Tour Operator not Travel Agent

Somewhat belatedly we now have the facility to Blog and it will now be down to us to regularly set out some of our thoughts. We will also be asking some of our friends to contribute a Blog so that their own take on the world of travel and their own part, or interest in it, can be made available for you.

Perhaps though we should first say who we are, or more precisely what we are. This is of relevance, for just last week we were asked by Google to agree to us being noted as Travel Agents. We declined this kind offer for the very good reason that we are not Travel Agents. Perhaps in other parts of the world, we might be considered as such but we work here in the UK and thus our usual terminology should take precedence.

Does it matter? we hear you ask. To us, the answer is yes, for the roles of a Travel Agent and those of a Tour Operator are rather different, each playing a role in the ultimate aim of the exercise which is to ensure that our clients have a memorable holiday or tour in the country(ies) of their choice. The difference is who does what.

Some people are happy to enter a travel agency and choose their holiday from the huge numbers of brochures available there or be prepared with their holiday requirements, destination etc and be happy to let all the arrangements be made by the Travel Agent.

In our role as Tour Operator we do not have a presence on the High Street and instead correspond and talk with those people who are happy to contact us to discuss directly with them their plans for a holiday. Many years ago this could have been the result of responding to our advertisement in a quality newspaper or, as often happened, as a result of a personal recommendation but these days with the Internet, we are just as likely to be contacted by email or as a result of our social media presence.

Whichever way we are contacted, our next step is to find out exactly what our clients are expecting to do during their holiday and once everything is clear and agreed, we enter the next phase and contact our colleagues at the chosen destinations. These are today known as Destination Management Companies and between us, we begin making the magic happen. More about this in subsequent Blogs.

Hopefully it can now be seen why we cannot be known as Travel Agents although we are very happy to work with them if they require a holiday for their clients which is out of the usual array of set tours available in their agencies.

The Coronavirus Effect

 We are fully aware of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus through the world and we, as for everyone else, cannot begin to guess what the future holds but being glass half full people, we can think of nothing better than to think ahead and plan a holiday for when the current circumstances have improved.

There are still many parts of the world where the virus has not been found in great numbers or are now virus-free and some of those destinations can be found on this website.

The weather here in the UK is foul too and so what better way could there be than to plan where you would like to take your holiday later this year or even into next year?

We too have some unexpected time on our hands right now and we would welcome the chance of discussing your next holiday with you.

We are happy to do this via email but we have always found that the telephone is a useful means of communication and aids a greater understanding of what you would like to do on your holiday and just how that holiday can become a truly momentous event for all the right reasons.