Welcome to my homepage. I am proud to be a Travel Counsellor based in Newcastle upon Tyne, a city I truly love. Born and bred in the North East I live in the city centre with my partner.
I have over 33 years of independent travel experience and since embarking on a round the world adventure in 1996, I knew I had well and truly ignited my wanderlust. My passion for travel led to it becoming my career and I now have 25 years experience working in worldwide tailormade travel, 8 of those running my my own business with Travel Counsellors. I have experience in all areas of travel including premium leisure, touring, self-drives, motorhomes, honeymoons, city breaks, cruise, rail, and luxury beach holidays. I use my knowledge to arrange perfect bespoke itineraries from start to finish.
I have been fortunate to travel to some amazing and beautiful destinations. Some of my most memorable trips range from a ski-doo adventure in the High Arctic, touring the mystical Kingdom of Bhutan, camping in the Serengeti, scuba diving in the Gilis, an R.V road trip through the USA’s national parks to sleeping in a swag bag in the Australian Outback. Travel never fails to inspire me.
As a Travel Counsellor, I now get to spend my time creating unique travel experiences for my clients. If it’s once in a life-time adventure or a well-earned break, I believe every trip should be special, so please let me help you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
My customer stories
Sent by Eron Hall
Houghton Le Spring 27/01/2026
A brilliant service from start to finish. Stuart is knowledgeable, responsive, and incredibly organised. He tailored our trip perfectly to our needs and has taken care of every detail. The whole process was has been smooth and stress-free. Highly recommend Stuart to anyone looking for expert travel planning.
Sent by Andy Mawson
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE 17/11/2025
Stuart has been absolutely fantastic, taking time to get to know us, which in turn has allowed him to design a fantastic itinerary. We also made some last minute adaptations to the plan based on our conversations too, which he was able to do. His personal knowledge of our destination was so useful as well, and we cannot wait to experience this holiday, and I am sure we will work with Stuart again on future plans.
Sent by Terese Zingg
Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA 12/08/2025
I have already referred friends to Stuart. He is fantastic at what he does! I cannot fathom why anyone would plan complicated travel without the insight of a seasoned professional.
Sent by Claire jane Rewcastle
Northumberland 20/06/2025
I would recommend Stu without hesitation - and frequently do! We’ve asked Stu to help us with various holidays over the years, he always has great suggestions to suit us as our family has grown older: from villas suitably for families with a toddler, sports camps for teens in the sun, tailoring an adventure in Asia and most recently putting together a package for our son to travel independently and then meet up with us in Germany & Switzerland. No challenge too great for Stu! We’re already looking forward to seeing his itinerary for our planned Japan trip in 2027. Thank you Stu for giving us such great holiday memories!
Sent by Karen Pridmore
Northumberland 23/04/2025
We have already recommended Stuart to friends. We did not know what to expect using a travel counsellor but we have been so pleased we did. The whole experience has been so incredibly friendly with a holiday tailor made for us. We will definitely book holidays with Stuart in the future. Stuart’s knowledge of Sri Lanka & the Maldives has helped us choose particular experiences we want to see. The advice we have had has been very helpful and when we have contacted him mostly by e mail he has replied very quickly.
Sent by Clare Cunningham
Northumberland 14/01/2025
Stuart was extremely helpful and thorough. Taking the time to understand my Daughter's travel requirements and talking through all the possible booking options. He made himself available to help, advise and secure the first stage in her travel Itinerary and I know we can go back to him for further bookings as her travel plans evolve. I would highly recommend Stuart.
Sent by Sarah Clarke
Tyne & Wear 20/08/2024
Stuart took the time to get to know me and my holiday preferences in detail which meant that the bespoke holiday he curated for it was better than I could have found for myself. Stuart has a good awareness of issues for lone female travellers and puts safety as a priority. Finance and budget considerations are considered sensitively. He makes himself very available to answer questions and concerns promptly and his overall approach is one of warm, empathic, personalised attention. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Sent by Jennifer Kernan
Lincolnshire 25/04/2024
Great service with all information & options being personalised to our specific needs/ requests. Thank you Stuart
Sent by Peter Mcloughlin
Warwick 16/04/2024
Stu has arranged my last 3 holidays and they were not simple 2 weeks in Tenerife. They have been central and south America and a month long. He has made each one an easy experience for me even booking me in to flights remotely. Thumbs Up.
Sent by Lucy Clarke
Newcastle upon Tyne 11/03/2024
Stuart has been excellent, a real find ! I have already passed his details onto family and friends with glowing recommendation.
Sent by Lois Ellison
Northumberland 30/10/2023
Stuart is so informative and helpful with all aspects of the travel industry - wouldn’t book a holiday with anyone else - would highly recommend Stu
Sent by Jessica Rigby
Preston 01/09/2022
Stu was fantastic, he was happy to offer alternative options to find the best option to suit the party (6 travelling). He was able to share his knowledge and share tips on the destination. He found a fantastic hotel and got a great deal alongside. He has kept in touch since the booking and it was a lovely touch to receive a thank you card. I will definitely book with Stu again!
Sent by Kevin Robertson
Gateshead 16/08/2022
Stuart is fantastic. - we have used him to arrange our holidays and short breaks now for 4 years and we can’t recommend him highly enough.
Sent by Joanne Oliver
Preston 15/08/2022
Stuart always provides an exceptional service, he takes the time to listen and understand your requirements, making adjustments along the way. He always provides a perfect experience throughout the entire end to end service from the inception of an idea, all the way through to delivering an incredible, stress free holiday. I happily recommend Stuart to anyone who is looking for something individual and bespoke, all delivered with incredible end to end service. A perfect experience.
Sent by David Williamson
Darlington 03/08/2022
Stuart is a consummate professional with in-depth knowledge and experience helping guide us through the process to achieving the perfect itinerary. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Stuart to friends and family!
Sent by Anna-Lisa Mills
Newcastle upon Tyne 06/06/2022
Stuart was so friendly, helpful and accommodating. His knowledge of the area meant he could give us gems of advice about how best to spend our time. I would highly recommend Stuart to all my friends and family.
Sent by Kelly Metcalfe
Bristol 07/04/2022
Stu offers such a personal and bespoke experience. He works hard to get you what you want and within your budget. I can not recommend him highly enough.
Sent by Julie Lindley
Durham 28/01/2022
Very friendly and professional service. Personal touches make the difference.. Have used before and would definitely recommend.
Sent by Catherine Dockray
Northumberland 08/12/2021
Thank you for the quality of service provided to find the right holiday for us. We sincerely appreciate your efficient, gracious customer service, the level of detail and accountability you have demonstrated on each task given and the way you conduct business as a whole. We have, and will continue to, recommend your services.
Sent by Karina Bensley
Newcastle upon Tyne 05/10/2021
Top notch service from Stu!! Helpful, informed and great communication. He continues to keep us updated with latest FCDO advice in advance of our holiday. A great end to end service. Thank you
Sent by Sheila Bentham
West Sussex 05/10/2021
The service Stuart Graham provides is outstanding..We were recommended to Stuart at Travel Counsellors over four years ago and initially he organised a six week holiday for us in America - this proved for us a holiday of a lifetime. He is extremely knowledgeable, creative, and very thorough; in short an expert in his field. We have already recommended him to other members of our family and friends. To conclude, on a very personal note my husband and I are now over seventy years of age and we feel confident to travel because of the excellent service and support Stuart provides. In 2 weeks time I’m going on a luxury holiday to Greece with my family and we’ve just booked three weeks in Amalfi and Croatia. Thank you Stuart!
Sent by Sara Forster
Morpeth, Northumberland 19/11/2019
Stuart is our go to travel guru, can't fault him. Professional, personable and always goes out of his way to accommodate your needs. Would always be my first port of call when organising a trip.
Sent by Calli Bates
Newcastle upon Tyne 29/09/2019
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Stu to book a holiday, in fact I have been telling everyone how fantastic he’s been. After just one 30 minutes phone call he was able to pick up what I wanted from a holiday and put together two amazing trips, which I struggled to choose between
Sent by Colin Boylin
Newcastle upon Tyne 06/09/2019
We always get the best possible service from Stu. His knowledge, professionalism and attention to detail is amazing. He always goes that extra mile to make sure that our travel plans go without a hitch. We think he’s simply wonderful!
Sent by Linda Purdon
Durham 06/09/2019
Stuart is an amazing Travel Counsellor. He listens to exactly what the client wants and delivers it three fold. His own, vast experience of travel is evident when planning and explaining itineraries. A person is in safe hands when booking with Stuart as he goes above and beyond to deliver exactly what the client wants! Thanks Stuart for another great holiday.
Sent by Carol Hall
Northumberland 03/08/2019
Excellent service , he is patient gives great advice and has put together a super holiday itinerary for us , wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Stu to anyone looking to book a holiday especially when they require a custom made holiday rather than straightforward package.
Sent by Frank Phillips
Northumberland 20/03/2019
Absolutely delighted with the way Stu has organised what was quite a complicated family holiday! His personal attention has been superb and our family has already said that they will use his services again.
Sent by Nik Alimaras
Warwick 26/06/2018
Stuart was priceless on booking our trip. Give him some guidelines as to what we wanted and he did all the rest. Cheers
Sent by Julie Rice
Falkirk 27/02/2018
I want to give my recommendations to Stuart Graham at Travel Counsellors. He is based in Newcastle and what an absolutely brilliant trip he organised for us to Vietnam. Keep in mind we are in Scotland our friends are in Northern Ireland and he is in Newcastle, there wasn't anything that was too much trouble.
The journey itself was like a precision operation and these annoying rules that airlines make not allowing your to print your boarding passes in advance was no problem for Stu. He emailed them to our hotels in Vietnam and had them delivered to our rooms. The hotels themselves were brilliant, Hoi An Trails in Hoi An and Saigon Prince, smack bang in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City, not to mention the trip to the Vietcong tunnels. The prices he got for what we received were fantastic. I know people who pay more for places in Spain! If you are planning a trip anywhere in the world (not just long haul) speak to Stu, you won't be disappointed.
Finally big thanks Stu - you made our trip, right down to the personal touches like the messages from you on arrival at our hotels down to the welcome home card when we got home. We will definitely be booking with you in the future. Thanks for everything you did - your ears must have been burning because we all praised your efforts.
Will be in touch soon for our next adventure!
Sent by Andrew Craib
St Albans 22/02/2018
Friendly and helpful advice. Stuarts local knowledge of where we were going was excellent and even saved us enough off the bill that meant we could fly back premium. Awesome!
Sent by Carol Boylin
Newcastle upon Tyne 19/09/2017
We wouldn't go to any other Travel Counsellor than Stu! He is a true professional, who gives us his undivided attention and always has our best interests at heart. We have every confidence in his abilities and the enormous knowledge he has of both the travel industry and the many places he himself has visited really do make him very special and well qualified to give the best advice to his customers. Thanks Stu you're a star!
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My Blog
I absolutely live and breathe travel and I love to write about my experiences! Please take a look through my posts - you might find your own holiday inspiration.
I had never been to Aberdeen before, so when Loganair asked me to join them along with some travel agents from the North East to visit for the day, I jumped at the chance. I have to admit that I didn't know a great deal about the 'Granite City' other than there had always been (for as long as I remember) a flight service that took oil and gas workers from Newcastle to Aberdeen. The Scottish offsho
Croatia has exploded on to the world tourism map. Game of Thrones (which I have never ever watched) has probably been guilty of luring fans in and adding fuel to its popularity. There are even calls to control the amount of cruise ships which descend on Dubrovnik daily. I felt like I had maybe missed the boat (no pun intended) and had left it too late to visit.
I recently got a chance to visit
When telling people that I was off to Malta and Gozo I got mixed reactions. You’ll love it or hate it, why would you go on holiday there, there are no beaches, it’s just full of old churches, and the best comment - Isn’t it just for old people?
I’ve been to some far flung places that have rightly caused people to react adversely, but Malta? It’s been on the tourist map for years and still attra
I have been intrigued by the Dutch Antilles for a long time. For many years I have flown clients to South America with KLM briefly stopping en route at the tiny islands of Aruba or Bonaire (they have their own service nowadays). I remember thinking the names sounded so exotic and after looking up some photos of the islands I was taken in by the pristine beaches and turquoise waters. It looked like
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:
