My year in review - a record breaker

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2022 was a good one and 2023 is looking bright for you. Here's my annual newsletter, including a business update with some photo highlights mixed in. Thank you everyone for your support this year.

It’s crazy to think we started 2022 with Covid travel restrictions, and then from March, when pent-up demand was released, the travel industry was stretched beyond its limit. Demand outstripping capacity meant very high prices this year and the forecast for the next 6 months is a similar one. The key for 2023 is to book early!

Exposed this year were the perils of going it alone and putting together DIY holidays online. Remember, due to legislation, financial protection is far greater when you book your entire holiday as one inclusive package through a licensed and bonded travel agency. It's very similar to having a warranty for a new car or other expensive purchase.

For me personally, 2022 has been an incredible year, with my business growing 52% on 2019. The team has expanded too, with 10 other Travel Counsellors supporting me with admin, booking corporate travel and particular specialisms.

Referrals continue to be the life-blood of my business so thank you so much to everyone who has passed on my details. None of this could have been achieved without your support.

Corporate travel has seen the biggest growth, now accounting for 63% of my business. With corporate travel, I operate a slightly different model than the one-to-one service. I often position myself as the account manager, ensuring everything is performed within the agreed service level agreement and my experienced team handle the day to day travel requests. This has allowed me to continue scaling my business but maintain a very personal relationship with my clients.

Highlights of 2022 included a "Gold" trip to the Maldives, a reward in recognition of my business performance within the Travel Counsellors network.

We then had our family holiday to Greece, splitting our time between the island of Lefkada and the beautiful town of Parga (I'd definitely recommend both).

Hire a car to explore Lefkada (and a boat for the day). In Parga, enjoy the beach and the old town reached by water taxi. Then a day trip to the Acheron Springs, hiking up the gorge through the crystal clear water is a must.

2022 saw the return of the annual TC conference and the team pulled out all the stops.

Guest speakers included Sir Lenny Henry, hypnotist Paul McKenna, Olympian Rebecca Adlington and Bianca Miller Cole.

Entertainment was a pretty quite affair, with a full fair ground on Friday, host Vernon Kay, storm troopers, ballet dancers, DJs, Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, Boyzlife ?? (a merge of Boyzone and Westlife) and the best, Clean Bandit!

As you may know, Travel Counsellors is a global network of nearly 2000 independent business owners, operating in 6 countries. As a collective, the business was up 20% on 2019, achieving over ￡800 million globally. 106,000 holidays were booked, Corporate travel was up 115%. Over 5000 reviews have been posted on Trustpilot, giving an average 4.9 star rating.

2023 looks exciting – lots more corporate clients trialling our service and fresh holiday enquiries coming in. I have booked a family holiday to New York in February (it's going to be cold)! Hopefully Sardinia or Corfu in May for another Gold trip. I have tickets for the Rugby World Cup in Paris which I am super excited about and I have yet to book my summer holiday (ignoring my own advice to book early)!

So where should you go? Well most of the popular longhaul destinations like the US, Canada, Dubai, Mauritius, etc, are back in full swing. Australia stands out as a destination being much more expensive than previous years. South Africa and Southeast Asia continue to be great value and that’s where I’d look. Don’t worry if you don’t know where to go. Just drop me a line and I can help you with ideas. Also just a note, I now have 2 Travel Counsellors that specialise in Ski, Cruising and luxury European holidays supporting my business.

Thank you again everyone for your support and please do continue to pass on my contact details. Here’s to a fantastic 2023!