Based in Teddington

Sonia Murray-Smith

Available for new enquiries

Looking for help with your business travel? Find out how I can help here

It's Nice To Meet You

My name is Sonia, I am a friendly, enthusiastic, caring, independent travel professional, based in Teddington, South West London. I love nothing more than planning and organising all types of travel and have enjoyed over 30 years of inspiring and enabling people to explore our incredible world.

I have been fortunate to visit all the continents (except Antarctica, which is on the list!) and travelled to 63 countries and counting! In the last two years I have hiked the Inca Trail and conquered Kilimanjaro, 2024 is the time to visit Everest Base Camp!!

It’s important to me to take time to ask the right questions so I can fully understand your requirements, I’ll provide you with options, adjust if required and treat every itinerary, as if it is my own. From a short break to an adventure of a lifetime, I will plan your holiday, often with first-hand knowledge of the country, or seek advice and knowledge from the experts across our Travel Councillors community.

I pride myself in being responsive, creative, pay attention to detail and offer customer service excellence. I like to get things right, but also be there when things go wrong.

Being part of the Travel Counsellors, who are a global well-established, multi award winning travel company, you can be rest assured that your booking is 100% financially and ATOL protected, and you’ll have access to our 24-hour emergency help desk, if required.

I look forward to hearing from you, your families, and friends, and look forward to creating an itinerary that will exceed your expectations and keep our working relationship going for years to come.

Please see ‘My customer stories’ below to see the latest client feedback..

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Contact Me

Whatever your holiday needs I'm here to help you, so simply give me a call or send me an email with your contact details on and I can get things started for you:

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My customer stories

Sent by O Gosney

Sonia is a dream! She is so friendly and very efficient. She completely understood what we were going for and nothing was too much trouble. She completely took the stress out of holiday planning. She is brilliant!

Sent by M Wood

Sonia, has been extremely helpful and friendly. Would definitely be using her again.

Sent by P Sturgeon

Sonia is fantastic, she listens to what you want and then delivers it quickly and efficiently.

Sent by P Tait

From enquiry to departure Sonia has been patient and nothing has been to much trouble.Her attention to detail is fantastic.just booked another holiday with her.service is excellent.

Sent by P Tait

From enquiry to departure Sonia has been patient and nothing has been to much trouble.Her attention to detail is fantastic.just booked another holiday with her.service is excellent.

Sent by S Pollard

We have used Sonia’s services before and had a lovely trip to Crete. She really does listen to your preferences /likes/dislikes, etc and I think ‘goes the extra mile' to provide a good holiday.

Sent by C Newall

Sonia is always really engaging and wants to understand exactly what I’m looking for. She always asks the right questions which means she’s able to find the perfect holiday match for me.

Sent by N Nicola Chetwynd-Stapylton

Only not a 10 out of 10 as we haven’t actually been on any trips Sonia has organised for us. But we are incredibly impressed so far.

Sent by S Pettitt

Sonia was incredibly helpful and sorted out all our needs for India. Would definitely recommend her to any friends and family going on a holiday.

Sent by M Taylor

Sonia, is very professional and efficient. I would highly recommend her services.

Sent by K Hurl

It’s simple really - Sonia is all you need to arrange the perfect holiday!

Sent by L Timms

Sonia is FANTASTIC

Sent by A Dixon

Amazing. Superb. Spectacular.

Sent by K Jones

Sonia, is efficient, friendly and full of great advice. She asks the right questions , getting to know your requirements. This is the second time we’ve used her and will continue to.

Sent by A Harrison

Sonia is everything you can wish for in someone organising your holiday! So knowledgeable and enthusiastic and nothing is too much. This is our second time that we are using Sonia’s services and it’s been brilliant again. Now bring on the Maldives !!! Thank you so much!

Sent by Hermione Berry

I have already recommended Sonia to loads of friends, she goes that extra mile every time and we are amazed at her energy. She's fantastic!

Sent by J Dixon

Great service as always - thank you!

Sent by J Hoadley

Where has Sonia been all my adult life!!???? Having had very stressful, time consuming experiences in recent years trying to organise holidays and all that go with them - and failing - Sonia nailed it in roughly 48 hours. It was a completely stress free, hassle free journey from start to finish. Sonia's professionalism gave us complete peace of mind.

Sent by M Morley

Sonia was so knowledgable and helpful, it made organising my son’s trip to Australia very easy.

Sent by J MacEacharn

We have used Sonia many times for planning and booking trips and would highly recommend her to anyone. Her knowledge and efficiency is amazing and she always gets everything spot on for our needs, her attention to every detail means that our trips are always stress free and we know she is always available and nothing is ever too much.

Sent by P Dixon

She provides a first class personal service, what more could you ask for?

Sent by J Connolly

Fantastic service!

Sent by S Hughes

Very helpful and extremely responsive - holiday booked in a very short time,meeting our requirements.

Sent by E Dugmore

Sonia is very easy to deal with and puts a lot of effort into finding the right holiday. I would definitely recommend her to my friends.

Sent by P Tait

She is an expert and quick to answer your holiday needs and create your perfect holiday . We will keep booking with Sonia as we trust her knowledge and expertise and know we are getting faultless service .

Sent by P Campion

It was a real pleasure to deal with Sonia who spent time finding out exactly what we were looking and coming up with a variety of options that would suit us. She was always on time for our phone calls and was really patient with us as we worked through the options and made our final choice. Her experience and knowledge really helped us find what we think will be a fantastic once a lifetime holiday. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to friends, family and colleagues alike.

Sent by S Hallett

Sonia went above and beyond when trying to work out a suitable itinerary for our trip to Portugal. We are over the moon with what she came up with and can’t wait until we go!

Sent by J Dixon

Very knowledgeable, full of great ideas, highly organised and a great, all-round travel advisor.

Sent by S Greenwood

Sonia was brilliant. Nothing was too much trouble and she was so helpful. I’d highly recommend asking for her help

Sent by C Wilberforce

Sonia is great! Very helpful, knowledge, proactive and friendly.

Sent by S Pennant

Sonia worked hard to create our dream holiday.

Sent by N Dando

Sonia is amazing. She thinks of everything when planning a trip and her knowledge is fantastic i would not use anyone else when planning a trip.

Sent by K Hurl

Just impeccable service from my Travel Counsellor, Sonia. She has made this trip so easy for us. She has incredible depth of knowledge and if there’s anything she doesn’t know (rare) she finds out! Her planning and research is meticulous and it is all delivered with enthusiasm and friendly charm. Cannot praise Travel Counsellors and Sonia enough.

Sent by G O'Shaughnessy

I would like to say a huge thank you to Sonia who helped me organise my difficult/complex, adventure to Bhutan! She went above and beyond to organise every aspect.. Even to the point of checking my flights were on time and messaging me at all 4 airport stops on the way, to make sure there were no hiccups/problems. Incredible attention to detail, brilliant, exceptional service. You and your adventures are very safe in her hands.

Sent by J Thompson

Sonia booked us the most incredible holiday to Canada this summer. It was a multi-destination itinerary involving trains, internal flights, car hire and hotel bookings but Sonia took care of every last detail so it all flowed smoothly and we didn't have to worry about a thing. She is so incredibly professional and competent and she genuinely wants her clients to have a wonderful holiday. I really can't recommend her highly enough. I always used to book my own holidays but why would I ever do that again when I can benefit from Sonia's knowledge and expertise - and it doesn't cost me anything! Her love of travel is infectious and I'm already thinking of the next destination I'll ask Sonia to help me explore.

Sent by H Berry

Sonia at Travel Counsellors sorted our recent trip to Marrakech with the same professionalism and can do approach as she did with our Vietnam family holiday in July 2022. Both were marvellous trips! Sonia Murray-Smith was probably one of the best recommendations I have ever had as she has sorted our flights (international and internal overseas), transfers and accommodation with no fuss and amazing speed for our two recent holidays. Her recommendations were spot on as she took time to find out about us and what we wanted from a holiday and I know she saved us money too! What's not to like about that?! Even when a hotel messed something up when we were overseas it was sorted by Sonia in an instant. She is a diamond and we will be back using her skills and services again and again in future. Thank you Sonia I can't thank you enough. Highly recommended, an excellent service throughout.

Sent by F Cosgrove

Sonia was excellent as ever .. would never consider using anyone else

Sent by C Smith

Sonia has been incredible!! Couldn't ask for more!!!

Sent by J MacEacharn

We have used Sonia in the past for holidays and her attention to detail and also her knowledge of the travel industry and knowing exactly what works for us is second to non. We will definitely be using Sonia and the Travel Counsellors service again.

Sent by A Chesney

Sonia came to me recommended by friends and I can see why! She totally understood the brief and although we have yet to go on the vacation that she found for us, it certainly looks like it will be perfect! She has been thorough, friendly and meticulous throughout - thanks Sonia!

Sent by P Dixon

Sonia is a fabulous Travel Counsellor, knowledgeable, informative and always keeps me updated.

Sent by D Bretherton

Sonia is incredible! Hard working and really efficient!

Sent by S Pollard

Sonia helped us choose a lovely holiday. Organising travel abroad has changed a lot post pandemic and can be confusing. Sonia helped us to navigate all this and was very reassuring. Lots of nice little extras too! We were made to feel special.

Sent by J Lanaway

Sonia was friendly, reassuring and very prompt in getting back to me. She also understood my needs and came up with very good suggestions.

Sent by J Penney

Sonia has been amazing, so knowledgeable on places and extremely helpful. I will be using her at every opportunity to book holidays for me and my family. I have recommended her to all my friends.

Sent by S Hepple

We weren’t entirely sure what we wanted to do but we had a budget and Sonia was brilliant at suggesting dates and hotels which fitted the budget. I will certainly be recommending Sonia to friends and family.

Sent by C Newall

Sonia is warm and friendly to talk to, and asked all the right questions to get a good understanding of what I wanted. She makes sure that she got to know me, because ultimately that's what enables her to work out what I'd like and enjoy!

Sent by A Harrison

Sonia is a dream to deal with, she went over and beyond to get the best flights for us and I’m already looking forward to the quirky Hotel in New York she recommended and booked for us. Sonia is knowledgeable and super enthusiastic and I recommend her highly! Thank you Sonia!!

Sent by Daniel Taylor

Sonia went above and beyond to ensure that she booked us the best holiday within our budget. She is friendly, hard working and very knowledgeable about travel. We would highly recommend her services.

Sent by Daniel Taylor

Sonia went above and beyond to ensure that she booked us the best holiday within our budget. She is friendly, hard working and very knowledgeable about travel. We would highly recommend her services.

Sent by K Jones

Sonia, was hugely knowledgeable about the area we were looking for. She really listened to our requirements and did her best to find us holidays that matched these. Her communication was excellent,, always got back as quickly as she could. I will certainly be using her again.

Sent by Elizabeth Ayre

Sonia is amazing and on hand at any time to answer any questions. She is full of such amazing information and recommendations that go far beyond the basic trip. I've already recommended her to most of my friends. She is one in a million.

Sent by Hermione Berry

Excellent service from Sonia. Highly recommended

Sent by Suzanne Nail

She is amazing- and thorough!!

Sent by Philippa Tait

Great experience! Sonia is very knowledgeable and nothing is too much trouble.

Sent by Gail O'Shaughnessy

Sonia goes above and beyond with her service and researches everything to make your trip the best you can get!! I highly recommend using her and I have experienced many operators during my worldwide travel of 102 countries!

Sent by J Thompson

I would happily recommend Sonia Murray-Smith to my friends and family - and frequently do! She provides an incredible level of care and service to her clients

Sent by J Thomson

It was such a breath of fresh air to know that Sonia would sort out any issues for us. She was very clear and informative. I would definitely recommend her.

Sent by C Tutton

Sonia was not only a pleasure to deal with but so helpful in finding the right hotel and flights and during this complicated time for travel helped with everything we needed to do to ensure as smooth a trip as possible. Would highly recommend Sonia.

Sent by C Gibson

Sonia suggested some really interesting options that weren't just the usual Summer staycation variety, drawing from her own personal experience. She found us a delightful cottage that was well within our budget (with a bit to spare). Unfortunately our plans were thwarted by a positive diagnosis of Covid 19 on the day we were supposed to check in.! This was no trouble at all, Sonia had taken this into consideration when I was booking because at the time I was self isolating. She chose a tour operator with a flexible booking policy and organised a full refund for us. We are eagerly waiting for the time when we have the all clear and can rebook and wouldn't hesitate to use Sonia's services again.

Sent by R Murray-Smith

Sonia was extremely helpful and took all the stress out of researching and booking my perfect holiday I will definitely use her again.

Sent by N Fletcher

Sonia is just amazing at her job !! Nothing is to much trouble!

Sent by P Dixon

Excellent personal service provided, listening to my needs and finding the most appropriate solution

Sent by D White

My experience using travel counsellor Sonia Murray-Smith has been amazing and as a fairly well travelled person I can safely say I have never experienced such a high level of care and attention to detail . The whole process was smooth, exciting. and easy . I enjoyed our discussions and felt very well looked. after . For the holiday I wanted, I knew I needed the help and knowledge of an experienced traveller to this part of the world. All the leg work and time consuming searching was taken out of my hands and it was wonderful. but I also felt in control which is very important to me . I was sent various options and all the options ticked every box and more . I cannot fault a single part in the whole process of booking my dream holiday our 20th wedding anniversary next year. Incredible service and I shall definitely be recommending Travel Counsellors to all my family and friends.

Sent by C Tutton

Sonia was not only a pleasure to deal with but so helpful in finding the right hotel and flights and during this complicated time for travel helped with everything we needed to do to ensure as smooth a trip as possible. Would highly recommend Sonia.

Sent by M Taylor

Sonia is a real pro, knows her stuff and is very customer service focused.

Sent by Julia Penney

Sonia, I can't thank you enough for all your help with organizing our holiday to Crete. You made it so hassle free for us, organizing our flights, transfers, hotel, and luggage. I was overwhelmed by your support in these unprecedented times and you definitely took the stress out of booking. I will be using you every time we go away now for sure. Amazing!!

Sent by Jacqueline MacEacharn

Sonia went above and beyond my expectations to enable us to get away this summer on a family holiday after a couple of false starts. Even in these uncertain times she made sure everything went smoothly and was always on hand to prompt/remind me to fill in various forms and checking the most recent quarantine/Coronavirus updates. Without Sonia's help we definitely would not have had a holiday this summer thanks again.

Sent by N Fletcher

What a fantastic service we have had up to now! Would 100% recommend.

Sent by A Harrison

I’ve booked our holiday to Cuba with Sonia and I can’t praise her highly enough. She totally gets what you want. No question is too much, she knows it and finds out if she doesn’t. Her fun and very friendly approach is refreshing. Sonia is well travelled and has a lot of experience in her field. I highly recommend Sonia and will definitely book through her again. Thank you Sonia

Sent by C Jones

10 out of 10 from start to finish ! Just can’t wait to go now ! Very professional, informative and friendly advice . Definitely recommend .

Sent by J Kelleher

Sonia makes organising a holiday so easy. I actually dread booking a holiday, trawling endless websites, panicking about losing the cheapest flights because I haven’t got my accommodation sorted and then having to pay for it all in one hit. I managed to book a holiday via Sonia in 5 days (that’s really quick for me), from deciding where I was going to having it all sorted. I could have taken longer as the flights were reserved and the fact that I can pay in instalments over the months before my holiday is a real bonus. Thank you Sonia!

Sent by M Morley

Our Travel Counsellor Sonia Murray- Smith was extremely helpful, nothing was too much trouble even after we had to completely change our itinerary for the third time to accommodate everything we wanted to do. A first-class service which we would definitely use again and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to friends to and family.

Sent by K Hurl

Amazing personal attention. Sonia listened to our dream ideas and made them a reality. Her attention to detail is amazing and her research extremely thorough. She responded so quickly to any questions we had and we feel very well supported by her. Absolutely outstanding customer service.

Sent by Mike Kyme

Sonia has shown outstanding attention to detail both in listening to our requirements and in the execution of the final planning. She is very easy to deal with and has made us feel special during the whole process. We will recommend her to other people and use her to plan more holidays for us.