Hello, my name is Leia and I am excited to be your local Travel Counsellor based in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire.
After 10 years of working for a High Street Tour Operator specialising in Long Haul Travel, I took the plunge to become a Travel Counsellor in 2020 (no need to say anything more about that!) I love being able to offer a personal service to my customers which means they get looked after from initial enquiry right through to their return home.
I love everything about travel but my background is in long haul tailormade travel, so anything where you want to get off the beaten track, or visit a number of different places, is what I love helping you plan. I've 14 years experience in making your travel plans a reality. It all starts with a chat on the phone, in person or over video call. If you are local, feel free to stop by Ruddington Village Market on the 1st Saturday of the month to have a chat with me or visit my office on the High Street.
As a local travel expert you can read my articles in local media such as Nottinghamshire Aspect magazine and listen to me on BBC Radio Nottingham whenever there is a travel related news story.
My customer stories
Sent by Megan CC
Nottingam 08/08/2025
We had a fantastic experience booking a big dream trip with Leia and couldn't recommend her more! Leia helped us to plan a 3-week road trip around the US across 5 different states and 6 different national parks at several different hotels. We contacted Leia with simply the dates and places we wanted to visit with a few criteria for hotels and activities, and she did everything else on our behalf. The booking process was really easy, and Leia enabled us to review each part of the itinerary and was more than happy to make any requested changes before we committed to a final booking. Leia was extremely helpful and informative throughout the booking and printed all our vouches and information we needed for the trip which she hand delivered to us before we flew. All of our hotels were in fantastic locations and the car hires and activities Leia booked were all easy and fantastic and just ready for us to turn up to and enjoy. We had two very minor mishaps while we were away and Leia responded to our e-mails almost immediately to reassure us what was being done and resolved both issues very quickly, so we felt we were in good and safe hands. She really made booking a very big holiday so easy and took the stress out of the planning so we could just enjoy the trip. We will definitely be using her again - Thank you Leia!
Sent by Jacqueline Allen
Northampton 07/08/2025
Thank you Leia for all your help in arranging the perfect holiday. The US road trip went to plan, all locations and hotels were perfect. I will definitely us your services again and would recommend to anyone who is planning a trip.
Sent by Nicola Whiteman
Stirling 24/04/2025
Leia Morales has helped hs with two summer holidays now and both have been a roaring success. Last year we had a complicated European travel route which went very smoothly thanks to Leia’s planning. This year we have been in Lanzarote and as a last minute was again great.
We would highly recommend Leia!
Sent by Julia Roberts
Nottingham 06/11/2024
We had a fantastic holiday to Florida that was expertly tailored to our requirements. Everything went very smoothly and we had an excellent experience booking with Leia. Thank you!
Sent by Tim Carney
Nottingham 26/06/2024
I would recommend Leia unreservedly. She changed my travel plans from thoughts to exactly what I wanted. Watching bears in Finland and a short stay in Helsinki. From my thoughts to carefully planned and detailed holiday. Do contact her for superb help.
Sent by Kirsty Bemrose
Ruddington 26/04/2024
I was always nervous about using a travel Counsellor as I like to be in control of all the planning but Leia has made it so easy for me to let go of this. I get so much more enjoyment out of holidays now without spending hours doing research, I will never plan a holiday myself again!
Sent by Claire Fletcher-Warne
Nottingham 16/03/2024
Leia, thank you for organising us such an amazing family holiday.
Leia found us 6 different holidays because we couldn’t make our mind up with what we wanted, she was very patient and found holidays that met our requirements. We had a budget, wanted to fly from a local airport and wanted a holiday for a toddler and baby. We’d never been abroad before and Leia made it so easy, booking everything, checking in, printing documents, communicating with the hotel and booking private transfers. She was always available if I had any questions and was understanding and really friendly. We will always go through Leia when booking holidays now. Thank you.
Sent by Samantha Parker
Gloucester 24/02/2024
Fabulous service from Leia arranging our honeymoon. Can highly recommend. Attentive, helpful and efficient with help arranging all the extras which made our trip so special. Thanks Leia!!
Sent by Angela Dunk
Stroud 13/01/2024
Leia provided us with exceptional service when arranging a special birthday holiday for our family. She was professional throughout and totally exceeded our expectations. She will be our first port of call for any future travel arrangements.
Sent by Katriona Garnett
Nottingham 02/01/2024
Leia catered our honeymoon requests, and found options that offered what we said we wanted to do. We went to Costa Rica in December and she chose incredible places for us to stay, places we wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves. She was really helpful with booking activities for our trip and was really quick to respond to any queries. Would highly recommend Leia and we hope to book future holidays with her.
Sent by Mal Hudson
Sheffield 05/11/2022
Leia stepped in when our original travel operator went bust. She took our original itinerary and tweaked it to make it better allowing us more time to spend on our holiday.
She was constantly in touch making sure everything went smoothly at all stages, not made easy by the previous operator going bust and not able to cancel the original flights.
Leia put a plan in place so our new seats on the original flight didn't get cancelled by mistake.
Even while we were in Canada Leia was on the case leaving welcome notes at each destination which was a nice touch.
At one point actually phoning us to make sure we knew about road closures on the way to the Vancouver Island ferry which we knew nothing about at the time.
All in all we had a great time and really appreciated the efforts Leia put into making our holiday run as smoothly as possible.
We would have no problem at all in recommending Travel Counselors especially Leia Morales to anybody trying to plan a holiday.
Thanks Leia
Sent by Gill Parker
West Bridgford 05/11/2022
Leia looked after us from start to finish. My husband is disabled and was very nervous about travelling abroad. Leia arranged extra help for us from arriving at the airport to getting home. We were so grateful. Our trip was a pleasure from beginning to end. We will be asking Leia to help us again in the spring.
Sent by Camilla Gilmore
West Bridgford 06/09/2022
I'm so glad we booked with Leia. She made the whole process really stress-free so we could relax and just enjoy our holiday. She suggested ideas to suit us that we wouldn't have thought of and we had a fantastic time. She was really helpful throughout the booking process and in the run up to our holiday so we felt confident that everything would go smoothly. We really enjoyed our time away and will definitely be booking with her again.
Sent by Suzanne Astill
West Bridgford 22/08/2022
We booked a week in Rome with Leia Morales - she advised us on every aspect of our trip and booked us an amazing hotel , sightseeing tours and flights / transfers. She was really knowledgeable and organised. Highly recommend!
Sent by Mark Pinks
Ruddington 22/08/2022
Cannot recommend Leia Morales highly enough - Leia took all the stress out of booking our holiday to Dubrovnik, it was such a breeze, and Leia took care of every detail, from superb recommendations, COVID advice, transfers, even a little nice surprise when we got to our hotel room. Leia also booked a wonderful excursion for us, which was perfect, and responded to our WhatsApps when we were there to check us in to the return flight. Forget the high street travel agents, Travel Counsellors are so much better.
Sent by Gill Parker
Nottingham 04/06/2022
We had the most wonderful holiday, arranged by Leia. Everything was organised, down to the last detail. My husband has said that he will not consider any other way of choosing a holiday after this fantastic experience.
Sent by Lindsey Taylor
Ruddington 13/02/2022
Excellent service provided. After sending through our requirements to Leia she very swiftly sent through her recommendations to us which we were very happy with, securing our holiday straight away with a deposit. Leia followed our remit, worked with our budget and found us just what we were looking for. Thanks Leia!
Sent by Margaret Bonney
Leicester 01/02/2022
It's my 70th birthday this year, and I wanted a special holiday with family to celebrate it. So Leia has found us the perfect place in Menorca and we'll be there in late September, enjoying the sea and sun - setting us up for the winter days in UK to come! With her experience of travelling with a small child, she was able to offer us excellent advice about what we needed to take for my young grandchild. She was able to cope with our varying needs - whether for sightseeing, or for poolside relaxation - altogether a stress-free way for us to find our perfect holiday this year! Thank you Leia!
Sent by Harrison Palmer
Nottingham 24/01/2022
Leia is knowledgeable about her industry, very well organised and a pleasure to deal with. All our travel details were tailored to our requirements which made our holiday experience run very smoothly and stress-free. Leia's costs are very reasonable too. We will not hesitate to use Leia again in the future.
Sent by Mal Hudson
Sheffield 13/01/2022
Leia has been very helpful and is always available Came highly recommended
Sent by Melanie Hughes
Leicestershire 24/12/2021
Leia has been a hugely supportive wing-woman throughout the challenging travel situation of 2021 as my husband and I figured out a problematic visa situation. She was always on hand throughout our trip to offer advice and a multitude of different travel options to support us, and was there for us even when last minute changes were needed. Leia's unwavering support in handling the logistics of this trip reduced our stress levels significantly; at a time where rules and restrictions are constantly changing it would have been a nightmare trying to figure everything out on our own.
Sent by Alex Lee
Ruddington 26/11/2021
Fantastic service and knowledgeable would recommend to everyone x
Sent by Alex Dron
Nottingham 04/11/2021
Leia has been nothing but helpful, accommodating and excellent in working around both our requirements, and those of the ongoing pandemic. Nothing but good things to say about our experience with her!
Sent by Jayne Sanderson
Nottingham 04/11/2021
Leia offered a personalised service both in email and on zoom offering various honey options for us to view in our own time. Understanding both our needs and wants.
Sent by Chloe Fisher
WELWYN GARDEN CITY 08/05/2021
Leia has given us another amazing holiday - our fourth booked with her (including our honeymoon)! Much closer to home this time though, with a staycation in the New Forest. Still had a fantastic time, and best of all, we paid the same price as we would have done if we had booked directly, without the hassle of booking whilst also giving us extra Covid-19 travel assurances!
If anyone is looking for a break, near or far, now or in future, big or small, please consider using Leia - she can perform travel magic!
Sent by Sue Matthews
Nottingham 15/10/2020
At quite short notice Leia researched and found us a fabulous place to stay in Weymouth (having given us a couple of options that were both matching our requirements). Throughout the process she provided us great information, service and went the extra mile with a lovely delivery of some delicious picnic items one morning. Thoroughly recommend her and will be using her next time too! Thanks Leia, you made our last minute UK holiday feel very special :)
Sent by Bernard Carey
Nottinghamshire 13/05/2020
We have used Leia as our Travel Consultant for a number of years and are looking forward to continuing to do so now she has her own business.
Whether a Caribbean all-inclusive sun break, a Fly Drive Road Trip, or a Coach/Rail/Cruise adventure, Leia has always taken our basic outline and put together a bespoke package to suit or needs.
We had an excellent trip to Canada & Alaska in 2019 and the professional way Leia coordinated the excursions was really highlighted in conversations with other guests in hotels en-route. Our stops and excursions were all carefully selected by Leia to compliment each other and build a memorable holiday experience; we encountered some other families with examples of 'overlap' in their activities where their travel agent presumably hadn't checked what the individual excursions involved. We were so glad that Leia had thought of everything.
We can't wait to book our next holiday with her.
Sent by John Hannay
Nottingham 16/04/2020
Leia, May I thank you for organising such a long and complex holiday. It went without a hitch until the dreaded Corvid came along. You can be assured of all my future travel arrangements, and I will recommend you to all my friends.
Sent by Sonal Shah
London 12/04/2020
Leia has been making my travel arrangements for several years now and I wouldn’t trust anyone else. She always understands our requirements and makes suitable recommendations. She is knowledgeable, friendly and very easy to communicate with. Each and every holiday arranged through her has been a memorable one. She is a pleasure to deal with and certainly makes planning our trips enjoyable and stress free! Thanks so much for your support (and the support of the extended family!)
Based in
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My Videos
Alternatives to flying
11/12/2024
I spoke to BBC Radio Nottingham last year about alternatives to flying, lots of ideas here if you are considering
Summer 2022 Travel
25/07/2022
I as invited onto the BBC Radio Nottingham Breakfast show to talk about all things travel
BBC Radio Nottingham 8/7/21
08/07/2021
Ahead of the announcement that full vaccinated travelers returning to the UK wouldn't need to self isolate, I appeared on BBC Radio Nottingham Breakfast SHow
Top Tips for Planning a Honeymoon
06/04/2021
As an alternative to reading my blog, have a watch of my top tips
Ruddington Village Market Instagram Live
18/02/2021
A fab chat with Mark from Ruddington Village Market about my business, my travel experiences and why I love Ruddington!
BBC Radio Nottingham 28/01/21
28/01/2021
I was invited along to talk about staycations this year
BBC Radio Nottingham Interview
24/11/2020
Following the government announcement about "test and release" I was invited back on to the breakfast show to discuss.
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 am often asked what is popular with my customers. Honestly it is difficult to say as each of my enquiries is very different. But here is an insight into my last few bookings.
Caribbean
I had a customer come home from St Lucia and wanting to book to go back to the Caribbean again next year. This happens a lot as customers like to have something to look forward to and know that the best flight
Wow what a 2024! Travel Counsellors have achieved over £1 billion in sales this year, our best ever year. Perfect icing on the cake for our 30th anniversary celebrations. I have had my best every year since become a self employed Travel Counsellor and that is all thanks to the amazing support of my amazing clients.
January has always traditionally been the month to book holidays so I am busy get
In October 2015 my daughter was 9 months old and we were due to go on our first family holiday that we had booked several months prior. On the 13th of October my Grandma passed away unexpectedly, just a week before we were due to travel. It was a difficult decision to make as to whether we would still travel or stay home to attend her funeral. My Grandma loved her holidays and lived in Spain for 1
After 12 years in the travel industry selling cruise, I have finally been on my first and second cruises in the space of a month. It wasn’t something that was planned that way, but opportunities presented themselves and now I am a cruise convert. I always thought that if I was going to take a cruise it would be to a destination best served by cruise such as Alaska or the Panama Canal. Instead, I t
After almost 2 years Australia has reopened its borders to visitors and there is no better time to plan a trip down under.
Australia is a bucket list destination for retirees and a backpacker haven for gap year students. Whilst budgets might be a little varied, Australia offers something for everyone. The first thing to say is that Australia cannot be done in a 2-week holiday, which is why to “d
Enough of the dreaming, this month we got to do our dream holiday to Disney World Florida. We booked last year on a hopeful whim. As October half term got closer, the FCDO advice for travel to the USA was updated and there was no longer anything in our way. My husband is a US citizen and so we were exempt from the restrictions in place stopping most Brits from travelling stateside until the 8th of
There are lots of ways that the last 16 months has changed the way that we travel. For a start, many of us simply haven’t travelled. In 2019 80.9 million passengers travelled through Heathrow airport. In 2020 this decreased by 72.9% to just 22.1 million passengers. This reduced CO2 emissions from aviation by 60% according to the Global Carbon Project. It is sometimes difficult to see the positives
Autumn/Winter
Picking up from my previous blog post, this time we look at Autumn and Winter months to get some adventure and sun.
September
Keeping with wildlife, head over to Borneo in September to see orangutans and other primates in their natural habitat. Finish with some down time at one of the luxury hotels over by Kota Kinabalu.
October
New England in the fall, the changing of the leaves
Spring/Summer
Most countries have their ideal travel season, based mainly on the weather, which can vary within a country as well. Whilst weather can always be unpredictable, there are certain weather patterns that it is always worth being aware of when you are planning to visit a country. You won’t be thinking something was a “good deal” if it is monsoon season. This two part “where to travel whe
Foreign holidays seem a distant memory for most, unless you were one of the few to make use of the travel corridors last summer. With the recent introduction of mandatory testing to enter the UK and additional tests two and eight days after returning home, the additional cost for a family can be difficult to justify on a 7-day holiday.
There is good new though; despite some reports, it is not il
I’ve been a travel consultant for 10 years, my friends and family think they know what I do but like the meme’s that go around there are different images of what a travel consultant does:
What my friends think I do.
What society thinks I do.
What I actually do.
Putting aside that I am running my own business and the day to day work that comes with promoting myself, let me run through the experie
With it looking unlikely that many will be taking holidays abroad this summer, we will have to look closer to home for travel inspiration. With Travel Counsellors up and down the country, some of us have teamed up to make suggestions for what there is to see and do a little closer to home. This is my travel blog all about the beautiful South Nottinghamshire village of Ruddington, that I call home.
At age 16, while studying for my GCSE’s, the opportunity presented itself to travel to Ecuador with my school. We fundraised and I worked part-time in a fish and chip shop to fund the month-long trip, which saw us trekking in the Andes, exploring the Amazon and volunteering to build an orphanage. It was a life changing experience for me that sparked a desire to explore the world and lead to me tak
Back in 2007 I did a skydive over Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, but if you asked me if I would do it again, I would say a firm no. When I had my daughter in 2015 my life changed. I am now responsible for another life, and I look at risk factors in a different light. But having kids doesn’t mean that you can’t have adventures and experiences when you travel, there is just different factors to cons
Right now, you are sat at home with your fiancée, spending more time together then you had planned, gazing lovingly across at each other as you work from home. Opportunities to plan your wedding and honeymoon are usually limited to evenings and weekends, but COVID-19 has given you this extra time together. Unfortunately, high street travel agents are closed, and you might be reluctant to trust you
So who are you booking with when you book your holiday with me?
Well, as you are on my blog you should already know that my name is Leia Morales. I am married to, Lou, a Chilean who grow up in Miami. We have a 5 year old daughter and we live in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, with our dog. So that is where I am now, but where have I been?
Growing up with a dad in the RAF, I spent 4 years living in
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:
