Based in New Forest

Julie Oliver

Available for new enquiries

It's Nice To Meet You

Hello and welcome to my web page. I'm Julie and I am a personal Travel Counsellor and live in the beautiful village of Hythe near the New Forest with my husband and my daughter. With over 24 years experience of working in the leisure, corporate and cruising sectors of the industry I can share my knowledge and experience with you and offer the highest level of customer service.

I love to travel and over the years have been lucky enough to visit many countries within Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, North America and the Indian Ocean. Whether you are looking for a honeymoon, a cruise, a ski trip, a city break, a family holiday or a UK stay-cation I can help and tailor it to your exact requirements. By operating my business through Travel Counsellors, it also means that you have complete peace of mind, knowing that everything you book with me comes with 100% financial protection.

We have award winning systems and technology which gives you instant access to every aspect of your trip including real-time flight status information, accommodation details and your entire itinerary documentation on our easy to use myTC app with 24/7 support from our duty office. I will make sure that nothing is left to chance by taking care of the finer details and save you time by doing all the research for you.

The service I provide is personal to you and from the moment you contact me to the moment you return from your trip you will receive the best care and attention. I can be available at a time to suit you, either by phone, e mail or I can set up a zoom meeting.

Please get in touch I would love to plan your next trip!

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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:

Find me on social

My Videos

Postcards - Tony Walsh Poem

4/10/2021

A special film from Travel Counsellors featuring Tony Walsh.

Why book with Travel Counsellors?

4/10/2021

A short reassurance video hi-lighting the reasons to use myself for your travel arrangements.

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.

Travel to Schengen Countries

15 November 2021

The FCDO is currently updating it's travel advice for visitors and advises that you must check that your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area as a visitor. Border guards will use passport stamps to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area and if relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit. You can show evidence of when and where you entered or exited any of the countries in the border-free Schengen zone and ask the border guards to add this date and location in your passport. The FCDO also warns travellers to Schengen countries that they may also have to show border officials a return or onward ticket, as well as to illustrate you have “enough money for your stay”. The 26 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. UK nationals who are resident in a Schengen country should not have their passport stamped.

NHS COVID Pass

23 July 2021

If you haven't done so already I would recommend you setting up your NHS COVID Pass which is required for travelling abroad even if you don't have imminent travel plans, as this will ensure you are prepared for when you do want to travel abroad. There are various security measures in place, which vary from user-to-user, meaning verification time can be instant for some and take considerably longer for others. Please make sure you complete this at least a fortnight in advance of travel. Digital versions can be accessed by downloading the NHS App (you must be registered with a GP surgery in England), or by using the online NHS COVID Pass service. Paper versions can be requested online or by calling 119 if you’re travelling in more than 4 weeks’ time. You also need to make sure your NHS COVID Pass and Passport are both in the same name. Please copy and paste the link for further information. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-pass/

Passport prepared.

13 April 2021

Did you know that you are able to check whether or not your passport is travel ready by clicking on a link? With the new ruling of six months validity required for travel outside of the United Kingdom due to Brexit, all passports now expire ten years (five for children) from date of issue. This now means that any extra months you may have been given for early renewal are no longer valid. Please see the link below to check yours & see if you need to renew. https://www.gov.uk/check-a-passport-travel-europe Don't be caught out.

Family Fun in London!!

28 October 2020

During the February half term my family and I spent two days in London to visit a few of the well know tourist spots (well as many as we could cram into our short stay)!! There is so much to do and see in London so we all wrote a wish list and went from there!!! Getting to London from Southampton is very easy by train as it takes you directly to Waterloo. From there you can access the underground and the world really is your oyster (well London that is)!! We made our way to our hotel in Covent Garden for a quick check in and bag drop off before heading to the London Eye. This is a must when visiting London as the views from the Eye are just amazing!! After this we did a Thames river cruise as you board the cruises right by the London Eye. Very advisable to book both of these in advance as they get extremely busy. Next on the list “Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour”!! I can’t recommend this highly enough. There are lots of stops and different routes you can do which takes you all around the main sights. We boarded our bus at Trafalgar Square. Again, I would recommend buying your ticket in advance as if you plan on doing more than one day, you get discount on the extra day/s. Our tour took us to Buckingham Palace, Westminster for the Houses of Parliament, Oxford Street, Knightsbridge for Harrods, Leicester Square plus many more. It really is superb. If you want to venture out in the evening there are many theatres and restaurants to choose from. My daughter really wanted to go to Planet Hollywood for our night away so that’s where we went!! Our trip was brief but London really does have something for everyone!!.

Meeting the man himself!!

20 October 2019

Every child's dream (and adult if the truth be told) is to visit Father Christmas in his homeland! I made that dream a reality for myself, my husband and my daughter (age 6) to do just that! Our adventure started off with a flight to Helsinki with what looked like fireworks out of the plane window but in reality was the Northern Lights! We had booked a 5 day trip and on arrival were taken straight away to collect our thermal suits (a must in the Arctic conditions) and then transferred to our log cabin in the resort of Yllas which is north of the Arctic Circle. A beautiful location and stunning scenery. During our stay we went husky riding, skiing, sledging and ice fishing to name but a few of the many activities on offer in this amazing location. If you book to stay in log cabins I would recommend booking a meal plan as food is very costly and this then entitles you to eat in one of the hotels. We had our meals in the Akas Hotel in Yllas which was buffet style and very good. The highlight of the trip has to be the visit to Father Christmas and his elves. We were taken to his home where we were invited to bake cookies with Mrs Christmas before our private family visit to see Father Christmas. The sheer magic and look of joy on my daughters face was indescribable and one I will never ever forget. Venturing into the forest to see the reindeer's in their natural habitat was breathtaking and there are many beautiful souvenirs to bring home from a trip like this. The main one being memories. Lapland is definitely a must do on a bucket list regardless of age!

My customer stories

Sent by J Gerrish

Very helpful, friendly and explained lots of good information about the holiday.

Sent by H Smith

Julie was recommended to me by my sister. Excellent knowledge and very thorough.

Sent by T Stockley

Julie has been incredibly helpful with booking our honeymoon. With many options that fitted with both budget and time frame. Julie has been great at responding to any question's we have had giving us confidence and peace of mind.

Sent by E Moore

I have already recommended Julie to friends and family . So professional and knowledgeable and wouldn’t book a holiday not using her now . Very reliable and thorough someone you can trust and always answers any questions you have in a timely manner a credit to travel counsellors .

Sent by P Oliver

Julie is amazing, it is wonderful to be able to trust someone to do their best for you and go the extra mile. Thank you so much Julie.

Sent by J Mortimer

Always friendly and happy to go the extra mile, well done Julie .

Sent by T Saxby

brilliant knowledge and reliability, inspires confidence

Sent by G McKell

Very friendly to talk to , Julie has put so much effort in creating our perfect holiday , always a very fast response to questions and emails , excellent service , very much looking forward to our trip to Vietnam , thank you

Sent by K Dance

Booked a few holidays through Julie and she is wonderful! She always goes the extra mile to make sure we have the most wonderful holidays and respects our price band. We are looking forward to our October Safari! Thank you Julie for finding us another wonderful holiday.

Sent by S White

Fantastic service from Julie from our first meeting, Great knowledge, and Julie worked extra hours to find and secure a great deal...

Sent by M Birchall

Julie has been brilliant. She listened to everything we said and provided appropriate options. She has gone above and beyond as we replied to her on a Friday evening with our decision and rather than make us wait until Monday, Julie called us on Saturday to confirm the holiday and flights had been booked. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Julie and have in fact already given her details to a friend.

Sent by J Belcher

Julie was very helpful and made the booking process easy.

Sent by C Lowe

I have found Julie very helpful and keen ‘to go the extra mile’

Sent by L Madgwick

Julie was amazing when helping us find and book our honeymoon for us, she went through all the options within our budget and talked through it all over the phone and sorted everything out for us, fantastic service and will definitely come back again for more holidays!

Sent by T Fowler

I found Julie very friendly and helpful and would thoroughly recommend her to others.

Sent by G Harris

Julie has been very helpful and made organising our cruise very easy and snag free.

Sent by T Saxby

Brilliant!!

Sent by K Allen

Julie has been incredible at meeting our needs and sorting everything we need for our holiday!

Sent by J Downing

Julie is helpful, patient and most importantly took on board our wish list and tried to make it happen.

Sent by S Dibbin

Julie found an amazing hotel for us saving me loads of time and then handled all my questions promptly and professionally

Sent by K Rogers

Julie was absolutely amazing booking our honeymoon. Nothing was a problem? Julie gave us so many options and after a couple of weeks of going back and fourth, with Julie’s amazing advice we’ve booked a very special honeymoon which we can’t wait for! Maldives here we come.

Sent by A Beams

Julie took all the stress out of booking a holiday, allowing us to focus on enjoying our trip knowing that everything was in safe hands. From the pre holiday advice, checking us in online, the colouring books for the children and the sweet note in our room on arrival, it was all spot on. I would thoroughly recommend Julie.

Sent by P Flack

Great - friendly and knowledgeable service

Sent by C Mair

Julie has been very accommodating and helpful throughout our journey of searching for the perfect honeymoon. We did not make it easy on her as I have many health problems that causes restraints when it comes to flying but this was no trouble for Julie, She found us a long list of beautiful hotels, destinations and flights for us to pick. She will always make sure she gets you the best deals and makes every conversation professional and a joy. We cant wait to share all of our honeymoon pictures when we get back.

Sent by E Harrison

Extremely helpful and attentive. Very friendly and provided us with lots of options within our budget.

Sent by E Moore

Julie is fantastic nothing is too much trouble. Very professional and I will recommend her services to as many people as possible .

Sent by K Conway

Really pleased with Julie’s service. Very informative, was patient at looking into alternative bookings and very helpful with all decisions made.

Sent by H Roberts

Julie is fantastic and I have recommended her to all my friends!

Sent by R Hopkins

Julie really listened to me and took time to understand what was important to my family for my holiday. Will definitely be using her again!

Sent by C Terrill

Julie has been great, speedy and working around my unsociable hours. Julie spends the time, that I don't have, to ensure my family has the best holiday

Sent by K Williams

Julie could not have been more helpful with our holiday booking this year (and last years which sadly had to be cancelled but we were kept fully informed about the refund process). We had no hesitation in booking through her again this year.

Sent by T Jones

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Julie! This is the third time I've come to her and each time has been easy, simple, and accompanied by her personal touch. She knows her subject, is able to recommend and reassure effortlessly, and does her best to understand you as well as your travel needs. She's a joy!

Sent by L Lynett

Wonderful service and would highly recommend Julie and her service to anyone. It really takes the strain and time from sourcing your holiday.

Sent by K Davies

Amazing personal service. Our first holiday booked by Julie was so perfect for us we have used her to book another trip already. Great work, thank you

Sent by M Griffiths

Julie is terrific with lots of attention to detail and goes out of the way to present me with great options for my family.

Sent by J Pownall

I wanted to thank you for such amazing organisation and for helping make our trip to Barcelona so wonderful! You helped us navigate the maze of Covid documents which enabled us to complete everything on time and properly so there were no issues or missed deadlines.

Sent by T Chance

Julie knows her stuff and is flexible in her thinking to create the best and most suitable holiday experience.

Sent by P Grady

Julie was great, she took the time to understand our requirements. Sourced the right type of holiday for the two families and a single friend joining us. As a result we were able to book the holiday and be safe in knowing we can travel to a destination in the knowledge that we are going to be safe.

Sent by K Dance

10 absolutely! Julie is just amazing and I have no hesitation in recommending her to friends and family. Having booked 4 holidays through her, Julie is attentive, so friendly, and understands exactly what I am looking for in a holiday. In addition she has found me some really good deals! Long may she continue to be my travel counsellor.

Sent by J Reeve

Julie has been so helpful and understanding with having to rearrange our holiday because of the Covid regs. Julie has been in regular touch with us and updating us on the changes etc. We cannot thank her enough for all her work.

Sent by K Maxey

Julie is brilliant at helping you find the perfect holiday that suits you and your family or friends. With such a difficult year for everyone, she never gives up and is always looking to find the best experience for you. Would highly recommend her service.

Sent by R Coleman

Julie, gave us a range of options which really helped us focus on what we wanted from our holiday and to get that at a reasonable cost. Thankyou

Sent by M Collins

Julie has been very friendly, helpful and most thorough whilst booking our holiday. She is happy to answer any question whether they seem trivial or not. I will definitely use her services again and am recommending her to all my friends.

Sent by C Maxey

Just got back from a fantastic holiday made all the better by Julie making the booking arrangements so seamlessly and efficiently on our behalf. We will definitely use her travel knowledge and service again and can thoroughly recommend her.

Sent by J Downing

Julie has been very helpful and understanding as we had to change our travel plans due to a family emergency, and now we have a great holiday to look forward to.

Sent by K Davies

Perfect holiday tailored to our every need.

Sent by L Maguire

Julie arranged a UK break for me after I struggled to find something suitable. It was such an easy process from start to finish, and we had an amazing time. Julie is knowledgeable, friendly and helpful and it was a great service from start to finish! Thoroughly recommend!

Sent by K Dance

In total we have now booked 4 holidays through Julie. After giving her our wish list and budget Julie came up with 4 fantastic holidays that were just perfect for us and saved us money. She really cares about finding the right choice for you and we would not hesitate to recommend Julie to all!

Sent by L Ditch

Julie has been fantastic with helping us book our dream honeymoon! She went to so much effort to make sure every aspect of the holiday is what we want and provided so many options for us to chose from. She has been so easy to contact and responds very efficiently. Julie helped us through having to postpone due to the pandemic and was so accommodating and helpful. We would recommend Julie to all and will definitely use her to book holidays again in the future!

Sent by D Birrell

Booking travel in the current climate was always going to be challenging. I wanted to book a special trip for my partners 40th birthday but feared losing money with travel restrictions. I spoke with Julie at length who put my mind at ease with regard to protection and I booked the trip. At this point no one knew how the world would be effected. Julie kept in touch throughout the process, sadly the trip could not take place, as it grew closer Julie contacted me and explained my options. Julie took the hassle away from the situation. Thank you and I will be in touch to rebook soon !

Sent by J Reeve

Julie has worked very hard for us arranging a holiday for 2021. Excellent communication skills and keeping us up-to-date with the arrangements. Julie was also very kind to tell us that we could find a holiday cheaper online, we appreciate that honesty Which is often very rare these days. We will be continuing to book with Julie in the future And have recommended her to many friends and family.

Sent by W Griffiths

I was recommended by my Son , who had booked a holiday which was not straight forward . I am meeting him in Florida and staying with a friend in Tampa. Julie was extremely friendly, confident and I really felt she had my best interests at heart. I’m sure I’ll be in touch again !

Sent by K Crook

Julie was very attentive to what we as a family wanted from our holiday. Her attention to detail and knowledge is exceptional. We are now booked on a fabulous holiday later in the year and couldn’t have done it without Julies help.

Sent by S Nineham

Julie has been so helpful and patient with us ensuring we have booked exactly what we wanted. Julies knowledge and expertise enabled us to be aware of things brochures and websites don't tell you to ensure we have included things into our holiday that we may of otherwise missed. We cant wait to go on our holiday now! Thank you Julie

Sent by E Brown

Julie is very attentive to our needs and always does her best to find the best deal possible.

Sent by J Willshire

Found Julie very helpful, quick to reply and takes the worry out of arranging travel requirements.

Sent by Patricia Oliver

I do not enjoy trawling the internet looking for holidays or being rushed in a high street travel agent, so it has been great to give Julie the criteria for my perfect holiday and to wait and see what she is able to come up with. Julie is so enthusiastic that you cannot help but be enthused and excited by the opportunities she is able to provide. Using Julie to suggest, arrange and book my holiday has taken all the hard work/frustration out my annual holiday, and I know that should I have any problems at any time she will always respond. With Travel Counsellors and Julie it really is personal! Thank you Julie.

Sent by K Williams

Very helpful and kept me well informed at each step of the process.

Sent by K Davies

Fantastic personalised service ended up with us being able to book our perfect holiday.

Sent by P Roebuck

Julie's support and arrangements have been brilliant.