2022 End of Year Round Up

As you would expect it’s had some challenges navigating a travel business throughout the last few years, and I am so pleased to write this and share with you that no matter what has been thrown at us, with hard work and resilience and the most amazingly supportive customers (family & friends) - the business that was just me up until a year ago has grown somewhat ! I am very proud to now operate a “team” that includes Lucy, my wonderful admin assistant who joined me in October 2021, as well as two other hugely supportive Travel Counsellor’s - Jo who has been with me over a year now and joining us more recently is Catherine. We all have extensive travel experience and knowledge, and share the strong values “ of being personal, caring and creating unforgettable experiences” - collectively now known as Team Sally !

If you have not been following me on social media throughout the year you may not have seen all of the amazing adventures my clients and myself have enjoyed. It is hugely rewarding to have finally watched all those delayed plans finally take place, plus being able to create so many new ones that have also travelled and just simply to see the world open up to us again with less and less restrictions. So here is a snapshot of some of those amazing adventures .. From cottages in Wales to whale watching off Cape Cod, gorgeous Greek islands to gorilla trekking in Uganda, Broadway shows & stepping off the EDGE in New York, honeymoons in Bali watching the sunrise to swim up rooms in Mauritius, luxury villas to gelato & gondolas in Venice, cruising the Norwegian Fjords to Walt Disney & Universal fun in Florida, France & California, Canadian rail journeys & Chicago city breaks to african safaris and Zanzibar beaches…the list goes on.

Where have I travelled to this year ? I started the year with what was an unforgettable experience, taking a group trip of 23 out to Reykjavík, Iceland. We arrived and sampled some amazing food delights, then headed off in search of the Northern lights by cruise. With the lights of the city behind us we did manage to get a small glimpse of the northern lights, I say a small glimpse as mother nature decided it was an evening for fog. The second day started on a boat for whale watching, some of us visited the stunning Lava caves, others explored Reykjavik. Later that day we all warmed up in the waters of the stunning Blue Lagoon. Then we moved up a gear to Super jeeps! Gullfoss Waterfall was breath taking surrounded by a backdrop of white, we took a walk through the Thingvellir national park seeing where the tectonic plates meet & then checked out the splendour of the Geysir geothermal activity- it really was amazing to see these sights first hand and would highly recommend. It was that good, I am going back again - so why not join me for our next trip in March 2023 ?

In June my husband and I were lucky enough to get away to Jersey to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had amazing weather, enjoyed beautiful walks and the most amazing fresh seafood! This was my second visit and I can't wait to visit again, a perfect mix of everything with a little history thrown in to keep hubby happy !

Then in July courtesy of Royal Caribbean cruises, I had the opportunity to cruise the Greek isles visiting islands not visited before and getting to know Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas first hand. I was able to share this with my sister, and my highlights have to be Kotor - Montenegro , Mykonos and Kefalonia, each beautiful and unique in their own ways.

I also just have to mention how fantastic it was to take my daughter to Paris to see the amazing Lady Gaga! A short visit to this gorgeous city - we ended up walking much further than planned, as we hadn’t factored in that Paris grinds to a halt during the Tour de France and being on the wrong side of the course at the wrong time meant I had to sweet talk 5 French policemen, navigate no taxis or metro, but with one subway open and the wonderful Google maps, we made it across Paris in time !! We may have had to walk for over 2 hours, but it was good training for my Morocco trek that was to come in September.

Then after waiting two years like many of you, my family headed out to Florida and Mexico for the most amazing summer holiday. Staying in a private home with pool in the Champions gate resort Orlando, we visited Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios plus all 3 parks of Universal’s Orlando Resort, an adrenalin filled week followed by all inclusive luxury in Playa Mujeres, Mexico - where we swam with Dolphins, an experience my daughters will remember for a long time - Well worth the wait.

Postponed from 2021, September brought to life the charity mountain trek challenge I had been training for, for two years by then. Along with my sister and 26 crazy others, off we went to Morocco. Well not only did our group raise approximately £30,000 for Reuben’s Retreat, but we had a huge adventure- we made it to the top of Mount Toubkal! All 4167m of it - My most physical and mental challenge/achievement yet ! The descent was not quite what we planned, for those that follow my social media you will know my sister decided it would be more interesting to dislocate her ankle on the way down. Needless to say it wasn’t the easiest of places to be rescued from, but with four or five guides giving her piggybacks, through thunder and lightning, then a mule for a few hours to get medical help and the aid of google translate, we do think it was all worth it - certainly memories we will keep forever !!

My finale to the year was the annual Travel Counsellors Conference in November, held in Liverpool, our first for 3 years ! We were joined by Sir Lenny Henry, Vernon Kaye, Rebecca Adlington, Paul Mckenna, Boyzlife & Clean Bandit - what a line up and a great celebration of making it through the last few years :)

There is lots more exciting stuff to come in 2023 …..

Definitely more travels - watch this space ! Reducing our carbon footprint together and my next charity challenge - Three national Peaks in June 2023 It has been my busiest and the best performing year since I started this business in 2018 from scratch, and I am so grateful for your continued support. January will see me celebrating 5 Years in business & “Team Sally” wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas & best wishes for 2023. THANKYOU ! Sally x