Mark Gibson
I'm based in
Hove
It's Nice To Meet You
Do you love going on holiday but dread the thought of organising and researching it? Do you dislike spending hours online looking through different sites and options? Do you worry about whether you have booked the right thing, and what if you need help if something goes wrong?
If the answer is yes to these questions why not have your very own personal travel expert? With me, it is personal, because I care. I will look after you from start to finish, offering you my knowledge and support. I’ll take all the worries away, leaving you with a memorable holiday experience which is exciting, relaxing and fun!
Travel and customer service is my passion. I love exploring new places and cultures and have visited Florida, California, New York and New England in the US as well as Australia, the Caribbean, India, Africa and the Middle East, and many other great places in Europe and beyond. I draw on my wealth of travel knowledge built up over more than 25years in the travel industry and can call upon the knowledge and experience of our local destination representatives in most countries in order to provide you with a tailor-made bespoke holiday that’s right for you.
Your holiday is very personal to you and those travelling with you and my aim is to provide you with a holiday and a service to meet your requirements. If you like to have your tickets in your wallet, with hand written luggage labels, I will do that. If, however, your prefer the latest technology; then the My TC app which is the only smartphone tool of its kind currently available in the industry, will give you all the information you require including your documents, quotes and flights status updates.
What’s more, Travel Counsellors has the highest level of financial protection in the travel industry. Every penny you spend with me will always be completely protected - so why go anywhere else?
If you would like to see what my customers say about me just click on the customer comments tab above.
For more information or to discuss your holiday plans, please contact me I would love to hear from you!
Travel guides
Explore my guides and blogs
oslo
We flew into Oslo for a short 4 day visit and we luckily had beautiful warm and sunny weather. We particularly enjoyed the area we were staying in Aker Brigge and it close proximity ot the waterfront where the national museum and the Nobel Peace museum are located. We went out into the Fjord on an old wooden ship for a short cruise and also used the local ferry to visit the folk museum which is we
03 Sept 2025 5 min read
Montenegro Summer 25
We flew into Tivat airport and took a taxi to our hotel Vivid Blue Serenity Resort which is 10 minutes outside the resort of Budva. The hotel is lovely with a fab inifinity pool with views over the clear and beautifully blue sea. The hotel also offer a complimentary shuttle transfer down to Pura Vida Beach club which is 5 minutes from the hotel by taxi but down a steep hill which you can walk down
21 Jul 2025 5 min read
South Africa – Bush,Beach,Battlefields and Berg
This was my first visit to South Africa and to experience an Africa safari as well as seeing other parts of the rainbow nation in an 8-day visit. On arrival at Johannesburg airport, we went straight onto a connecting flight to Skukusa airport in the Kruger National Park. We were transported by open sided land cruiser with its tiered seats towards Tshokwane River camp our home for the next 3 days
21 Oct 2024 5 min read
Italy part 2 - Venice
We took the train from Padua and arrived into Saint Lucia station and as you exit the train station you are immediately on the banks of the Grand Canal and the hustle and bustle of water craft plying the waters. We decided to buy a 2 day pass for the water buses which allows you to use them on every route which is a good tip as one journey is 10 euros and a 2 day pass is currently 35 euros. Our f
21 Sept 2024 5 min read
Italy part 1 - Abano Therme Wellness break
We flew to Verona at the start of our holiday and after a wander around the Arena (Roman Amphitheatre) and the obligatory view of the Romeo and Giulietta balcony and the imposing Lamberti tower and some lunch we took the 35 minute train journey to Padua. I would recommend spending some time in Padua with it’s wonderful cathedral and Piazzas where you can spend some aperitivo time enjoying a pre di
19 Sept 2024 5 min read
Break to Copenhagen
We travelled to Copenhagen for a short 4 night break and on arrival the journey from the airport to the city centre couldn't be simpler with a short 20 minute train journey taking you right to the heart of the city. We stayed by the park close to Rosenborg castle and would definitely recommend doing a tour of the castle and it's houses the royal families crown jewels which are spectacular. It's al
23 Dec 2023 5 min read
Short break to Ras Al Khaiman
Ras Al Khaimah is a hidden gem located in the United Arab Emirates and I was fortunate enough to be shown around as a guest of the Ras Al Khaimah tourist board. It is the perfect destination for travelers who want to experience luxury beachfront resorts, adventure, and relaxation. If you are planning a trip to Ras Al Khaimah, then you should consider staying at the DoubleTree Marjan Island and Mov
25 Apr 2023 5 min read
Arcachon and Cap Ferret
We flew to Bordeaux and took the bus transfer to Bordeaux Saint – Jean train station. The train journey to Arcachon takes about 40 minutes. We had 4 nights at a hotel close to the beach and in the centre of the town which made our stay very convenient. Arcachon is a lovely seaside town attracting mainly French tourists and I would describe it is an upscale resort without the bling of St Tropez or
25 Nov 2022 5 min read
I Love New York
Having not been able to fly to the USA for the past 2 years until recently when the restrictions were lifted made me reflect on my visits to the Big Apple and reminded me just why I love New York. The last time I visited was in 2017, a family holiday with my wife and teenage children. It was their first visit and we stayed at the New Yorker hotel with views of the Empire State and a few blocks fr
07 Jan 2022 5 min read
Staycation in the Cotswolds
It was so amazing to be able to have a holiday for the first time since 2019 and to write this blog about it. With lockdown restrictions recently lifted allowing stays in the UK we decided on a trip to the Cotswolds. We chose Barn End cottage in the pretty village of Paxford which boasts the lovely Churchill Arms where we had an excellent meal from award winning chef Nick Deverell-Smith. We were
13 Jul 2021 5 min read
Sweden In the City and Countryside
We went on holiday to see family who live in the countryside about an hour outside of Stockholm. During the summer the weather is lovely with warm sunny days which are long as the sunsets are late in the evening and it never gets really dark. We visited Stockholm which makes for a perfect short break. My highlights include wandering the labyrinth of cobble streets and alleyways which make up the
12 Jun 2019 5 min read
New Year in Lanzarote
My wife and I travelled to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote with some friends for a birthday celebration over Xmas/New Year. Playa Blanca is located in the South of the Island and you can see Fuerteventura in the distance. The town has a 5km promenade which runs from the Marina Rubicon at one end to the lighthouse at the other and has a number of white sand beaches along it including Flamingo Beach and
19 May 2019 5 min read
Kerala God's own country - April 2018
Kerala is located on the south west tip of India and we flew into Trivandrum at the start of our eight-day visit exploring the coastline and backwaters. Kerala has 44 rivers and 34 lakes and innumerable canals to explore. Our first night was spent at the idyllic Poovar Resort Island which can only be reached by boat transfer and gave us our first view of waterways, birds and tropical trees and
30 Apr 2018 5 min read
Tuscany and the Cinque Terre
My wife and I love Italy. For us it has it all, from the most wonderful cities and countryside to it’s warm sunshine and superb food and wine. Visiting the Cinque Terre (which means 5 lands) on the Italian Riviera has for some time been on our bucket list and we also very much wanted to visit Tuscany. Our first stop in Tuscany was to its capital Florence. We arrived in the early evening and as
08 Oct 2017 5 min read
Seville
Hello and thank you for reading my latest travel blog on our trip to Seville. We spent 5 days in Seville in June 17 and love this city. Our hotel the Fernando III was located in the Old Town a few minutes walk through the narrow lanes that are a feature of the city to the Cathedral square and the Alcajar Palace. Our hotel had a roof top swimming pool which was great for a refreshing dip. T
06 Jul 2017 5 min read
Playa Blanca, Lanzarote
My wife and I travelled to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote with some friends. Playa Blanca is located in the South of the Island and you can see Fuerteventura in the distance. The town has a 5km promenade which runs from the Marina Rubicon at one end to the lighthouse at the other and has a number of white sand beaches along it including Flamingo Beach and Dorado Beach which are wide and safe. Playa Bla
04 May 2017 5 min read
Prague
We went for a mini break in early October and stayed in a hotel within walking distance of the Old Town but we also took advantage of the great tram and underground services which are the best way to get around. Prague has many sightseeing attractions so even if the weather wasn’t as hot as it would be through the summer months it really doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of the city. On arrival we
10 Oct 2016 5 min read
Tuscany
I visited Lucca, Florence and Pisa on a small group tour over five days. We flew into Pisa and took a short train journey to Lucca. Lucca is one of Tuscany’s real hidden gems, a walled city with ancient buildings and beautiful churches, lovely piazzas (and Pizza) and narrow streets. During our stay in Lucca we hired bikes and rode around the elevated walkway and cycle paths that form the top o
25 Jul 2016 5 min read
Sicily
We flew to Taormina in Sicily to celebrate our wedding anniversary in May. We stayed at the lovely La Plage Resort which is located directly below the town of Taormina. The small bay in front of the resort has wonderful views and is connected via a shingle bar to the small Island and nature reserve of Isola Bella. The quickest route to Taormina town was via the Fenicular which whisks you up the hi
30 May 2016 5 min read
Paphos, Cyprus
We spent a week in the Paphos area of Cyprus as we were visiting a good friend who lives there and was our guide and taxi driver during our stay. We arrived at the beginning of April and despite being still quite cold when we left England on arrival in Paphos the temperatures were between 21-24 degrees Celsius and we were lucky enough to have blue sky every day so great for sun worshippers. In ac
12 Apr 2016 5 min read
Gran Canaria
I visited Gran Canaria for 5 days in June 2015 as part of a group trip with some fellow travel Counsellors. This was my first visit to Gran Canaria and I was based in Maspalomas on the southern coast of the island which is a 30 minute drive from the airport. Maspalomas is famous for its abundance of sand dunes and beautiful beach. The whole area of Maspalomas and neighbouring Meloneras have be
01 Jul 2015 5 min read
Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard
We spent a family holiday in Cape Cod renting a house on a golf course near to the town of Falmouth. Cape Cod is in the state of Massachussetts and is a peninsular which juts out into the Atlantic on the easternmost part of the state. Cape Cod has a number of places given names from the United Kingdom such as Chatham, Sandwich, Harwich and Barnstable. This is because this part of America is where
14 Apr 2015 5 min read
Doha, Qatar
During the time I was working in the Middle East my family and I had a holiday in Doha the capital of Qatar. During our taxi ride from Doha airport to our hotel our first impression was of the spectacular skyline of Doha dominated by the skyscrapers that are concentrated by and run along the West Bay area of the City. The waterfront is called the Corniche and curves for about 5 kms around the bay
10 Apr 2015 5 min read
Amalfi Coast
The island of Capri is a 30 minute ferry journey across the bay of Naples setting off from Sorrento and arriving at Marina Grande. We were keen to get a closer view of the island but rather than another large boat sharing with groups of people we opted for own small boat with our own captain - a local who had a great knowledge of the sights and water ways around the island. As we were in our small
05 Nov 2014 5 min read
Reviews
What my customers say
Videos
Discover the world with me
Additional offers
More destinations to enjoy
Why use a Travel Counsellor
Let's plan your dream trip together
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.
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.
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.
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.
Get in touch