18 November 2022

My top tips for saving money on your next holiday We may have to think more about how we are spending our hard-earned money right now, and with rising costs all around us I wanted to share my top tips in how to get the best prices for your future holidays. *BOOK IN ADVANCE - the earlier you book the more time you can spread the cost of your holiday over. I can book in advance with a deposit at booking stage and I can book right up to Summer 2024 currently depending on destination. You can pay off instalments right up until your balance due date usually around 10-12 weeks before you travel. Also, once you are booked your price is locked in so you won't have to worry about your holiday getting more expensive. *FLEXIBLE FLYING - flying indirect or at a later unsociable time can give considerable savings - this works particularly well for long haul or if you aren't travelling with younger children. *FREE CHILD PLACES - Sometimes there are only a small number of free child places available per flight so it's best to book early or be a bit flexible with your dates. Usually school holidays are the first to get booked, so book early. Some of our contracted hotels have children stay and eat for free offers with some even going up to the age of 17! *FLEXIBLE DATES - Can you travel on alternative days? Make the most of your school inset days and travel when everyone else is still at school. Traveling midweek can be better value than travelling at the weekend. *FLEXIBLE DURATIONS - Can you go for a few less nights - I can package together multiple airlines so you don't have to stick to the traditional 7 or 14 nights - why not consider 5 or 10? *TWIN CENTER TRIPS - If prices are too high for your trip why not think about splitting your time between two hotels. Consider a more cost-effective hotel or room type for the first part and move to your original hotel or room preferred for the second half of your trip. This could work well if you are flying indirect as flight stopovers can often be included so you could get 2 destinations in one holiday! *BOARD BASIS - All Inclusive is becoming more and more popular. You can travel knowing you don't need to budget extra for meals and drinks out. All-inclusive hotels will usually include entertainment and activities for all the family. Some of our contracted hotels also offer early booking board upgrades, you could get Bed & Breakfast to Half Board for example - another reason to book in advance. *MOST IMPORTANTLY - Book with a trusted travel expert like myself! I cater to all budgets and different holiday types. Your travel is personalised and tailored to you. I don't charge any extra for my service as I get paid directly from my suppliers. Your money is in safe hands too, fully financially protected by ATOL and our Travel Counsellors Trust fund. You'll be looked after every step of the way by someone that cares. So, if you are thinking about holidays get in touch and let’s look at your next trip!

26 August 2020

I tried not to get too excited about our trip to turkey with the ever-changing travel advice as I wasn’t sure that it would go ahead, which for anyone who knows me is very unlike me. Having already had a cruise cancelled and the foreign office advice suddenly changing meaning we had to cancel Tenerife, Turkey was deemed to be on the safe list next for us to try. The day finally arrived, suitcases all packed and off we went to the airport. The airport experience was actually quite pleasant. We parked onsite at Stansted and although we got drenched in a crazy rain and thunderstorm, we walked the few minutes to the terminal. So much less stressful than having to wait for the bus I recommend booking the onsite car park and it was only a few pounds difference. Wearing our masks on entry to the building which applies to all those over 11, checking our bags in was all very civilised. They told us which desk to go to and all we were socially distanced accordingly. You cannot have anything with a rechargeable battery in your hold luggage so out came the electric toothbrushes! Airport security was empty. We went straight to the X ray machines and breezed through. No queue whatsoever. Most of the shops were open with a choice of a couple of restaurants and sandwich places to choose from so we had a nice relaxing breakfast before heading to the departure lounge. Boarding the plane was ok. Not particularly socially distanced but again masks are to be worn by anyone over 6 unless you are eating or drinking. My daughter of 7 did well for most of the flight considering. I recommend getting a mask that is comfortable as possible I found it did get a bit sore on my ears, I have so much respect for the NHS and those who have to wear them daily, but we all have to make changes to the way we travel if we are to do it in a safe a way as possible. On the plus side of wearing a face covering is if you have a nap no one can see you sleeping with your mouth open! The flight was almost full and other than everyone wearing masks was pretty normal. Drinks and food service came by for the obligatory snack pack of Pringles! There was a NO QUEUE policy for the toilet so don’t leave it till the last minute or go before you board! On arrival at Turkey, again it was all very civilised. There were thermal cameras for you to walk through as a temperature check. I did get the nervous feeling of walking through customs even though I haven’t got anything! Reassuringly our travel insurance with Rush who partner with Travel Counsellors covers us if we are denied entry because of Covid. Once through the cameras onto passport control for the stamp in the passport. You don’t usually get stamps for Europe, so the kids were really excited they got their first stamps in their new passports. For Turkey you need to have your passport valid for at least 6 months from your arrival date and have a blank page for the stamp and they are currently waiving the visa fee which saves you around $25 per person. Collecting our baggage there were bollards to try to keep everyone social distanced from each other at the luggage belt. Off on the transfer coach, which again everyone had to wear masks, for the short journey to the hotel. On arrival at our hotel the concierge took our bags and as an added Covid precaution disinfected them before bringing to our room and we were temperature checked before checking in. Finally on holiday, it feels a bit surreal that we have been able to get here given the last few months, now it’s time to relax, have fun, and make memories with the family.

01 July 2020

The past few months have been like nothing I have ever seen in the travel industry. I have been through 9/11, ash clouds and Swine Flu but Covid 19 really has taken the world out with an enormous bang! The past few months has seen so many cancellations of not just holiday plans but life as we know it with social distancing becoming the new normal to help enable us all to stay safe. Now that the world is starting to cautiously re open its doors are you like me, thinking that you are ready to travel as soon as we can and can’t wait to escape the four walls or are you feeling a bit more cautious and not quite ready to dip your toes? Don’t get me wrong I do not want to put myself in harms way but at the same time I crave some return to normality as I’m sure many of us do. Travel is in my blood and I have missed it so much. My husband often asks if we should get a new sofa or maybe the new front door that he’s wanted since we moved into our house 10 years ago, but my response is always “No… I’d rather go on holiday!” Like many of us I had my own family cruise that we were due to travel on in May half term cancelled – I knew it was coming but I was still so disappointed when I got the email that officially said it wasn’t going to be happening. I miss the excitement of going on holiday and having to think about what to wear and what to pack. I miss the arrival at the hotel and walking past the pool to check out where I think is going to be the best spot. I miss eating out at new places trying the local cuisine. What do you miss most about going on holiday? We have had lots of time to daydream about where we would like to go once this is all a distant memory. During lockdown I have been extending my travel and supplier knowledge so my list of places I would like to go to is ever getting longer but my recent favourite is a Tanzanian Safari in a Bush Rover which is a Land Rover that turns into a camp in the middle of the Serengeti! In reality though I think the first place I will go to will be more local with a trip to somewhere in Europe, somewhere that I know and have maybe been to before and to a either a villa that is self-contained or a hotel that I know has adapted their protocols to keep their customers safe. Where would your first travel destination be? Travel might look a bit different when we finally are able to return. For example, face coverings will be necessary at airports and on the aircraft and in public transport when you arrive at your destination. Airlines may be amending their hand baggage allowances and onboard catering will be more limited than usual offerings. Entry requirements may be different to what we are used to. Social distancing measures will be in place at hotels and accommodations with many reducing their capacity of guests to help keep us safe. Many buffet restaurants will see changes such as table service and extended opening hours. These adjustments can seem daunting, but I will always be at your side giving you all the up to date information you need to ensure you have an enjoyable holiday. One thing that is not different is what you get from me. I will still care about your trip as if it were my own. I will still be personally contactable at any time alongside our 24/7 duty office so you can be reassured that there is always someone who is there for you. I will still give you a tickets pack but if you prefer you can view all your holiday documents electronically via our recently updated MyTC app. Your hard-earned money will still be protected by our financial trust and Atol. I will still take away the hassle of organising your trip and tailor your trip personally to you. So, whether you choose to travel as soon as the foreign advice is lifted or decide to wait a bit longer, travel is such an enriching life experience and a time to make lasting memories, it’s something lots of us just aren’t prepared to give up. Whatever you decide to do both myself and the world will be waiting. I look forward to planning your next adventure together when you are ready.

29 January 2020

Destination weddings are becoming more and more popular and represent great value for money usually with lots of extras included and can be less stressful to organise than weddings in the UK. There are lots of different destinations to choose from whether it’s a beach, snow, top of a mountain or with Elvis by your side there is something to suit all couples looking to get married abroad. After my now husband and I got engaged, we decided on a winter wedding and that we would like to go abroad to get hitched. Weddings can be so expensive nowadays and easily spiral out of control with who to invite issues, table plans, and of course what will the weather be like. This week sees our tenth wedding anniversary so I thought I would share with you a bit about our destination wedding. We married in the beautiful Lake bled in Slovenia and if a fairy-tale wedding is something that you're looking for then Lake bled is a perfect destination - it's absolutely magical. My mum and my nan had been on a coach trip round Slovenia and told me about a church in the middle of Lake Bled and a Castle on the cliff overlooking the lake, so I started to research weddings in Slovenia and fell in love immediately with the beautiful setting that would be for our wedding. Sprinkled with snow it looked even more spectacular, so I set about organising a destination winter wedding. EasyJet offered flights that we needed and gave our guests the flexibility to come out for 2 or 3 nights. I liked the idea of us all staying at the same hotel and the Grand Hotel Toplice right on the lake was the perfect place to stay and allowed us a group rate on accommodation. I organised coaches to pick up all the guests from the airport and take them to the hotel. A tip if you’re thinking of getting married abroad is to get your invitations out early to give people enough notice to enable them to come along if they wish. On the day of the wedding our guests where transported over to Bled Island, to the church via traditional Pletna boats which are large gondola-like row boats with a canopy. The church is sat at the top of 99 steps and according to the tradition, the groom must carry the bride up these stairs, in order for their marriage to be happy! Not sure my groom was so happy about that task! After the ceremony we rang the famous Wishing Bell in the church, and it said that when you ring the Bell if you make a wish you wish will come true. It was quite difficult to ring the Bell and took a while for us to hear it much to the amusement of all our guests! After the wedding ceremony we had photos with a beautiful snowy backdrop and then made our way back down the steps to the Plenta boats to go onwards to the Castle perched atop a steep cliff which overlooks the lake for the wedding reception. As newlyweds we had a horse and carriage ride to the castle which was very romantic. On arrival at the Castle we were greeted by the Lord and Lady of the House and they invited us to “do what we came here to do” which was to celebrate our wedding. As we had a Catholic ceremony in the church, at the time in order to make it legal, we also had a civil ceremony inside one of the medieval castle rooms. After our second service we had a champagne reception on the pavilion on the top terrace outside overlooking the magnificent surroundings of the mountains and the lake. We had fire breathers, traditional dancing and even opened a bottle of champagne with a sword! As part of the package that we did we also got to bottle our own bottle of wine in the castle wine cellar and print a wedding certificate in the old castle print house. We had a traditional wedding breakfast and danced the night away! All in all, Lake Bled is truly a magical setting for the most wonderful fairy-tale wedding I could have ever hoped for. There are so many different destinations around the world to choose from to get married. Short or long haul, there are places to suit all types of budgets and number of guests and themes – if you are considering getting married abroad get in touch and we can start planning your wedding of your dreams.