If you’re looking for a holiday, then I’d love to help!
My name is Lucy McNeil and I am a Travel Counsellor based in Curdridge near Southampton. I live here with my husband and two young children but I’m originally from Carlisle in Cumbria where my family still live.
I have always loved travelling and experiencing what the world has to offer, and being a Travel Counsellor allows me to arrange your holiday so that you can do the same. I have over 20 years’ experience in the travel industry and I specialise in luxury long haul, skiing and family holidays, but I can easily organise all aspects of your travel requirements using our award-winning booking technology. I have also worked for some of the leading cruise companies P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess Cruises, so I have an in depth knowledge of the cruise world too.
During my time in the travel industry I have been fortunate enough to visit some amazing places around the world including New Zealand, the Caribbean (including Barbados, Tobago and Antigua), Dubai, Mauritius, Iceland, Mexico and New York. I have also visited many of the European holiday resorts with my young family including Tenerife, Crete, Majorca, Sardinia and Ibiza so I can give expert advice on great places to travel when you have children.
I love sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with my customers and like to research their holidays as if they were my own. Customer service is my number one priority and I want my customers to receive the very best professional friendly service every time they book with me. You can also be guaranteed that your hard-earned money is safe as here at Travel Counsellors, with ATOL protection and our unique financial trust.
During the Covid pandemic, we strived to do everything possible to help our clients, regularly giving in depth information about the complexities of entry requirements and of course ensuring our clients did not miss out on their holidays by rebooking or refunding if necessary. Travel Counsellors topped the rankings for customer service during the pandemic in a Martin Lewis (Money Saving Expert) survey which we are incredibly proud of.
So if you are looking for expert personal service with a trusted company then give me a ring or send me an e-mail and I can help you today.
My customer stories
Sent by Vanessa Raynbird
Southampton 05/12/2022
I was recommended to use Lucy McNeil to assist in organising a summer holiday for me and my family. There are 15 people going over 3 generations so a considerable amount of different requirements for each age which was a little testing at times but Lucy is not one for giving up. We have found a lovely looking hotel in Portugal for the summer of 2023. Lucy is extremely efficient and personable and very friendly. She picks up the phone when you ring and if she’s out and it’s the answer phone you get a reply very quickly, always the same day. Likewise with emails, her response time is almost instant. We were in communication a lot for 2 or 3 weeks whilst looking for a holiday and there were a couple of suggestions that weren’t quite what we wanted, sometimes because we changed our mind on things but she didn’t once make me feel as though anything was too much trouble for her. Her quotes are clear, detailed and concise, containing all the information you require. I would have no hesitation in recommending Lucy, she is much easier to deal with than the high street travel agents I have dealt with in the past and didn’t want to book the various room scenarios and some going for 7 and some for 10 days on the online platforms.
Sent by Grant & Jackie Atkinson
Curdridge 06/10/2022
We used Lucy for the first time in September and from the get go it was a great experience. Nothing for us to do and every thing taken care of in a slick and professional manor. Thoroughly recommend Lucy McNeil to anyone looking to book a trouble free holiday. Thank you Lucy
Sent by Jenny Fisher
Southampton 05/10/2022
Lucy is brilliant and goes above and beyond to ensure we have the most wonderful holiday experiences.
Sent by Malcolm Wallace
Southampton 05/10/2022
Lucy was very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. Quick to respond and accurate with her information. I will be asking her about future holiday options for sure!
Sent by Jillian Wildgoose
Southampton 05/10/2022
We would definitely recommend Lucy and look forward to booking a future holiday with her. Great, friendly service through all our calls and emails. Thank you!
Sent by Karen Henderson
Southampton 05/10/2022
Great service provided by Lucy, cannot fault it!
Sent by Lorna Downie
Curdridge 21/10/2019
Lucy has been amazing organising family holidays and a group skiing trip. Nothing is ever a problem and she is so wonderful to deal with. Would definitely recommend and will be using for all holiday now!
Sent by Abbie Carson
Southampton 02/10/2019
Lucy was very professional yet made me feel like I was her only client. She knew exactly what I was looking for and found me the most amazing places to choose from. I have already passed Lucy's details on to a number of people.
Sent by John Holliday
Carlisle 19/08/2019
Lucy looked after us very well and found us exactly what we were looking for in a short break. We would definitely use her services again and certainly recommend her to family and friends.
Sent by Carol McFadden
Fareham 19/08/2019
This time I have just booked flights - and what a delightful experience it's been so far. Now planning to go away in Spring next year and we'll book through Lucy. Customer service like I thought had been totally forgotten in our automated world! Such a refreshing change. Pricing between going direct and booking via Lucy is very small (I was pleasantly surprised) with the difference more than justified by Lucy's attention and assistance. Next time I will not even bother looking online at all (it's a nightmare!!!) - I always used to book direct to save that little extra money (but think I spent at least that in lost work!). Thank you.
Sent by Christina Storey
Carlisle 17/05/2019
Lucy couldn’t do more to help with booking our summer holiday, even contacting the hotel we liked direct with questions. 100% effort and nothing was too much trouble, we wouldn’t use any other company. She totally takes the hassle out of the process.
Sent by Claire Warner
Southampton 23/04/2019
Lucy took the time to chat to me to really find out what we wanted as a family, and came up with several options. We are really pleased with the package she has put together for us, at a price we feel is competitive.
Sent by Rachel Swinburn
Southampton 06/02/2019
We would absolutely recommend Lucy and Travel Counsellors. All emails and messages were answered extremely promptly and we had several options to choose from for our budget. This is the second time we have booked through Lucy and she is fantastic! Thank you
Sent by Darren Butler
Southampton 14/12/2018
As always Lucy provided an excellent service providing us with a range of options to suit our needs and assisting with the booking in a timely manner. Lucy always makes deciding on and booking a break a stress free experience.
Sent by Louise Hewlett
Southampton 13/12/2018
I've already recommended Lucy to a friend and they’ve booked something. Fantastic service and communication, makes booking a holiday so much easier.
Sent by Miles Foskett
Southampton 02/08/2018
Took the stress out of getting my kids away. Was great to deal with, ascertained my needs and delivered first time at a reasonable price. I have already sung Lucy's praises both verbally and on Facebook. A great experience, a big, big, big thank you Lucy McNeil!
Sent by Ann Picton-Jones
Southampton 25/06/2018
Excellent and prompt service. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Lucy.
Sent by Karen Collins
Southampton 25/06/2018
Lucy was brilliant in searching for our exact needs for a break in the sun, Very helpful and also prompt in replying to my numerous questions. Found us just what we required, we can’t wait to go. Would highly recommend her to all my friends.
Sent by Julia Scarborough
Thame, Oxfordshire 16/04/2018
A very professional service from Lucy, who was also very personable.
Sent by Russell Miller
Southampton 05/04/2018
If the holiday is as chilled as the booking experience, we are on to a winner! Would definitely recommend for a hassle free holiday search, knowing you are getting the personal touch of an expert.
Sent by Jamie Muir
Carlisle 19/02/2018
Lucy has been brilliant form day one, always really quick at getting the information we needed without any trouble and looking at the options that suited us rather than the travel company. We will be using Lucy for all our holidays in the future, the personal touch to the whole process is worth every penny.
Sent by Christine Grew
Luton 26/01/2018
For someone looking for a Travel Counsellor I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Lucy. Passionate about her job, she listens carefully to the needs of a client to achieve their ideal holiday. This is the third year we've used Lucy to help us plan our holiday.
Sent by Laura Hawtin
Southampton 16/01/2018
This is the second time I've booked our family Summer holiday through Lucy. It's such an easy process and takes so much stress out of the process. This year we're travelling with my sister's family too, so Lucy had to find a holiday to suit both our criteria, and that would fit us all in - she came back with a good selection of holidays very quickly and we're now all booked. I always recommend Lucy to my friends and family!
Sent by Duncan Chilvers
Gosport 26/10/2017
The patience of a saint! We met Lucy at a wedding fair and asked for her help in planning our honeymoon. We had clear ideas of what we wanted, a safari followed by a relaxing beach holiday. You’d think that was easy but trying to fit it around the wedding dates, kids’ exams, work commitments and the one thing we had not really considered… the weather conditions at our chosen destination was quite a challenge. With Lucy’s help we finally picked and booked the holiday of our dreams. Without her guidance and knowledge, had we just picked out of a brochure, it wouldn’t have been as wonderful as it turned out. Both hotels selected by Lucy were amazing and I doubt if we would have ever found the safari lodge without someone with Lucy’s knowledge.
We bombarded Lucy with questions as we got closer to the day and she was brilliant at sorting all of them out and we set off for distant lands confident we would be looked after at all the stages. We had a few problems with the flights, but Lucy was very quickly able to step in and sort the airlines out. Again, not something I would have thought the high street travel companies would have done.
We will certainly be using Lucy in the future for family holidays.
Sent by Liz Wylie
Southampton 01/09/2017
Lucy has been an amazing help with our family holidays. Her expertise has enabled us to experience quality time together in great locations and hotels. She takes away the stress of worrying about any aspect of the holiday, organising everything from flights, seat reservations, transfers and hotels. Her knowledge means that you can rely on her to find the right holiday for you. I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Sent by Debbie Nicholson
Fareham 09/08/2017
A friend of mine recommended me to Lucy, I'm so glad she did, Lucy's been very helpful and professional. I had to change a few things due to circumstances but she sorted everything out for me. Would definitely recommend Lucy to my friends and family.
Sent by Tracey Thomas
Southampton 27/04/2017
Fantastic service from Lucy, will definitely be recommending her to friends and family!
Sent by Kate Dunkley
Southampton 10/04/2017
Lucy took time to find out exactly what we wanted and then did excellent research, making some suggestions we hadn't considered. We greatly appreciated her expertise. She was efficient and friendly and we can't wait for our holiday.
Sent by Laura Hawtin
Southampton 19/01/2017
Lucy has taken all of the stress out of searching for a family holiday that will please everyone. I would've easily spent every evening, for weeks, searching through suitable destinations, accommodation, flights etc.. but, after speaking to Lucy about our requirements, she came back very quickly with a selection of holidays and we were able to pick one there and then. I used Travel Counsellors back in 2009 to book my multi-destination honeymoon and am now kicking myself that I didn't think of using them for family holidays sooner. This is definitely how I will be booking holidays from now on.
Sent by Sarah Wedgbrow
Southampton 19/01/2017
Lucy was brilliant, fast response on all emails and really put my mind at ease with any questions i had regarding my booking. We would definitely recommend lucy to any friends and will be booking through her for any future holidays!
Sent by Nathan McCathie
Hedge End 11/01/2017
Dear Lucy,
The family & I are so pleased with everything you have done for us.
From start to finish your service was thorough, detailed as well as speedy. We have never been able to sit on the sofa, late at night and have our questions answered within minutes.
We are very indecisive people and you guided us through the process and found us a fantastic deal.
We will recommend you to others.
Many thanks
Mr & Mrs McCathie
Sent by Louise Lovelock
Southampton 11/11/2016
Excellent service from my consultant Lucy, this is the second time I have requested Lucy's services and have been impressed with her speedy and professional response and service. I have recommended her to family who have also booked their travel with her.
Sent by Spencer Wright
Southampton 10/11/2016
I want to recommend Lucy McNeil Travel Counsellor to everyone. We booked our holiday this summer to Mauritius with Lucy. She can arrange holidays anywhere world wide. There were several complications for Lucy to iron out from hotels and airline and she did so in an unbelievably efficient and effective way. I can 100% recommend her to answer the question "where shall we go next summer"!
Sent by Sarah Butler
Southampton 10/11/2016
We have just returned from our third holiday that Lucy McNeil has arranged for us. Once again Lucy found us the perfect holiday. We travelled to Cape Verde after Lucy suggested it to us and we are so pleased she did. A perfect hotel and as we have small children all our requests were dealt with. Thank you Lucy and we look forward to booking the next trip!
Sent by Caroline Allen
Southampton 10/11/2016
Absolutely amazing from start to finish incorporating all our needs and adapting to our many changes for the perfect honeymoon. Great lady, would recommend and use again. Thank you.
Sent by Mel Clarke
Southampton 10/11/2016
Thank you so much for all your help organising our holiday to Corsica! I didn't know where to begin and was getting quite stressed out about it! You took all the hassle away. The town we stayed in was perfect, exactly the sort of place we like, lots of great restaurants and a relaxing atmosphere. The hotel was perfect too. Everything was brilliant, thank you so much. I will definitely be back in touch next time we are thinking of going away.
Sent by Gemma Smith
Southampton 10/11/2016
Another big thank you to Lucy for arranging my latest adventure to Cape Verde. The four of us had a lovely holiday at the Melia Dunas hotel on the Isle De Sal and it was made all the easier with travel arrangements thanks to Lucy. I will of course be coming to you again Lucy as you always find the right location and hotel to suit. Thank you so much.
Sent by Liz Reynolds
Southampton 10/11/2016
Just wanted to send you an email whilst I'm in enjoying the sun (OK, I'm bragging just a little). To say thanks again, the hotel is fab, the food is proper yum and the deal you found for us has been perfect.
Based in
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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.
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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:
