looked after and relaxed knowing I’m taking care of all the planning to prepare the perfect holiday that everyone in your party will enjoy. I love getting to know your wants and needs to match your requirements but I also love to offer a wildcard option as I have extensive knowledge so may be able to find an idea that is perfect for you but you would not know to ask for! Now your holiday is booked, my service does not stop there. I will upload all of your travel information and documents to your MyTC App on your device so you’ll always have everything you need at your fingertips plus a direct contact to me on the app too. If you prefer a printed document pack I’m happy to provide that too so you can have the excitement of looking through all the details before you travel. It’s time to sit back and relax knowing you have Travel Counsellors’ unique financial protection plus you’ll feel protected too knowing every single part of your trip is in my safe hands. When it's time to travel, what more could you want, we have a 24-hour duty office should you need support, as well as my personal mobile number so I am always available to support you if you need me. I will have already emailed ahead to ensure your hotel is ready for your arrival too, so don't worry if you are arriving at a funny time of day they will be expecting you. So other than packing your cases, I can do everything else for you with a smile. I'll be here at the end of the phone, email or in person if you need me and I will always be willing to help with anything you need. You see that really is the personal Travel Counsellors way.