Hi, my name is Jo Gardiner and I am an independent travel agent from Oxted, Surrey.
I joined Travel Counsellors because I want my clients to benefit from the highest possible levels of personal service and independent travel advice which the company firmly believes in. I have 36 years’ experience working in retail and business travel and have travelled extensively around the world.
As your personal Travel Counsellor I can use our award winning technology and my expertise to tailor the right holiday to suit your individual needs, whether it’s a fortnight in the sun, a city break or an African adventure. Often this means I can build you a bespoke holiday and save you money!
Many people are still not aware that most high street agents are only able to sell a limited number of tour operators. Here at Travel Counsellors we are completely independent and this enables me to really offer you the best choices while benefiting from the buying power of being part of such a large company.
I know that not everyone is free to discuss their travel arrangements during working hours. You will be able to contact me at a time convenient to you, when most other travel agencies are unavailable including evenings and weekends.
Taking care of even the smallest detail is what makes our service so unique. All clients will benefit from a personal, professional service from the comfort of their own home. If you would like any information or simply an informal chat about your future travel plans, I would be delighted to assist you.
My customer stories
Sent by Peter Smith
Kingshill 23/07/2021
I could not recommend Jo and Travel Councillors more highly - it’s much more than just great knowledge and service - it’s about someone who has personal care, dedication and commitment to excellence for her client.
Jo arranged absolutely everything and could not have done more. She communicated at all times and all days of the week and weekend and also called just to check everything was ok. I’ve never really used travel agent services before but I will continue to use Jo now - what a breath of fresh air. She has made a holiday of a lifetime in very difficult circumstances and I cannot thank her enough.
Her knowledge of the industry and every detail is incredible and what a difference it makes. All the details I would never have been aware of and her recommendations are spot on.
Thank you Jo - you have made yourself, Travel Councillors and us all very proud and happy.
Sent by Jayne Adams
Oxted 09/09/2016
We have just enjoyed the most amazing holiday in Japan. It was a truly fantastic experience and thanks to the superb organisation of our holiday by Jo Gardiner at Travel Counsellors it was flawless. I believe that Jo's experience of organising and arranging such tailored made holidays was really critical to its success. She was able to guide us into making all the right choices of flights,trains, hotels etc and most importantly a detailed itinery of places to visit and experiences to enjoy. We would not have found these without her help and expertise. Jo was exceptionally attentive to every detail and really responsive to any questions or concerns we had . All of the documentation she provided ( which was significant as we were travelling around for 2 weeks ) was faultless and presented in a way which was easy to comprehend and use. A massive thank you to Jo Gardiner from The Adams Family for a truly remarkable holiday !
Sent by Mel Lewis
Oxted 20/07/2015
Jo made us feel so worthy of her time and effort and nothing was any trouble to her. Jo was professional and extremely friendly whenever we spoke. I would have no hesitation whatsoever recommending Jo's services to friends and family.
Sent by Clive Wilson
Caterham, Surrey 21/05/2014
Jo understood what I wanted and needed better than I did! She came up with the perfect solution to something I was stressing over and made the whole process extremely easy. Between uninterested, inexperienced high-street bucket-shops and DIY, understanding very little about what you're really going to get and risky Internet agents, the void is filled by the likes of Jo. I will recommend her at every opportunity - once the date of the surprise trip she booked for my partner has passed!
Sent by Justine Lomas
New York 03/07/2013
Jo Gardiner provides an amazing service. She is extremely knowledgeable and always provides us with a number of options when considering our holiday. She is highly efficient and always goes the extra mile. We could not rate Jo more highly and have already recommended her to a number of our friends and family.
Sent by Rachel Hannon
London 13/12/2011
It has been a great pleasure to be introduced to Jo Gardiner whom is my automatic “go to” person for all travel; personal, family and business. She understands time and budget parameters, she gets the nuances of differing needs within the family when booking family vacations and she is very quick and accurate in grasping the key pointers on booking business travel. As I am someone who gets frustrated with having to sift through different information feeds on holidays and offers, Jo provides the perfect filter and presents the top 3 -5 options and a pros and cons list on all, allowing us to make a quick decision which she executes. Fantastic!
Jo is very professional, a joy to speak with, confidential and completely dedicated. She is always so pleasant, patient and accessible. She has made our travel an enjoyable experience as a result of taking the pain of finding and booking away from us.
Sent by Sarah Ambrose
Tunbridge Wells, Kent 29/11/2011
I have been using the services of Travel Counsellors in particular Jo Gardiner's services for over a year now and she has been nothing short of excellent. Efficient and timely with her responses, invaluable advice and immaculately planned holidays to the nth degree of detail. Nothing is missed and I always find Jo manages to provide additional information, alternative solutions and always the best result. I have lived and travelled abroad for many years, and in that time used many travel services. The service I get from Jo is impeccable by comparison and one I will not deviate from.
Sent by Stella Morris
Woldingham, Surrey 22/11/2011
Jo Gardiner from Travel Counsellors has provided us with business and leisure travel support for the last few years. She is truly wonderful – doing all the research, providing information, making bookings, and sorting out any little extra’s. Jo is very professional, friendly, efficient and approachable, and goes out of her way to provide an excellent service. Jo can be relied upon to sort out every detail of our travel arrangements, and has often worked ‘above and beyond the call of duty’, out of normal business hours, to ensure our trips run smoothly. Making travel arrangements is now an easy process for us – whereas before we met Jo, it took up many hours of our time, and was often stressful. We cannot thank Jo enough for the fantastic service she has, and continues to give to us, our employees and our family.
Sent by Val Lomas
France 22/03/2011
Good to talk to you the other night. We are now back home and trying to settle down but it’s not easy after the wonderful adventure we had.
We keep looking at the pictures and its like a dream. We are indebted to you for the professional advice and help. Without your input the holiday would never have been such a fantastic success
You took all the hassle and worry out of the trip.
Our gratitude to you Jo, for the incredible amount of work you put into making it a holiday of a lifetime
If you get strange people ringing it will be because of me singing your praises to anyone who seem to be globe trotters.
You have been warned!
Based in
Don't miss out on the latest news, holiday inspiration and offers
Sign up to receive regular updates
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.
I was really looking forward to my first trip to South Africa accompanied by 5 other travel consultants.
Check-in went smoothly at Heathrow and I was pleased that I had lounge access. South African Airways now use the Star Alliance lounge at Heathrow Terminal 1, which is conveniently situated on the ground floor, near all the shops. The flight was quite full, but being a new aircraft, with com
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:
