04 January 2025

I visited Las Vegas twice in 2024…. February and September, so I had two very different weather versions of Sin City! You may be surprised to know that it’s not all about the gambling and drinking! Virgin fly direct from Manchester and we flew Premium in February which was a great experience with wider seating, more leg room, upgraded food and drinks, priority check in and boarding, and 2 hold bag

19 July 2023

Funnily enough, my husband doesn’t like to fly….. but seeing the Northern Lights was high on his bucket list. So, one chilly January morning we set off from Humberside Airport to the small, but perfectly formed Enontekio airport in uncommercial true Lapland! We were staying in the remote village of Karesuando which is 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle and straddles both Finland AND Sweden whe

21 December 2022

On our return from Kalkan, we flew with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul so decided to overnight in the popular city. Considering the airport is only 30 miles from the Old Town of Istanbul it took us a couple of hours to get to our hotel due to the traffic! We stayed at the beautiful and traditional Sultania Hotel which features lavish bedrooms, plush fabrics and ornate furnishings along with oil pa

21 December 2022

Funnily enough… I have never been to Turkiye so it was definitely on my hit list! I had the opportunity to stay for a week in a Villa along with 3 other Travel Counsellors - you don't need to ask me twice! Kalkan is an historic town and lies along the gorgeous Lycian Coast. Flying into Dalaman, our private transfer took around 1 hour and 30 minutes. It is a totally charming area, with the rent

21 December 2022

Norwegian Cruise Lines launched an exciting and spectacular brand-new ship ‘Prima’ in September 2022 and I was invited to spend 4 days on her to be able to promote the ship and also NCL which is the sister brand to Oceania and Regent Seven Seas… so has a great reputation of rapidly becoming a premium cruise line. We sailed out of Amsterdam travelling south to Belgium and France until we disemba

21 December 2022

In May 2022 Virgin Voyages exclusively invited select UK travel agents to sample their brand-new ship in the fleet 'Valiant Lady', sister ship to Scarlet Lady. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of this brand and experience exactly what my clients will experience on a Mediterranean sailing. We flew to Barcelona and once we had checked in and been handed our recycled

21 December 2022

After an exhausting 2021 and moving into Post-Covid January 2022 in the UK, we decided to jet off to Mexico for a week’s sunshine to start 2022 in style! Myself, husband and son (18) flew from Manchester to Cancun on TUI’s direct service (the only one from the north) and I upgraded us to Premium on the Dreamliner. The cabin was spacious, food and drink plentiful and service fabulous. After the

05 November 2021

During the summer of 2021, with many ships still restricted as to where they could sail, numerous cruise lines offered 3 & 4 night taster sailings around the British Isles to the UK market. Having never sailed with Disney Cruise Line before, it is one I really wanted to research and in particular the adult only side of the ship. If you are sailing out of Newcastle and want to ensure early arriva

05 November 2021

I always wondered what the Channel Islands would be like…will it feel like I’m abroad or still in the UK? So, we set out during the midst of Covid in July 2021 to find out! At the time of travel, we were double vaccinated so just needed to complete the entry PLF into Jersey, have a Covid test upon arrival and nothing on return as Jersey is part of the UK Common Travel Area. The flight from Leeds

05 November 2021

October is perhaps not the best time to visit Greece as the weather can be unpredictable…but numbers are lower so the island is not quite so busy - however this was a work/leisure trip and so dates were already planned. Flying from Manchester I was glad we had sorted all our paperwork. Some passengers were being turned away from airport check in due to not having completed their Greek PLF forms.

01 May 2020

Thailand is such a best seller for me, that I needed to see some hotels and resorts for myself to glean more information to pass onto my customers. We flew via Doha with Qatar – super airline, great food and crew. Upon arrival at chaotic Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, we were met by our local representatives who whisked us by buggy straight from our gate to the luggage collection and then onwa

28 April 2020

It is safe to say that Virgin Voyages very first ship, Scarlet Lady lived up to the anticipated hype! I was invited to the UK launch in Liverpool to view this amazing and innovative adult only cruise ship.. the first in Sir Richard Branson’s fleet, with Valiant Lady to launch soon. Scarlet Lady will sail out of Miami to the Caribbean. She will have itineraries starting from 4 nights, so a grea

28 April 2020

The only touristy Canary I had not yet visited… I just needed a break! So, I hopped on a flight from Leeds Bradford with my 15 year old son and 4 hours later landed on the sunshine island of Lanzarote. It is one of the most northern islands, just 140km west of Africa but belongs to Spain. The main tourist hotspots are Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen and Puerto Calero. I decided for

09 April 2020

The Garden Route was always on my bucket list…so I was very excited to book my family holiday in 2019 to South Africa. We flew from Newcastle to Cape Town via Dubai. Good connections meant only a couple of hours layover and a chance to stretch our legs in between flights. 7 hours to Dubai then 9 hours to Cape Town. Our home for 3 nights in Cape Town was the Southern Sun Waterfront – a 4* modern h

30 December 2018

A cheeky pre-Christmas visit to New York was in order so we flew from Manchester via Dublin to Newark which is a great way to clear US Immigration, saving time at the other end. Ireland is the only country outside of the USA to do this. So, with our valid ESTA’s in place, once we landed, we were literally off the plane and into our taxi in no time. You can use public transport, but a taxi is aroun

24 June 2018

I have been to Florida several times, but never to the south west so I was really looking forward to this educational trip with Travel Counsellors. Brushing up on my product and destination knowledge, meeting suppliers, visiting hotels and experiencing some of the sightseeing excursions the famous sunshine state has to offer! We flew indirect with Delta via Atlanta and I was impressed with the

09 April 2018

One of my bucket list trips was finally achieved in March 2018. I have always wanted to road trip from San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway, so we set off on a cold March morning for Heathrow. The train is easy from York to London KX then the underground is around 50 minutes straight into Heathrow. We stayed at the Novotel the night prior and used the Hoppa shuttle in the morning which wa

07 July 2017

Having been to Disneyworld several times, driven down through the Florida Keys, across the everglades, to Sarasota and Naples before, I wanted to spend time in Florida, but have a more laid back family holiday. Club Med Sandpiper Bay seemed the perfect choice. Knowing the reputation of Club Med across Europe and Worldwide I was interested to see how Florida’s ONLY fully all-inclusive resort m

05 July 2017

For my special 'big' birthday, we decided a trip to Paris would be perfect and very romantic! Flying from Leeds is great, very quick journey for myself and husband into Charles de Gaulle. We decided to take public transport from the airport into the city, which is fairly easy (using the free city maps you can pick up from the airport). Overground train, then the subway and it is very inexpensive t

29 November 2016

With a group of other Travel Counsellors, I was very excited to be invited to this fabulous Caribbean destination by Elegant Hotels to stay at and view their hotels on the island. We flew from Gatwick on a cold November morning for the eight hour flight and I was lucky enough to be upgraded to Club World with British Airways. If you ever have the chance to do this, then it is highly recommende

19 October 2016

A family holiday to the sunshine state and specifically Walt Disneyworld is probably one of the most memorable times you will have together. If you are hoping to hit the parks and see as much as possible, you do need a plan. If you think you can just turn up and wander along to the rides you need to think again. I don’t mean to make your holiday sound military but ‘planning’ is the key word here!

12 September 2016

As this is fast becoming a very popular destination, I wanted to see for myself a little bit of the beautiful country of Croatia. I booked for myself, husband and son to stay in the small town of Lapad, just outside of Dubrovnik. With direct flights from Leeds and just under a three hour flight, this is a great short haul option. I booked a private transfer to take us to our apartment – the V

18 May 2016

Flying from Gatwick at 0700 on a cold, wet April morning did not fill me with excitement….however, as soon as we took off and flew into blue skies my mood changed! Landing at Crete’s capital Heraklion was an easy experience. Quite a small airport and our bags were released very quickly. I was lucky enough to be on a working trip with 8 other Travel Counsellors to spend 4 nights on this beautiful

06 December 2015

I was recently lucky enough to take part in a five day Hurtigruten voyage on board the MS Midnatsol along with 16 other travel agents. I enjoyed the trip immensely, with the highlights being whale watching and seeing the incredible Northern Lights. On arrival at Newcastle Airport I spent the night at the Doubletree by Hilton which is just across the road from departures. Lovely to be greeted w

01 July 2015

Having been invited by the Spanish Tourist Office to visit Gran Canaria along with 10 other Travel Counsellors on an exclusive 4 day visit - I was really looking forward to seeing this particular island. Travelling down to Gatwick from the frozen north is never a pleasant experience! But having worked in London I am used to the travel system, having left Scarborough at 8am for Kings Cross, undergr

21 May 2015

I was so looking forward to flying with Emirates and staying for a week at this iconic 5* hotel and everything lived up to my expectations! We flew as a family from Manchester direct to Dubai with Emirates, a first class airline with brilliant staff. I had arranged wheelchair access for my mum who cannot walk too far and this was seamless all the way through from check in to arrival in Dubai

18 March 2015

I was lucky enough to be invited to an agent only event on board P&O's newest and most glamorous ship 'Britannia' before her official naming by the Queen and her maiden voyage. To give an overview of the weekend, I flew with Flybe from Leeds to Southampton which, in my opinion is a much more hassle free way of travelling from the north of England! Just a short train ride from the airport to Sou

21 January 2015

With the reign of Facebook and Instagram, we’re now able to share our incredible and awe-inspiring travel snaps, but just how do we take a great photograph? Here are some of the best techniques for capturing that great shot: Tip 1) Make the most of the natural lighting Photographers will always advise you to take photos during the “Golden Hour” – this is the time immediately before sunrise

26 June 2014

We travelled as a family from Manchester to Sharm el Sheikh on a sunny June afternoon with Monarch Airlines. The five and half hour flight was fine but in-flight entertainment would have been welcomed. Sharm el Sheikh Airport can be quite imposing and crazy when you arrive, with lots of holiday reps and transfer companies shouting and holding signs but they just really want you to buy a Visa. Unle

19 May 2014

I was lucky enough to have been invited by Club Med to sample their all-inclusive hospitality at the Gregolimano Resort in Greece. Flying from Heathrow, I stayed the night prior at the Arora Hotel which is 4*, very handy for the Hoppa bus transfer to the airport and adequate for my requirements. The 3.5 hour flight to Athens was trouble free with the Aegean Airways staff polite and helpful.

19 September 2013

We flew with Virgin from Manchester on one of the recently refurbished planes with the touch screen in seat consoles – this kept our 9 year old quiet for the whole trip! The entertainment was very interactive with loads of choice of movies, sport, news and documentaries etc. Orlando Airport immigration queue still takes a long time to process – so please ensure you give enough time if you are col