Sent by Bryan Aplin
Chilwell, Nottingham 04/09/2024
Great service and knowledge from John very happy with everything we have organised
Based In Somerby
John Christiansen
Available for new enquiries
It's Nice To Meet You
Hello, my name is John. I live in rural, Leicestershire.
I’m a Kiwi living in the UK for the past 25 years. I initially came to England to play cricket, but soon realised my enthusiasm and love for the game outweighed my skills! So, I turned to another of my passions, travel. Which I have worked in ever since.
Before becoming a Travel Counsellor, I have worked in various roles in airline operations customer services and for tour operators. In these roles, I have been lucky enough to travel to over 50 countries with excellent first-hand knowledge of New Zealand, Australia, USA, Singapore, UAE, Bangkok, Hong Kong, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Venezuela, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and most of the Caribbean and Europe. I have had some truly interesting and wonderful experiences along the way.
My passion for travel started as a boy growing up in the small, fragrant (those that visit will know why) city of Rotorua. I was fascinated by all these foreigners who were visiting which sparked something inside of me to want to do the same one day.
I can find you the perfect bespoke holiday that suits your every need and I can take the stress out of you looking through 100's of websites. I will also take care of every aspect of your trip including airport parking, transfers, Visas, excursions to name just a few.
As a Travel Counsellor, I use the very latest technology and working with all the leading tour operators I can offer the best value, best choice available. This technology also enables me to work from home which means I am available anytime to speak, when it suits you, offering the best personal service.
Please get in touch, we can have a chat about your likes and dislikes and see where it takes us.
My customer stories
Sent by Bryan Bates
Nottingham 09/08/2024
John came highly recommended and we have found him extremely helpful, informative and more importantly, very patient with our numerous alterations to our proposed holiday.
Sent by Carol Snell
Whissendine, Rutland 30/05/2024
Great service as ever from John - thank you so much for your advice and patience.
Sent by Peter Needle
Whissendine, Rutland 12/02/2023
Already recommended. Very good and efficient service and cheaper than direct booking too!
Sent by David Sagona
White City, Louisiana USA 12/02/2023
john was very helpful and answered all my questions very quickly. he showed interest in me and that go a long way.
Sent by Parthiv Keswhala
LEICESTER 12/02/2023
John is very friendly and has a lot of experience. He is well travelled and knows so much about countries around the globe. Just pick a destination and John is on hand to help make the destination and itinerary a possibility. He is able to tailor the holiday that suits people.
Sent by Sarah Maxted
Illston-on-the- Hill, Leicestershire 12/02/2023
He was brilliant ! Took a lot of time and care in putting together a holiday we are all very excited about . Really listened to our ideas brief . Definitely will use him again. Such a lovely chap
Sent by Dick Durrant
Nottingham 10/01/2022
John has been very helpful to us so far and is highly recommended
Sent by Deborah Oakes
Greetham, Rutland 10/01/2022
John is extremely helpful and has designed an amazing trip for us. He finds out what we would like out of a holiday and makes appropriate suggestions. So many agents try to make the client fit the holiday packages they have on offer.
Sent by Aanip Gajree
Nottingham 10/02/2020
Fab service, prompt with replies and nothing is too much of an ask!
Sent by Coral Hill
TROWBRIDGE 27/05/2019
Planning a bespoke Africa holiday with 3 destinations and needing to keep within a budget was far from easy, but with John's excellent knowledge, superb advice and undaunting positivity and energy, I am so delighted to have finally booked our trip with him! John was available at all times, he returned messages quickly and answered all our questions with even the smallest issue not being too much trouble. I could not have received this high quality, friendly, expert service through a travel agent and I will most definitely plan any further trips with John's help!
Sent by Linda Batty
Hatton, Derbyshire 13/05/2019
So helpful, obliging and patient.......will certainly be using in the future....
Sent by Susan Oakes
Melton Mowbray 08/05/2019
My first long haul trip which I was a bit nervous about but John made it so easy. Giving great advice about places to visit, restaurants to eat at and ensuring the travel and transfers were effortless for us. First class service I will definitely use again
Sent by Rose Williams
Norfolk 03/04/2019
Friendly and efficient personal service. We thoroughly enjoyed our last holiday organised by John and are look forward to our next one.
Sent by Christine Stephen
Harrogate 05/03/2019
As I teacher I rarely give full marks! But, so far the support etc has been excellent from John. I would definitely recommend him
Sent by Hayley Spokes
Leicestershire 09/02/2019
I have never used such a personal and friendly service. Usually I use the high street but this experience of booking my holiday with John has made me feel I can’t go back to the high street. Nothing was too much trouble. I will be using him again when I go away in August.
Sent by Soo Spector
Oakham, Rutland 08/02/2019
John is responsive and available for queries and issues. We have yet to go on the holiday he has booked for us, yet based and the booking experience we are very pleased with the service John has provided.
Sent by Tracy Cadden
Syston, Liecestershire 03/12/2018
John really cared that we got the holiday experience we hoped for and we most certainly did! We could not fault anything, we had the holiday of a lifetime and we’ve travelled extensively but the east coast of Australia was absolutely breathtaking! John’s knowledgeable and friendly service was second to none and we would not hesitate to highly recommend him to anyone who wants the personal touch organising their holiday.
Sent by Jane Pickett
Ipswich 13/11/2018
Rapid, efficient, easy, friendly, customised the trip to our precise requirements
Sent by Yolande Williams
St Margarets, London 13/11/2018
John was very efficient in getting quotes to us and provided useful information and suggestions to all our queries. This is the third time we have used John's service and have no hesitation in recommending his work to others.
Sent by Tracey Cadden
Syston, Leicestershire 19/10/2018
John, I’ve just got to say if I had of booked/investigated/searched/spent many a boring hour of searching t’internet for the perfect itinerary/route/hotels etc. I would never have found the trip we’ve had so far! Every corner we’ve drove or place we’ve arrived at has in the main blown us away & we’ve travelled extensively but always try to experience the ‘real’ destination!15 days into our 25 day itinerary & we’ve still got SYD, MEL & HKG to come, making special memories. Thanks x
Sent by John Bennett
Northampton 11/09/2018
Very, quick efficient and friendly service, John quoted a number of options for us and added some of his own experience to create a simple and easy to understand itinerary
Sent by Brian Vincent
Southsea 13/02/2018
John was extremely helpful arranging all that I asked to get the holiday I wanted. I went back to him several times to change the itinerary. I have used many companies over the years and I can say he has given the best service and help in getting the holiday we were looking for. I have been talking to friends about John and if they were thinking of an holiday was to consider the company and John to arrange there holiday.
Sent by Shirley Frost
Wakefield 13/02/2018
John was very helpful and informative and answered all my questions promptly
Sent by Susan Lynes
Hampshire 13/02/2018
John was so easy to chat with and he found me just what I was looking for. He even sent me a travel guide for the place I’m going to, very impressed! I would definitely use Johns services again.
Sent by Judi Smith
Devon 13/02/2018
As I said in my previous email everything went like clockwork and I would not hesitate to recommend my friends to you. Thank you.
Sent by Vicki Norman
Wakefield 11/01/2018
John has been very helpful; answering our endless questions, researching on our behalf and being extraordinarily patient! I'm sure this special holiday will reflect the effort and energy John has put into organising it for us!
Sent by Alex Cunningham
Wollongong, NSW 11/10/2017
JC helped me with my flights home at christmas, will 1000% forward his name on to any of my friends in aus and england looking for flights.
Sent by Tom Savill
London 11/10/2017
Clearly very knowledgable. A personal service that met all of my needs. I would have no hesitation recommending him to friends and family.
Sent by Yolande Williams
London 11/10/2017
John has been very helpful into sorting out the internal part of our trip to Costa Rica in January 2018. We are still in the process of confirming details but the options that were recommended for us look exciting and we certainly look forward to an action packed adventure.
Based in
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.
Road trip - "tiki tour" - West coast , South Island
14 October 2018
Being a Kiwi and living in the UK for the past 25 years, where do I start! Firstly, I have been doing the long journey once and sometimes twice a year, every year. So, if you want any tips for getting out to this part of the world, I’m happy to help. The number of times I hear people or customers say I went as far as Australia and didn’t get to New Zealand, astounds me. You need to go to New Ze
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: