24 May 2019

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of attending my first ever cruise conference in Southampton. Ocean cruises in particular have, until now been an area of travel I have felt the least unsure of and like many people, I've had a lot of preconceptions, myths and stigmas which needed to be challenged. Does this sound familiar? - Cruising is stuffy, cruising is for old people, cruising is being in a crowded place, seeing the same people day in, day out, cruising is sitting on big round tables with strangers, cruising is expensive, cruising isn't adventurous etc.. The other side of me is intrigued by this industry, as there is no doubt cruising is big business. With over £60 billion of investment in new ships over the next few years, there is clearly a growing market for this product. So why is that? Well after experiencing first-hand two very different cruise ships during my trip - Celebrity Edge and Queen Mary 2, I have to say I am now converted for so many different reasons. Number 1 - Cruising is fun Number 2 - Cruising is so easy - embark in Southampton (or another cruise point) unpack and don't pack until your trip home. Your holiday starts the moment you board the ship. Number 3 - Cruising is adventurous - Visit multiple destinations in one trip - it's like a taster menu in lots of different restaurants. Wake up in a different destination every day and you have been escorted there without lifting a finger. Number 4 - Cruising is spacious - there is plenty of space to escape the crowds and find private spaces. The lounges, bars, restaurants and chill out spaces on Celebrity are brilliantly designed and on trend, whilst the library on Queen Mary 2 is beautiful, timeless and romantic and the planetarium theatre is a joy to behold. Number 5 - Cruising is incredible value for money - with amazing itineraries, all-inclusive deals and a wide range of cruise types, there really is something to suit every budget. Number 6 - Cruising isn't just for the older generation - cruising is for young families, for fun loving couples, for single travellers, for honeymooners, for multi-generational families - there is something for every age group. It is just a case of picking the right ship for the right client. I can't finish this blog without mentioning the amazing world of river cruising again too. Further to my earlier blog, I have always wanted to river cruise, to see otherwise hidden gems, to see the land up-close from the water and be mesmerised by the beauty of European landscapes. River cruising is not just in Europe though, there are cruises worldwide, in Asia and the Americas and again to suit every budget and every age group. River cruising enables you to connect with destinations in the same way as ocean cruising, but on much smaller vessels visiting much smaller locations, all the while being able to relax, unwind and if the mood takes hire a free bike from the boat and cycle to the next stop off point, following the river through forests and woodlands and ancient villages. What better way to work off all that wonderful locally sourced food and drink? I am not saying I will cruise on every holiday, but there is now a big place in my adventurous heart for cruising, both ocean and river. There is nothing quite like the experience of seeing and boarding an iconic ocean liner such as the Queen Mary 2 and knowing that she is going to transport you effortlessly to faraway lands whilst you sit back, dream and relax. It sent tingles down my spine as I boarded. Surely this is what holidays are all about!

03 April 2019

One of my clients called me at 6am this week. I knew he was due to travel that morning so thought something must be wrong. Indeed it was, he had arrived at the airport with his wrong passport. My initial thought was why do you have 2 passports, are you a secret agent?! But more important questions needed to be resolved immediately. After applying for another USA visitor visa to match the correct passport (in the hope it would be authorised immediately, which it wasn't) plan B was needed, so a hastily rearranged flight later that day and a driver to get his other passport to him was arranged. Thankfully the correct passport arrived in time for the flight and my relieved client made his later flight. This was a good example of how the best laid travel plans can go haywire and my client was grateful that he knew he could get hold of me, anytime of day or night with one quick call. I really am available 24/7 and whilst I prefer not to work throughout the night, I know the peace of mind this offers my clients is invaluable when those unexpected hiccups occur. Oh and no, he isn't a secret agent, but it is true that in certain circumstances, you can apply for a second passport!

09 March 2019

As a little surprise for my wife's birthday and our last adventure before her return to work after 12 month's maternity leave, I booked a long weekend to Reykjavik. It has been on my bucket list for a long time, and whilst only a 2.5-hour flight from the UK, I just hadn't got around to visiting until now. There is something magical about the country and arriving in the dark at 10am, twinkling lights dotted below, onto a snowy runway added to the mystery of what awaited us. We were very excited! We spent 3 days in Reykjavik with our baby daughter in tow, exploring the pretty lanes of the main town, with boutique gift shops, high end fashion stores and Scandinavian influenced furniture stores, all interspersed with inviting, quirky and cosy bars. Once away from the main shopping streets, we took a leisurely and snowy stroll down to the coast path and to commercial harbour area. Whale watching trips and commercial fishing boats line the harbour along with quaint cafes, restaurants, the Viking museum and the national theatre. The more residential streets of Reykjavik are a real delight, charming pastel coloured chocolate box houses, sit side by side with the touristy city centre, but give you a real taste for what life is like for the locals. We cross into the park, currently a large frozen and snowy lake, with a thermal water source feeding the lake edge, creating just enough fresh water space for the many varieties of ducks and geese to hang out and pose for photos. The imposing Hallgrímskirkja church comes in to view as we meander back to the city centre, standing guard over the city. The church is an unusual concrete structure, with a stepped stone façade, an ode to modernism and a reminder of the often stark, but beautiful Icelandic landscape. As the clock strikes 3, we are reminded it is happy hour and so off to the bar for a well-deserved drink. It's fair to say that Iceland isn't the cheapest destination to visit, so we make the most of the happy hour drinks and amuse ourselves with some of the more unusual menu choices of puffin burgers, whale meat or rams’ testicles. We opt for none of these, maybe we aren't feeling that adventurous after all!

01 November 2018

I've just spent the morning visiting one of my clients in Manchester with a guide book gift in preparation for their trip of a lifetime to New Zealand in February, to help them plan their amazing tour. Given they are travelling half way around the world and back, a train ride into Manchester is the least I could do. I'm not generally one to blow my own trumpet, but on this occasion, I thought what a nice thing to share with my current and future clients. I care about my clients’ travel plans as much as my own and work hard to ensure you get the most from your precious holidays.

24 October 2018

Waking up in a king-size bed on the Danube river with a panoramic view of vineyards, castles and majestic monasteries. Was I dreaming? Not quite, but the serenity and beauty of a river cruise on the Danube river was almost dream like. My good wife and little girl have recently had an amazing and unexpected adventure. A last-minute opportunity to join a luxury river cruise with Crystal Cruises, sailing from the south eastern corner of Germany and meandering along at a leisurely pace to some little-known gems in Austria - Grein, Stein & Krems, Durnstein and Melk. I'll be honest and admit I hadn't heard of any of them before this trip. Each has its own unique charm, from the beautiful and imposing castle in Grein, the quant village and university town of Stein, the picture postcard village of Durnstein with the renowned vineyard region of the Wachau valley, to the majestic baroque monastery in Melk. To top it all off we spent two days exploring Vienna, a city steeped in incredible history and the cornerstone of the Austrian empire for over six centuries. It is no surprise this beautiful city has been voted the best city in the world to live in on multiple occasions. And all of this in eight days without having to break a sweat (unless opting for one of the many riverside bike tours, chasing the boat downstream). The hardest part of the day was deciding which excursion to join or what to choose from the incredible dining options on the Crystal cruise. I wasn't dreaming, but what a dream trip...

20 August 2018

My return to travel has been long anticipated. I left the industry 11 years ago to earn my fortune in the recruitment industry. I am most certainly no Elon Musk and the thought of me inventing an underground self-driving motorway system in Los Angeles or rescuing a trapped football team with submarines from a Thai cave, is far beyond my imagination. That said, I worked hard and did ok, fighting the good fight in the dog eat dog world of recruitment. But this short story is not about dogs or my modest financial success, so please do stay with me and read on…I won't keep you long. This story is about my cat – Pele. A few stats - 11 years old, jet black, microchipped and whilst loveable, also intensely annoying most of the time. Pele decided to go walkabout the very week of my new travel business launch. My diary was jam packed that week with destination guides, training notes, IT queries, marketing, cyber security, fraud and audit (surprisingly interesting), as well as rubbing shoulders with my new travel company colleagues and directors. Pele's disappearance surprisingly didn't feature on my list of things to do, yet he managed to turn my priority list upside down for the entire week. After speaking to the neighbours and posting on the local lost and found Facebook pages, some kindly souls started sharing potential sightings of Pele across the whole of Macclesfield and surrounding towns! Whilst incredibly helpful, kind and sympathetic, I spent much of my week following up on various tip offs and responding to caring messages of support, rather than what to do if there is a cyber security attack which might affect thousands of travellers across the world! Thankfully I don't have to take care of the cyber security, we have an amazing team in place at Travel Counsellors to do that for me. Phew! So, rather than my first week being spent dreaming about incredible holiday destinations to all corners of the globe, instead I got to know about every nook and cranny of Macclesfield, half of which I never even knew existed. The end of this story is a positive one though. Just as I was beginning to give up hope on Pele and after an incredibly busy week, in rocked Pele in the early hours of Saturday morning. Thin and hungry but thankfully ok. Among the many things I learnt during my business launch, I guess the moral of the story is twofold. 1. I am now an expert destination guide for walking tours of Macclesfield. 2. No matter what life throws at you, don't give up fighting for what is important to you. Thanks for reading and Meow for now.. Jonny