Sarah Bolton
My expertise
I'm based in
Totton
It's Nice To Meet You
Welcome to my personal webpage at Travel Counsellors. As a bit of background, I have been in the travel industry in various sectors for over 30 years, and have had my own business for over 18 years of that! Previous positions have included overseas sailing instructor, holiday rep, corporate/VIP flight attendant, cabin crew manager, cruise product manager as well as long-haul and cruise sales. All of which have given me a broad knowledge of travel as a whole.
Having spent several of my childhood years in East Africa, I've had the travel bug from an early age, and have travelled extensively worldwide throughout my life. I've also been fortunate enough to live and work in Sweden, Bahrain and New Zealand.
My specialist areas of expertise are cruising, Australia/New Zealand, Africa and tailor-made long-haul itineraries, as well as honeymoons. However, I am able to book all types of holiday arrangements worldwide. I am an accredited specialist for Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Tahiti, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, South Africa and Namibia, as endorsed by the relevant tourism authorities.
I am also one of only a few Masters with CLIA (previously known as Association of Cruise Experts), and have this year won the CLIA Cruise Master award at the national Agent Achievement Awards. Previously I have been awarded "Cruise Expert of the Year" for UK & Ireland by a panel of leading industry executives, and been shortlisted for the Cruise Master award for the last 4 years! I have also been nominated for, and awarded, various other national cruise awards, including River Cruise Ambassador. As a cruise specialist I cruise every year and visit as many ships as possible to familiarise myself with the different products on offer - in the last few years I have either cruised with or visited ships belonging to all of the major cruise lines.
Working from my office at home without the distractions and limitations of the high street, and the impersonality and noise of a call centre, I am available at a time that suits you. I offer exceptional customer service to ensure each and every trip exceeds your expectations. I will give a bespoke personal service when arranging your holiday requirements, whether it be a package or a detailed tailor-made itinerary.
If you would like regular updates of my special offers, please do get in touch.
I look forward to hearing from you and helping to plan your dream trip.
Travel guides
Explore my guides and blogs
Top Tips for Zanzibar
Located off the east coast of Africa, and part of Tanzania, the island of Zanzibar is one of my favourite destinations. I was brought up in Kenya & Tanzania as a child and have fond memories of visiting Zanzibar on holiday. Recently I returned as an adult and here are my top tips: 1. Combine with a safari in Kenya or Tanzania for a truly magical experience 2. Do a multi-centre by combining a st
15 Aug 2020 5 min read
Alaska stay & cruise days 13-16
Day 13: KETCHIKAN Sadly the final day in Alaska, before we headed down to Canada. Another beautiful day sailing into Ketchikan. We were the 2nd ship into port, but ended up being busy with 4 ships! Today’s excursion was another boat cruise - this time the Misty Fjords Wilderness Adventure. I’d been a little bit concerned that after all the magnificent trips I’d done that this would be sligh
12 Jul 2019 5 min read
Alaska stay & cruise days 10-12
Day 10: Juneau The largest port on our itinerary so far - although most shops seem to be tourist jewellery traps! I did manage to find a nice T-shirt though! Perfect port if you’re a cruise ship geek - apart from us there was also Golden Princess & Star Princess (both Princess Cruises) & MS Noordam (Holland America Line). Today I did another ship’s excursion called “Mendenhall Glacier & Whal
12 Jul 2019 5 min read
Alaska stay & cruise days 6-9
Day 6: Joining Azamara Quest Up most of the night to experience midsummers night in Alaska. Took photographs at 10pm, midnight, 4am, 5.30am (ship coming in!) - all in daylight. Packed in the morning and headed over to Zudys for a coffee before the hotel shuttle took me to the cruise terminal. A very quick and easy process here as only one ship in at a time in Seward as a whole, and as Azamara s
12 Jul 2019 5 min read
Alaska stay & cruise days 1-5
2 nights Anchorage, 3 nights Seward & 10 nights Alaska cruise on Azamara Quest from Seward to Vancouver Day 1: Anchorage Landing into Anchorage gave me my first glimpse of the stunning scenery and backdrop of the mountains. I stayed in an area of downtown called Ship Creek which is situated on the salmon river, popular with local fishermen. In order to get myself into the right time zone (9
12 Jul 2019 5 min read
Guide to cruising - what to do when you first get on board
You’ve booked your cruise, and are all excited when you get on board. So, what should you do first? Here’s my top tips for things to do in the first couple of hours: Personally I try to get to the port in good time so that I can be one of the first on board. Please note however that some cruise lines, especially those with large ships, stagger the boarding process and you are given a check-in tim
03 May 2019 5 min read
Belmond Afloat in France luxury barge cruising
Have you ever considered meandering along the waterways of southern France on a luxury barge, converted from an original working boat? No? Nor had I until I was invited to travel with Belmond on one of their “Afloat in France” barges on the River Saone. This is one of those rare products that unless you know of it already you wouldn’t know to ask for it – something truly special and once experienc
14 Jul 2017 5 min read
Sensational South Africa
In June I was part of a small group of Travel Counsellors to be hosted by Africa Collection on a wonderful educational trip to South Africa and Mauritius. We flew into Johannesburg with Virgin Atlantic, and transferred to our own privately chartered light aircraft for the 50 minute flight to Madikwe East airstrip. You can drive to Madikwe Game Reserve, but this takes 4.5 hours, so flying is the
23 Jul 2015 5 min read
Istanbul
Istanbul is the ultimate “East meets West” city, spanning both Europe and Asia. Many cruises start/end in Istanbul, and cruise lines have realised that this fascinating city deserves some time spent there, and therefore now include an overnight in port. However I would also recommend that you extend your stay pre- or post-cruise in order to make the most of this wonderful place, as there is so muc
19 Jun 2015 5 min read
Cruise: how to choose your cabin
1. Type: Firstly decide on whether you are looking for an inside, ocean view, balcony cabin or suite. Take into consideration the size of the cabin, whether you might be claustrophobic, prefer a view (can check the weather when you wake up, and see the world go by), would like your own balcony to sit out on and get fresh air, whether you require entertaining space, space for a large family, conci
19 Jun 2015 5 min read
Croatia, Montenegro & Venice cruise on Azamara Quest - the cruise
I travelled on my own on this holiday – Azamara is great for solo travellers due to the following reasons: Single supplements as low as 25% on selected cruises Small ships so more opportunity to get to know other guests and crew Officers and crew go out of their way to look after people on their own Special events for solo travellers e.g. hosted lunches and dinners. The lunch I attended was
23 Jul 2014 5 min read
Croatia, Montenegro & Venice cruise on Azamara Quest - the itinerary
For my personal holiday this summer I did a back to back cruise 14 night cruise on Azamara Quest. Itinerary: Athens – Chania, Crete – Day at sea – Kotor, Montenegro – Dubrovnik, Croatia – Korcula, Croatia – Venice (2 days) – Zadar, Croatia - Split, Croatia (overnight in port) – Hvar, Croatia (overnight in port) – Kotor, Montenegro – Dubrovnik, Croatia – Venice (overnight in port) Ports of cal
23 Jul 2014 5 min read
Baltic Cruise on Azamara Quest - the ship
Each year I try to get away over my birthday - last year was Prague, and this year I did a Baltic cruise on-board one of my favourite cruise ships, the Azamara Quest. The itinerary started in Stockholm and ended in Copenhagen. It included calls at Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Kiel, Warnemunde and Travemunde. The Azamara Quest is a premium ship which is small, with a relaxed style, refined
13 Apr 2014 5 min read
Baltic Cruise on Azamara Quest - the itinerary
Stockholm: This was our embarkation port, and we overnighted here before sailing the next afternoon. This is something Azamara is good at - allowing a couple of days in some ports, and sailing late at night to allow you to go ashore in the evening if you wish. Having been to Stockholm a couple of times before, I took the hop-on hop-off bus round the city. It is a great way to see everything in
11 Sept 2013 5 min read
Marrakech and Atlas Mts
II decided I needed a break at the end of the year, and chose Morocco as somewhere close to home that I wanted to explore. Morocco has culture, scenery and clear distinctions between the old town medina in Marrakech, the new Palmeraie area, and the beautiful mountains. I knew of several places I wanted to see, and ended up staying in three places over four nights - hardly a relaxing holiday!
20 Dec 2012 5 min read
Niagara, Toronto & Ottawa - Ontario, Canada
Many people visit the east coast of Canada as part of a multi-centre holiday and, quite often, will visit the Niagara Falls region as a daytrip from Toronto. On my trip we went purely to Ontario and we stayed in Niagara, Toronto and Ottawa. Having flown into Toronto we transferred to Niagara, and checked into the Sheraton on the Falls hotel into a Falls view room – it’s definitely worth upgradi
12 Nov 2012 5 min read
Paris weekend
It was recently my friend’s birthday and, as she had never been to Paris, she decided that she just had to visit the French capital before she hit the big 40! We decided to go for two nights and make it a long weekend. The Eurostar train service makes these sorts of trips very easy and manageable, with comfortable trains running frequently. We stayed at the lovely boutique hotel, Hotel Littre
08 Nov 2012 5 min read
Dusit Thani Maldives
I have just returned from 2 1/2 days at the Dusit Thani (yes I know - far too short!), and had the most amazing time. I am lucky enough to have experienced many luxury hotels both in the Maldives and around the world, and fell in love with this place. Recently opened, in February 2012, the Dusit Thani, situated in the Baa Atoll, is a perfect blend of Thai and Maldivian hospitality. It's a wonderfu
04 Oct 2012 5 min read
Going solo in Prague
For my birthday I decided to visit Prague for 5 days - somewhere I'd always wanted to go. Travelling anywhere alone can be a little bit daunting but I had no trouble at all, and felt safe and welcome wherever I went. I chose a boutique hotel, the Archibald at Charles Bridge, having done hours of research, and am so glad that I did as it was the perfect choice in the perfect location. The hote
31 Jul 2012 5 min read
Maldives
Recently I was lucky enough to be invited to go on an educational trip to the Maldives. With the Maldives being a popular destination for honeymoons, anniversaries and luxury exotic holidays, it was a wonderful opportunity to see some of the islands for myself, and see what the different hotels have to offer. We visited a total of 8 properties, and did in-depth "site inspections" of each one, to
18 May 2009 5 min read
Launch of cruiseship Celebrity Solstice
The launch of a cruiseship is always a special occasion, but this time was the first one I'd attended in the US. Firstly I was very surprised just how close Port Everglades cruise terminal is to both Fort Lauderdale airport and good hotels in the area for pre and post cruise stays. Even flying in and out of Miami airport, as we did, was an easy 40 minute taxi journey. Solstice is the newest s
18 Dec 2008 5 min read
Northern Lights, Norway
HURTIGRUTEN'S MS TROLLFJORD TROMSO - KIRKENES This year saw a chance to tick off another thing on my list of things to see/do in my lifetime - seeing the Northern Lights! You may have seen the TV programme earlier this year with Joanna Lumley fulfilling her dream of seeing them, and being awestruck at the sight - well, it happened to me too. There is never any guarantee of seeing the Northern
16 Dec 2008 5 min read
Perth + APT Western Wildflowers Wilderness tour
As one of the Australian Tourist Board's Premier agent I aim to visit Australia every year, and try to see and do things that I haven't covered before. My sister and her family live in Perth, and therefore Perth is normally always included in my trips, and this year was no exception. This October I took my dad with me (mum had been over for 2 months earlier in the year for the birth of her 3rd g
16 Dec 2008 5 min read
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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.
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