Josie Andrade

My expertise

Barbados
Italy
Thailand
Adventure Travel
Train Travel
Costa Rica
Touring
Tailor-made travel

I'm based in

Ightham

Available for new enquiries

Looking for help with your business travel? Find out how I can help here

It's Nice To Meet You

Time is precious, so it is important to make every moment count.

I completed the Travel Counsellor Academy in 2016 and can’t believe that I have now run my travel business for over 10 years. I love talking about travel and how this role keeps me connected with so many like-minded customers (now friends!). I love the research side: learning about each destination and finding the perfect fit for my customers’ requirements. I love making the impossible possible, supporting those who might not have the confidence to take a journey without assistance. Most of all, I love sending people on their adventures and hearing their exciting stories when they return.

I can help you with travel plans for all worldwide destinations and all holiday styles. I have travelled extensively, and with great variety, staying in $4 guesthouses in Phnom Penh and 5* resorts in St Lucia. I used to live in Barbados, so I consider myself an expert on this location and the surrounding islands. If you’re not sure of what I can do; please just ask.

I specialise in complicated, multi-centre, tailor-made itineraries: the kind of trips that weave together several countries, unique experiences and special touches, without you having to worry about the logistics. I have been selected to be an Adventure & Touring Expert and have taken additional training in this area, so whether you are dreaming of small-group touring, self-drive adventures or off-the-beaten-track exploring, I can help you plan it with confidence.

As a mum of three children, I understand first-hand how important it is to balance adventure with ease. I am experienced in creating family-friendly itineraries that keep everyone happy: building in the right pacing, downtime and practical details to make your holiday feel exciting rather than exhausting.

Whatever your travel requirements, please get in touch. You will be talking to someone who listens, who cares, and who can make it happen.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

signature

Explore my guides and blogs

Family island hopping in Greece: Santorini & Naxos

Family island hopping in Greece: Santorini & Naxos

Greece is a wonderful place for a gentle family adventure, especially if you choose to travel outside the hottest months. We decided to visit during May Half-Term, when the days are warm and sunny but not too intense, and the islands are lively without feeling overcrowded. I have wanted to see Santorini for a long time, but we also like to escape the beaten path. So we chose to split our trip bet

08 Jul 2026 5   min read

Irresistible Italy

Irresistible Italy

Do you know that Italy has 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other country in the world?! In simple terms, I translate this as: “Italy is a brilliant country to visit with a long list of impressive things to see and do.” I can personally confirm this to be the case; having holidayed in Italy six times, I 1) absolutely love the country and 2) feel like I have barely scratched the surf

30 Jun 2023 5   min read

Absence makes the feet grow fonder!

Absence makes the feet grow fonder!

I want to go on an adventure! I’m definitely not the only one; when we get the chance to go again, let’s not take travel for granted. It will be time to tick off those bucket list items and see something truly amazing. When the world opens up again, where will you go? Here's my top three adventures just to keep you dreaming... Namibia Ranked the safest country in Africa, containing the oldest de

02 Jun 2020 5   min read

Costa Rica - an ethical adventure!

Costa Rica - an ethical adventure!

Costa Rica is a relatively small country in Central America, with an abundance of diverse ecosystems. It has a Pacific coastline, a Caribbean coastline, volcanoes, mountains, rainforest, cloud forest, wetlands and coral reef. As a result, it is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, containing over 5% of all known plant and animal species. In 1994, Costa Rica amended its constitution

03 Jun 2019 5   min read

Warm Thoughts For A Cold Day

Warm Thoughts For A Cold Day

What images come to mind when you picture a holiday to the Caribbean? Are you lying on golden sand under a palm tree? Snorkelling with colourful fish in clear turquoise waters? Swigging down rum with a dreadlocked Johnny Depp? Yes, a trip to the Caribbean often includes one or more of these components (Johnny Depp unlikely). But what has surprised me is just how different each island I have vis

13 Feb 2019 5   min read

Surviving a long car journey in France... with kids!

Surviving a long car journey in France... with kids!

I recently went on an Al Fresco park holiday, to Val De Bonnal, with my daughter, sister and niece. Before we went I was very excited about splashing around in the pool, exploring local towns and countryside, gorging on cheese and drinking cheap but tasty rose wine. But what I was not excited about was the long car journeys with a 3 and 5-year-old. Not. One. Bit. Here's how we survived it!

14 Sept 2018 5   min read

Unwind in Nevis

Unwind in Nevis

In April 2018 I visited the island of Nevis with my family. Nevis is one of two islands in the small country of St Kitts and Nevis. St Kitts is the bigger island, busier, more developed, but with areas of quiet and serenity. In comparison, Nevis is a small round volcanic island, quite undeveloped, with a nice choice of boutique, personal guesthouses and a couple of larger resorts. We stayed at

19 Jul 2018 5   min read

New Forest

New Forest

"Magical" is how my sister chose to describe the New Forest following her evening bike ride with the wild ponies. With a two year old I didn’t really get to appreciate the same level of serenity but I did appreciate the vast amount there is to do to keep kids of all ages entertained. We could have spent a lot more than a week there. Here’s some of the things we got up to while we were away: - W

08 Sept 2017 5   min read

Porto Santo

Porto Santo

What do you want from your holiday? Year round nice weather? For example, 25 degrees Celsius in April? A beach? 9km long, with soft yellow sand? Simple living? A safe, quiet and calm location? A local feel? Undeveloped, only a handful of hotels, restaurants and cafes? If you’ve answered yes to the above questions, go to Porto Santo. An island 43km northeast of Madeira, and the two couldn’t be m

08 May 2017 5   min read

Highlights of Madeira!

Highlights of Madeira!

On Boxing Day, we kicked out our guests and headed to Madeira, a mere three and a half hours flight from Gatwick. West of Morocco, the weather was warm, mostly jeans and t shirt weather. A lovely break from the UK winter! Madeira was less touristy than I thought it would be. Funchal has its fair share of luxury hotels, however hop into a car for the day and you can explore lovely authentic coas

22 Feb 2017 5   min read

My Barbados - Top five activities

My Barbados - Top five activities

- Sail on a catamaran. Swim with turtles, snorkel over shipwrecks, and then enjoy a delicious buffet lunch and rum punch while touring the beautiful west coast. Look out for flying fish! - St Nicholas Abbey. Explore this tranquil plantation house and watch its fascinating movie from the 1930s depicting life in Barbados at that time. Rum is still produced here; for a real treat and a fantastic s

12 Sept 2016 5   min read

What my customers say

Josie has been so helpful and knowledgeable since the first email I sent her! Thank you so much, Josie, for helping us plan our dream trip to Australia for a family wedding!

Victoria Mapp

Kingston Upon Thames

Josie has been so helpful with our late request to help with last minute holiday ideas and organising and booking the trip. All very smooth and easy. Thank you so much Josie.

Naila MacDonnell

Boxted

Josie makes our holiday planning so easy - from suggesting all sorts of different holidays we always find the perfect fit for our family. All the paper work is done - she even reminds me when passports need updating! Thank you Josie!

Sophie Tisdall

Farnham

Josie is ridiculously thoughtful, communicative and creative with her suggestions. I couldn't recommend her more highly!

Emma Horsley

Ightham

So nice to be able to use your experience to sort our holiday trip. It can be a minefield and we were very happy with your prompt and comprehensive service. Many thanks!

Robert Lynham

Winscombe

Josie is absolutely brilliant. She has endless patience with all my questions and changes, came up with several different options to fit our requirements and made the whole process really easy.

Joanne Torr

Peterborough

Efficient, helpful, resourceful, friendly - overall excellent!

Jaki Amos

London

Josie sorted me a holiday in 48 hours, with only about 10 days to go before departure. It was complex as it was a holiday for 2 but with only one flight. She turned it around so quickly and to exactly what we were after! Very happy, very impressed!

Kate Clarke

London

Josie was incredibly professional, very flexible, understanding of our wishes, and very knowledgeable. She was incredibly patient with me!

Yael Allen

London

Have always recommended and will continue to do so.

Sundeep Kang

Bexley

I'm probably the most pickiest person and indecisive person ever. Josie was very patient with me and gave me loads of options. Couldn’t be happier!

Muna Kassim

London

So helpful, accommodating and knowledgable - can’t wait to get on holiday!

Wendy Reynolds

Farnborough

Josie is all that you could want in a Travel Counsellor; in particular, she is knowledgeable, she provides a variety of options that you probably wouldn’t think of or find on your own and nothing is too much trouble. She is someone you want to leave in charge of your holiday decisions!

Claire Sng

London

Josie provides very helpful advice and an excellent service. She came highly recommended to us. We had no hesitation in recommending her to family and friends.

Derek Ferris

Sidcup

Josie is awesome.

Will Gibson

Hong Kong

Josie is so helpful and accommodating even at late notice. She's also gone so far as to include a little entertainment pack for my daughters. Fantastic service.

Taryn Selvon

Sutton

Josie went above and beyond to find us the perfect holiday within our budget!

Hannah Henson

London

I’ve already passed Josie’s contact details on to two other families and mentioned her fabulous service to many others.

Suzzy Chandler

Bath

Josie was fantastic and gave us many lovely holiday options to choose from, all within our budget. We chose a more adventurous holiday which I wouldn't ever have thought of myself! We cannot wait and are over the moon with our experience so far using Josie. Thanks a million!

Jane Jared

Farnborough

Always a pleasure to chat to Josie about planning our holidays! Super helpful, just the right amount of information whilst offering affordable alternatives.

Sophie Tisdall

London

Josie was very helpful from the first moment I spoke to her even still making this a wonderful experience of booking a holiday with recommendations and advice. Thank you Josie.

Nick Kalsi

Newcastle

She made it so easy for us to decide what we wanted and planned it really well.

Manjinder Garcha

Bedford

Very good service and advice at all times.

Tony Yates

Orpington

Josie is amazing! She is relentless with her searches and is always looking for the best value deal for us. She goes above and beyond what is expected of her and knows us and our needs so well that she effortlessly picks things we will fall in love with on our holidays. We never book without her services now. We are a young family of four who love to travel the world. Thank you Josie!

Dabs Kaur

Gravesend

Had the most amazing trip after our final exams at uni. With the lack of time to plan we reached out Josie to help us, who made the whole experience so enjoyable and easy! Everything was done for us, right down to the small details! Thank you for all your help and will most certainly keep recommend you to anyone.

Sonia Garcha

Bedford

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Josie who recently planned our summer holiday break to Crete. She helped us to find the perfect spot and then took great care in the planning around it which included small peoples requirements (car seats, cots etc). We had a lovely time and will definitely use her help again in the future!

Taryn Selvon

Cheam

Nothing is too much trouble for Josie. She is extremely organised and deals with potential headaches of a trip before you've even thought of them! For example, we are travelling with a small baby and Josie organised a bassinet seat on the plane and early check in, as well as a fantastic hotel.

Claire Sng

London

We have another amazing holiday planned by Josie. Within a day of chatting about options, we'd booked our two week holiday, including flights and hire car - Josie offers a brilliant all round service that took the stress out of sorting out our holiday, thank you!

Catrin Asprey

Bristol

Very helpful when appropriate insurance was not available on line, Josie found a good competitively priced option for us.

Daniel Bailey

Witney

Josie was excellent in finding what I know is going to be an amazing holiday! Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to reading through the excursion suggestions and other info for the areas we are visiting before we fly that Josie has sent me since our booking.

Sophie Tisdall

London

It's good to have someone else to sort out everything for your hoilday without any stress and you helped us a lot and made it easy for the whole family. You do a brilliant job helping people to get a lovely family holiday.

Manjinder Garcha

Bedford

Really friendly, efficient and knowledgeable service, and Josie answered lots of questions and sorted things out for me at a moment's notice!

Sherry Parnell

Forest Hill

Josie has been amazing, she has gone the extra mile each time to find not only great hotels and flights but also points of interest and clever ways of setting up each trip. I will recommend her to anyone I can.

Claire Sng

London

Josie was so efficient and quick! Really flexible and patient too. Really enjoyed working with her. She made finding a holiday so easy! I would really recommend her services and those of Travel Counsellors.

Dabs Kaur

Greenhithe

Additional offers

More destinations to enjoy

Let's plan your dream trip together

Icons 4

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.

Icons 2

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.

Icons 3

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.

Icons

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.

Find Tc Difference

Start planning with me

0/500 characters

Give me a call

Let’s talk through your ideas, no pressure.

01732 807 650

Let’s connect

Villas 1 Awali Background Colour Banana Island 3 (2)

Finding your match...

Every unforgettable journey starts with the right person by your side.