Sarah Coombes

My expertise

South Africa
Japan
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Vietnam
Argentina
Brazil
China

I'm based in

Coulsdon

Available for new enquiries

Holiday plans, perfectly personalised

Hello, I’m Sarah and I’m a Travel Counsellor based in Coulsdon, Surrey.

I have much personal travel experience to draw on when helping you plan your own adventures. My time spent travelling around South East Asia, Australia and South America after finishing university is the root of my passion for travel. This led me to start working in the travel industry in 2004. Before becoming a Travel Counsellor early in 2019, I gained 13 years experience as a travel consultant with a large independent travel agency. During that time I continued exploring the world, both independently and with organised group tours, and more recently with my daughter, introducing her to the world. I have visited diverse regions in the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania, enjoying spectacular scenery, culture and wildlife in over 60 countries.

I pride myself in offering fantastic customer service and will always do everything I can to personalise your perfect holiday or business trip, based on your requirements and making use of my personal travel experiences and the extensive knowledge gained whilst working in the travel industry. I can help you with a variety of styles of trip from a European city break to a once in a lifetime trip around the world, beach breaks to trekking, from adventure tours to cruises, safari to skiing. Whether it be a special occasion like your honeymoon or anniversary or even a wedding abroad, a big birthday, a retirement treat or you just need a holiday, I will be able to help with your plans. Get in touch to chat about your travel ideas and I will tailor unforgettable travels around your interests and wishes and turn them into reality.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

signature

Explore my guides and blogs

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part Four: S - Z

Sri Lanka

Vietnam

Private Tours

Honeymoons

Tanzania

United States

Zanzibar

Tailor-made travel

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part Four: S - Z

The final stretch of the alphabet brings us tea‑covered hills, safaris and beaches, city lights and true frontier territory.

18 Jul 2026 4   min read

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part Three : M - R

Australia

New Zealand

Adventure Travel

Private Tours

Ecuador

Peru

Tailor-made travel

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part Three : M - R

This part of the alphabet is packed with wildlife hotspots, big landscapes and destinations with powerful stories to tell.

18 Jul 2026 3   min read

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part Two : G - L

Honeymoons

Touring

Tailor-made travel

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part Two : G - L

In this chapter of the A–Z, we dive into destinations rich in culture, volcanic landscapes, markets, temples and lush greenery.

19 Jun 2026 3   min read

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part One : A- F

Private Tours

Argentina

Brazil

Canada

Touring

A - Z of Destination Inspiration, Part One : A- F

A–F – From Argentina to Fiji: Big Adventures & Far‑Flung Dreams When you start dreaming about your next big adventure, sometimes it helps to have a little alphabet of inspiration. Here are some “A–F” ideas to get you thinking about where your travels could take you next.

18 Jun 2026 3   min read

Why Book Your Next Holiday With Me?

South Africa

Japan

Sri Lanka

China

Why Book Your Next Holiday With Me?

Travel is so much more than flights and hotels. It is the anticipation before you go, the moments that take your breath away while you are there, and the memories that stay with you long after you return home. With 21 years of experience in the travel industry and first-hand visits to well over 60 countries, I am here to make every part of that journey effortless, personal and memorable.

29 Apr 2026 4   min read

Spring cherry blossoms: Japan vs South Korea 🌸

Japan

South Korea

Adventure Travel

Private Tours

Honeymoons

Train Travel

Touring

Spring cherry blossoms: Japan vs South Korea 🌸

If you dream of strolling under clouds of pink blossom, picnicking in the park and soaking up gentle spring sunshine, Japan and South Korea are probably at the top of your list. From late March into April, both countries burst into colour as cherry trees bloom, and people travel from all over the world to see this short but spectacular season. If you are torn between the two, this guide will help

22 Apr 2026 5   min read

Copenhagen: Our Spring City Escape

Couples

Families

Denmark

Copenhagen: Our Spring City Escape

Esme and I are back from wonderful Copenhagen and, although she is back to school and I am back in the office, we are both still glowing from such a lovely break. It was one of those trips where everything just felt easy: blue skies, smooth journeys, friendly faces and a city that works beautifully for both grown ups and children.

14 Apr 2026 6   min read

Central Portugal: Quiet Luxury, Big Waves and Even Bigger Hospitality

Portugal

Honeymoons

Wellness

Couples

Central Portugal: Quiet Luxury, Big Waves and Even Bigger Hospitality

I have just returned from a curated journey through the heart of Central Portugal and it has firmly established itself, in my mind, as one of Europe’s most exciting options for a special, luxury escape. Think wild Atlantic coastline, characterful small towns, historic wine villages and a food and wine scene that massively overdelivers, all wrapped up in warm, genuine Portuguese hospitality.

23 Mar 2026 5   min read

An Icelandic Adventure: Nature, Food, and Wellness in the Land of Fire and Ice

An Icelandic Adventure: Nature, Food, and Wellness in the Land of Fire and Ice

There are some places that manage to exceed every expectation, and Iceland is firmly on that list. I recently spent a few unforgettable days in this Nordic wonderland, and from the moment I landed in Reykjavík, it felt like a true adventure—one filled with dramatic landscapes, mouth-watering cuisine, and moments of pure relaxation.

07 Jan 2026 4   min read

A Whistle-Stop Journey Through Sri Lanka

A Whistle-Stop Journey Through Sri Lanka

I’ve just returned from my first trip to Sri Lanka, and what a whirlwind adventure it was! From serene manor houses and cultural wonders to hidden beaches and wildlife-filled national parks, every stop brought something new and unforgettable. Stop 1: A Gentle Start at The Wallawwa What a wonderful start to our trip around Sri Lanka. Just 20 minutes from the airport, The Wallawwa is often used as

26 Jul 2025 6   min read

A Thailand Adventure

A Thailand Adventure

I have visited Thailand many time but this is the first time with a 7 year old in tow and she loved it! We had a great couple of (very sweaty days!) in Bangkok where we stayed in a lovely riverside hotel with a pool to escape to for downtime. Making use of the wonderfully air conditioned Sky Train and the Chao Praya Express Boat to get around, we visited the Grand Palace, where Esme really loved

20 May 2025 6   min read

Lapland - It’s not just for kids

Lapland - It’s not just for kids

We were lucky enough to visit Lapland recently and it was a wonderful trip - a completely different holiday to anything else I’ve been on. There are some great activities (and we got to meet a certain person who gives out presents at Christmas time) but just being there is an amazing experience in itself. You’re up in the Arctic Circle so the sun never officially rises in winter - which isn’t to s

12 Dec 2023 4   min read

A little work whilst on holiday - a visit to Nido

A little work whilst on holiday - a visit to Nido

Whilst being back at fantastic family hotel MarBella Corfu this summer I popped next door to her beautiful adult only sister, Nido. So beautiful and peaceful, built on the hill like a village. All low rise, small blocks of spacious rooms. All sea facing with the choice of terrace, whirlpool or private pool. This property comes on bed & breakfast or half board basis (next door is All Inclusive),

15 Sept 2023 1   min read

Celebrity Cruises…. Not just for grown ups!

Celebrity Cruises…. Not just for grown ups!

Whilst Celebrity Cruises do not really push themselves as a family friendly cruise line, they are actually a great option for families wanting a bit of luxury but not needing all the bells, whistles, ice rinks and rock climbing of sister cruise line Royal Caribbean. Outside of school holidays you wouldn’t usually find many kids on board but we met plenty during our May half term break to the No

13 Jun 2023 4   min read

Our Corfu & Paxos Adventure

Our Corfu & Paxos Adventure

We don’t normally go for all inclusive but Esme loves a kids club, so we opted for a couple of different hotels in Corfu with premium all inclusive offerings and found a lovely villa for our stay in Paxos in the middle of the trip. The all inclusive at Grecotel Daphnila Bay and MarBella Corfu are premium in that they include a la carte restaurants plus wine and spirit options rather than just the

10 Oct 2022 4   min read

2 Contrasting Sides of Tenerife

2 Contrasting Sides of Tenerife

I am sure that most people that haven’t visited the island just think of Tenerife as a beach resort destination good for some winter sun, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Not being beach-sitters, when I planned to travel to Tenerife with my family in mid-February we booked a 2 centre holiday. We spent the first two nights in a beautiful resort hotel in Costa Adeje in the south. We didn’t rea

20 Mar 2020 4   min read

Exploring 3 Stunning Places in Croatia

Exploring 3 Stunning Places in Croatia

After leaving a wet and windy Gatwick it was only a two and a half hour flight to Split where the sun was shining and the skies and Adriatic Sea were both a beautiful blue. The Old Town of Split is mainly within what was the Roman Emperor Diocletian's Palace and makes for a wonderful place to explore the narrow lanes, with the odd little square popping up on your wanderings. With plenty of resta

28 Oct 2019 4   min read

Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas

Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas

I recently had the opportunity to spend the day on board Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. It is a fantastic ship for families, with the Perfect Storm waterslides, Flowrider (for surfing!), climbing wall, SkyPad (bungee trampolines with virtual reality headsets!?), mini golf and fantastic kids clubs for different age groups. Plus, there is a choice of pools and the Splashaway Bay splash

27 Aug 2019 3   min read

Tips for Travelling with a Baby - Have Baby, Still Travel!

Tips for Travelling with a Baby - Have Baby, Still Travel!

Many people do not travel with their young baby as they think that it will be too hard or too stressful. It is actually easier when they are quite small, as once they are on the move it is so much harder to keep them entertained on a journey. Other parents think it isn’t worth taking them away as they won’t remember it – this is about you getting away as well and even if they don’t remember the

09 Jul 2019 5   min read

My Lake District Weather Jinx May be Broken!

My Lake District Weather Jinx May be Broken!

We visit the Lake District regularly when we go to Penrith to see Esme’s grandparents but whenever I have been it has rained – often quite a lot! Planning a two week trip there felt quite a risk but we were lucky. We split the trip in half, spending the first week in the southwest corner of the Lake District. As this is the furthest point from Penrith we thought it was where we would be most unli

06 Jul 2019 4   min read

Have Baby, Still Travel

Have Baby, Still Travel

I was determined to carry on travelling once we had a baby to take with us and I am sure that if people had known our plans for her first year many of them would have thought we were crazy. Most of the plans were made before she was even born! First flight, Aberdeen. You would think it would be the flight that would be hard but getting from Streatham to Heathrow by public transport on my own wit

22 Mar 2019 6   min read

What my customers say

Always extremely efficient, friendly and professional, our holidays are well put together we have no hesitation in recommending Sarah to anyone.

Mark V

Ipswich

Sarah (and Zoe) have helped us organise our holiday twice now, and I honestly don’t know why we haven’t used her for every holiday! We gave her a pretty loose brief on destination but a very specific description of the accommodation we would like, and she came back with several options in our price range. Add to this taking care of getting us ready for the holiday and then following up afterwards to see how it went, and all in all, it was a fantastic experience…again. I highly recommend using Sarah and her team to book your next holiday, especially if you have an idea of what you would like but have no clue where to start!

Zoe N

Epsom

Professional,knowledgeable,helpful and really genuine- would thoroughly recommend her We are perpetual travellers and she has arranged countless good holidays and cruises throughout the world.

Yvonne M

New Forest

Sarah is very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. She’s booked a number of holidays for us including city breaks and villas. She’s found us some really unique hotels and small group interesting trips. Sarah always responds quickly to any queries. I would absolutely recommend!

Cecila M

Durham

We have used Sarah for a number of years, excellent service, we have recommended her quite a few times now, comfortable in the knowledge she is an exceptional person

Joan A

Essex

Quick and knowledgeable service. Useful tips

Sue P

Kent

Despite our constantly changing our mind you have stuck with us and we eventually, we hope, struck gold. Everybody seems satisfied with our choice, it was hard to please all of us.

Malcolm D

Milton Keynes

Sarah is always extremely helpful, she has given us many options to choose from and listened very carefully to what we wanted regarding our holiday. Sarah always responds quickly to any questions or concerns myself or any of my party have had. A Very Big Thank You

Lisa B

Coulsdon

Sarah was fantastic at accommodating our vague and shifting requirements and coming up with alternatives really quickly when required.

Stu W

Whitley Bay

Always very helpful and nice to speak to

Maureen W

Cambridge

Sarah when planning holiday with us could not have been more helpful

Don P

Southampton

Really helpful service and is taking all the stress out of booking trips. Would happily recommend your service - thank you.

Linda F

South Croydon

Sarah was very flexible and looked at multiple options for us, it’s not easy to find a holiday 7 people are delighted about!! Thank you.

Zoe P

Milton Keynes

Sarah was extremely helpful and we were able to book a holiday that we are happy with. She answered all our questions and we have full confidence in her. She is very helpful and listened to what we wanted.

Andy B

Coulsdon

Sarah booked our cruise which was fabulous. Had a great time. Catered for special diet. I would recommend Sarah for your next holiday.

Michelle H

London

Amazing service beyond the call of duty .Friendly professional with attention to detail and good wide knowledge and ideas

Yvonne M

New Milton

Sarah was so helpful with all my requests and accommodating with the tweaks I needed to make to the booking. A fantastic service!

Emma L

Walton on Thames

Sarah was incredibly efficient and knowledgable.

Ann B

Reigate

Sarah was fantastic at providing everything that I wished for and offering different options for my trip .

James D

Bournemouth

Excellent. Helpful and knowledgeable

Nicky W

Crickhowell

Sarah goes above and beyond with the service she provides. As someone who is knew to solo travelling, Sarah makes me feel really looked after….

L B

Windsor

Sarah is always helpful and informative

Mandy R

Southampton

Sarah is now my go-to person for any holidays! She is responsive, efficient and always has great ideas. She really makes an effort to understand what you are looking for in terms of vibe and practicalities (I had some accessibility issues). She was even happy to help recently with a small request to arrange a minibus pick up from Eurostar in Paris; the company she found was excellent and extremely professional. Thank you!

Katherine B

Surrey

Sarah is helpful , any problems gets back to you quickly. It's like talking to a friend which is what you want when booking a holiday.

Chris S

Kent

Sarah provided first-class service as always. It was an efficient and faultless service, and Sarah always has time to answer our endless questions!

Maureen W

Cambridge

Sarah at Travel Counsellors is absolutely fantastic! From the very start she has made the entire planning process seamless and stress-free. Her attention to detail, knowledge of destinations, and personalised recommendations have been spot on. Sarah truly has went above and beyond for us to ensure every aspect of our trip is perfect. She listened carefully to what we wanted and has been invaluable in making sure that the flights, hotel, transfers etc suit our needs! Communication has always been excellent throughout, and she is always available to answer questions or make adjustments. I will recommend Sarah/Travel Counsellors to anyone looking at booking a trip overseas. Thank you, Sarah!

Denis M

Coulsdon

Always finds us the most amazing trips

Liz N

Milton Keynes

I have used Sarah several times now, and so has my husband for a suprise trip for me! She can find exactly what we are looking for and is very friendly. It makes the whole process better because she is extremely knowledgeable and helpful and often finds great value deals for us. We now rarely bother researching much ourselves and leave it to Sarah to do which is great.

Wendy A

Coulsdon

Sarah Coombes is super efficient. I have always had excellent service from TC. As a new solo traveller it’s essential I have good support when I’m travelling and I know Sarah is always there for me. Thank you Sarah!

Lindsey B

Windsor

Super helpful and dealt with all our needs very swiftly and professionally . Will be using Sarah lots going forward . Just booked two exciting trips with her this month . Excellent service and advice .

Linda H

West Yorkshire

Discover the world with me

Paxos

Paxos

I loved beautiful Paxos when I visited

08 Sept 2026

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean

Worried you might get bored cruising? I think not!

24 Aug 2026

West Africa Expedition Cruise

West Africa Expedition Cruise

Not the first place you'd think of when expedition cruising is mentioned!

07 Aug 2026

Beautiful Bayethe

Beautiful Bayethe

Beautiful Bayethe in Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa's Eastern Cape.

21 Jul 2026

Cruising the Galapagos

Cruising the Galapagos

Wildlife lover bucketlist trip

09 Jul 2026

Sri Lanka with Teardrop

Sri Lanka with Teardrop

Beautiful boutique hotels dotted around Sri lanka

23 Jun 2026

Awasi across South America

Awasi across South America

Stunning South America with the beautiful Awasi properties

17 Jun 2026

The Maldives

The Maldives

Atmosphere Kanifushi

16 Jun 2026

Philip Island

Philip Island

A taster of Philip Island, Victoria, Australia Home of the Penguin Parade, Koala Conservation Centre and Seal Rock

28 May 2026

Quark Expeditions Experience

Quark Expeditions Experience

If you didn't already want to Expedition cruise you will after seeing this video!

12 May 2026

Bushtops Safari Camps

Bushtops Safari Camps

The beauty of East Africa

02 May 2026

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises

Asia & Pacific islands 26/27

22 Apr 2026

My home last weekend

My home last weekend

I got to spend the night on this beautiful river cruise ship last weekend. Amazing service, wonderfully comfortable bed and very Parisienne in decor.

19 Mar 2024

Stunning Iceland

Stunning Iceland

So much to see!

07 Nov 2023

Santa's Lapland

Santa's Lapland

Get in touch to plan your family an amazing experience.

01 Sept 2021

I can't wait.....

I can't wait.....

Disney Magic at Sea

18 Jul 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.

020 3292 0515

Let’s connect

Villas 1 Awali Background Colour Banana Island 3 (2)

Finding your match...

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