Martin Lake

I'm based in

Hove

Available for new enquiries

It's Nice To Meet You

Hi, I’m Martin. I live in Hove on the south coast with my young family.

My passion for travel began in the mid ‘90s with a round-the-world trip and working holiday in Australia. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively worldwide, visiting over 50 countries along the way. My travels have taken me to places such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Borneo, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, the USA, New Zealand, Fiji, Kenya and a number of European countries too. More recently, I’ve been discovering destinations a little closer to home, such as the Canary Islands, that work very well for family holidays.

Over the years, I’ve had some wonderful experiences that include watching cheetahs as the sun sets over the Masai Mara, sky-diving at the Whitsundays in Australia, taking a helicopter ride into the Grand Canyon and travelling on the tea country train through the tea plantations in Sri Lanka.

Through work trips, I have first-hand experience of staying in some of the world’s finest hotels (and some more run-of-the-mill ones too!) and can pass on some great tips to ensure you get the most from your hotel choices. I have extensive flight cabin knowledge. Business or Premium Economy Class isn’t always as expensive as you may think and makes long haul travel far more enjoyable.

Before becoming a Travel Counsellor, my career evolved from working in London for a ‘flights specialist’ and managing a team of 20+, to helping build a small travel ‘start-up’ into a successful travel business and more recently working for an award-winning luxury tailor-made tour operator creating privately guided tours throughout Asia. All these roles have required exceptional service levels and a very keen eye for detail.

With over 25 years’ experience as a dedicated travel professional, I can offer impartial, tailored advice for your trip and great prices too! Your leisure time is very precious and I realise just how important holidays are. I take pride in providing inspirational ideas for your trip, something which will save you hours of online research. Planning a bespoke holiday itinerary can be a daunting and sometimes time-consuming experience. Leave the detail to me and I’ll ensure a stress-free, smooth running trip, and you’ll return home with amazing memories that will last a lifetime.

For a no obligation quote (or just an initial chat about your holiday plans), please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’ll be very happy to help…

signature

Explore my guides and blogs

What my customers say

Martin has been helpful, quick to reply, professional and efficient. We really appreciate his support throughout the entire trip, from booking to the trip itself. It is a pleasure to do business with him. 10/10

Sarah Tolland

Norwich

Martin always ensures every detail of our travel arrangements are perfect. Nothing is to much trouble in the preparation of a trip. Martin’s attention to our every need is fantastic. 10/10

Colin Rose

Yeovil

We were referred to Martin by a family member living in the UK, and opted to have Martin arrange a 35 day self-drive tour of New Zealand. Martin worked quite extensively with us to ensure that we ended up with a tour suitable to our tastes. He reviewed how we wanted to spend our time, how active we wished to be, the types and locations of hotels we preferred, activities, driving times and frequencies, etc. all important factors that would affect our enjoyment. Of course having Martin provide advice and recommendations made this job easier. In the end we had an excellent package that Martin had modified to fit our budget. It was so nice having someone "have your back" so to speak as we did encounter some difficulty in our travels (inclement weather) which affected our travel arrangements. In one case we were stuck on a train in a valley which could not proceed any further. This location was also a "dead spot" for cellular service. Other people who were with us during this time were scrambling to deal with the problem (transport, accommodations). The poor mobile coverage was problematic for everyone but we were able to get a quick message to Martin and his New Zealand team. They immediately took ownership of the problem. By the time the train finally arrived at a new destination they had transport arranged and new hotels booked. Other travelers were still trying to figure out what to do and where to go. On such trips, it is a great piece of mind that Martin and his travel colleagues are there to not only make the initial arrangements but also help you during the trip itself. Martin was always very timely and professional in his responses. Not having known or dealt with Martin before this trip, I can certainly recommend Martin as a conscientious and professional travel consultant.

Terry Smith

Winnipeg Manitoba Canada

Martin is quick to respond to any questions answering with different options. I can trust him to make the most suitable travel arrangements needed, he is helpful and thoughtful. 10/10

Susan McNamee

Tunbridge Wells

Martin - you are amazing and wonderfully helpful as always! I could not arrange this trip without you! 10/10

Victoria Pritchard

Norwich

We have already advised friends of Martin's contact details for future reference. Martin was extremely professional in handling both of our trip requirements . Client care and remarkable tolerance enabled us to design our trips to perfection. Thank you Martin. 10/10

Colin Rose

Yeovil

Very personalised and speedy service, 10/10

Stephen Whitehead

Surrey

Martin took total care of my booking. Since I’m travelling on my own I feel much more confident knowing I have booked through Martin. I’d definitely recommend him again, it was all very quick and straight forward! 10/10

Julia Trinder

Oxfordshire

Martin is always super helpful and very quick to respond to my many questions.

Emily Fletcher

Shoreham

Very helpful and easy to book and a good price

Elizabeth Grout

Norwich

Quick, accurate, efficient, informative.

Frank Ellis

Norwich

Professional, perfectly tailored and friendly service. I would highly recommend Martin for all your travel needs. 10/10.

Simon Barnes

Hove

Martin is extremely helpful, knowledgeable and efficient. Always pleasant to deal with . I would strongly recommend him . 10/10.

Ruth Newman

Tavistock

Martin is a lovely guy! Very helpful, with lots of suggestions as to where we could go on our trip to Australia We feel very comfortable in knowing that we will be very safe should anything happen while we are away , we can contact Martin for any help !

Thomas Dowds

Portslade

Martin has been extremely helpful in organising our trip to Japan and has explained all our options should the trip need to be postponed because of Covid.

Susan McNamee

Tunbridge Wells

Martin has been absolutely superb in arranging our holiday. Extremely professional, diligent and such a lovely person to work with. At no time was anything a chore, just a pure pleasure to deal with, always there when you needed him. I couldn't recommend his services more. 10 out of 10, many thanks again, Mike & Polly

Michael Wedge

Hove

Martin Lake is one of the most friendly, efficient and professional travel advisers I have ever had the good fortune to have consulted. He is a credit to your organisation!

Jonathan Spooner

Brighton

Helpful, Knowledgeable, flexible and overall great service - Highly recommend using Martin and will do again in the future - 10/10

Nick Horsley

London

Perfect. Made to feel valued. The attention to detail was excellent!

Peter Letcher

Suffolk

I cannot praise and thank Martin Lake enough for all his support and my million & 1 questions. He was always on hand to answer, investigate and come back with advice and suggestions. I felt so confident booking with him as well as it being such a pleasurable experience, easing me of any travel worries, sorting logistics, assisting with admin and then just on a personal front, sharing my excitement about the trip. What an absolute joy and 5* service. I cannot recommend him enough and will certainly be using him again in the future. Thanks Martin!

Gillian Robinson

HOVE

Martin has been incredibly helpful. Having shared with him my dream holiday, he quickly made it a reality! Martin has removed all the hassle of booking a holiday and his guidance and knowledge have proven invaluable. So grateful, this will definitely be the first of many holidays we will book with Martin. 10/10

Hayley Rose

Hove

Martin was very proactive in searching out a holiday in Norway based on a vague idea of what we wanted. He gave us three options to consider, with some variations within them. The information came through very promptly and we loved the itinerary he gave us. There booking process was very easy, and we got a lovely thank you gift and card through the post afterwards - a nice touch. 10/10

Sean Holland

Brighton

Thank you for all you have done for us. 10/10

Bryan Forrest

Bournemouth

Martin was very helpful and super patient when I kept changing my mind. Great service. 10/10

Sara Moore

London

Martin was extremely helpful and incredibly knowledgeable about the destination we had in mind. This is why we decided to travel to Vietnam and to book with Martin, such fabulous service. We’ll definitely be recommending him and we can’t wait for our holiday! 10/10

Steve Wallace

Thames Ditton

Martin has just 'saved the day' by helping our daughter, who is travelling alone and is 20 yrs old, arrive safely in China after being badly let down by a so called 'expert' travel company. Martin was able to sort out accommodation at the very last minute and we are so grateful for his expert advice and 'can do attitude' which included emailing and calling using Google translate, then contacting a friend in Singapore, who speaks Cantonese, to call the hotel on his behalf to be sure that they would be open when she arrives at 1 in the morning! We will certainly be using Martin for all our future travels and will definitely spread the word as to his fantastic service! Thank you

Sharon Dowds

East Sussex

10/10. Martin was very helpful and knowledgeable which made our choices easy.

Tina Pile

Hove

Tailor-made Thailand: 10/10. Found the perfect combination of resorts and accommodation, found things I couldn’t have found myself, listened to all our various wants and created the perfect itinerary. Will definitely use Martin again and recommend him.

Amy Watts

Hove

Incredible service. Very quick and found me an ideal holiday. 10/10

Stephen Whitehead

Surrey

Martin was really helpful in organising our holiday, providing local knowledge and tips about our proposed destinations. 10/10.

Tom Mitcheson

London

I had been struggling with organising my summer holiday with my two challenging teenage children, when I first spoke to Martin. He immediately eliminated all of the pressure and stress, recommending three excellent alternatives that met my complicated criteria exactly. Though our holiday is some way away yet, the prompt, professional and above all sympathetic service that I received from Martin was eye-opening and very welcome indeed. I trust that our holiday will be a delight!

Jonathan Spooner

Brighton

Discover the world with me

Elounda Blu - Crete

Elounda Blu - Crete

Elounda Blu is a fantastic 'adults only' resort with a Cool Living 'VIP' wing for that ultimate in luxury...

11 Mar 2021

Additional offers

More destinations to enjoy

Let's plan your dream trip together

Icons 4

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.

Icons 2

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.

Icons 3

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.

Icons

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.

Find Tc Difference

Start planning with me

0/500 characters

Give me a call

Let’s talk through your ideas, no pressure.

01273 317 319

Let’s connect

Travel Counsellors

Finding your match...

Every unforgettable journey starts with the right person by your side.