Travel is my destiny – I knew that when I was 4 years old and tried selling a holiday to my 1-year-old sister… with little success. This didn’t faze me though, on the contrary. We were fortunate to be able to travel to many places in Europe when we were growing up and before long, I was the one arranging our high-school end-of-term trip to the South of France.
To properly kickstart my career in the industry, I studied Travel and Tourism Management in my home country, Switzerland, and as a reward to myself for graduating, I packed my backpack (or two and the kitchen sink – it was in 2006 after all, long before smart phones and a lot of the bulk was from guide books and maps) and flew on my own to São Paulo to start my South and North America backpacking trip. Over the course of 10 months, I travelled mainly overland through Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Louisiana, the US East Coast, Ontario, Alaska, British Columbia and all along the Pacific Coast to LA. It was absolutely amazing and an unforgettable experience – especially the 52 hours on the bus from Salta (Argentina) to Lima (Peru).
A little fun fact: In the last 20 years I have lived in 6 different countries including a summer holiday in Iceland, working in the local hostel and a season working in a hotel on Gran Canaria. By far my favourite places were Vancouver as a city and New Zealand as a country though and the places I went back to several times; I even got married in a small coastal town outside Christchurch/NZ to my Kiwi husband. Our first major trip as a new family was last year, when we finally introduced our pre-schooler to our NZ family as well as friends in Vancouver - only three years later than originally planned, thanks to Covid.
Another outcome of the pandemic was me losing my job with the Switzerland Travel Centre, a specialist tour operator for Switzerland. During my time there I worked closely with Travel Counsellors and remembering my chats with a number of my favourite TCs was the catalyst for me to start my own journey as an independent travel advisor and franchise owner.
Now I cannot wait to explore the world with Travel Counsellors, my family and of course you! I love sharing my experiences and knowledge – as a travel agent as well as fellow traveller and am looking forward to convert your dreams into stories and memories.
My customer stories
Sent by D Hitchcock
UK 10/05/2025
We have used Marina Schumacher at TC for the past two years to book our summer holiday. Marina has always been fantastic. She is ultra efficient, very helpful and incredibly quick to respond to any query or concern. She's taken the stress out of finding and booking completely and has guided us every step of the way - before, during and after our holiday. We are very grateful to Marina for her outstanding service and would not hesitate to recommend her, and TC in general to anyone.
Sent by Robert G
London 10/05/2025
My TC agent, Marina, took care of every little detail and made my trip across Canada seamless. Even when I had hurt myself and had to rearrange my flight back home, nothing was a problem. I could not have asked for more.
Sent by Karen D
Berkshire 10/05/2025
Fabulous week in Portugal. 3 lovely days in Lisbon and 4 days amazing days in beautiful Sintra. Marina booked our flights transfers and accommodation. It was great to have someone take care of these arrangements and to know that there was someone around to help if anything went wrong. Her care and attention to us was second to none. Highly recommended and I will definitely arrange future travel with her and would highly recommend.
Sent by Kate Clark
Reading 20/08/2023
I strongly recommend Marina! Marina was so helpful with finding exactly what we were after for our holiday.
All the stress was taken out every step of the way!
Everything was so easy too, all the information we needed on the app and super quick email and WhatsApp replies from Marina.
Thank you Marina! x
Sent by Sarah H
Yorkshire 19/08/2023
I have already started recommending Marina! She was extremely knowledgeable about our destinations, supporting us in planning an extended 7 week trip to Australia and New Zealand. Marina spent time listening to all of our concerns and wishes and helped us to build an exciting itinerary within our budget. She made considered recommendations, offered practical advice and provided multiple quote options to choose between, answering our many questions and remaining readily available to us throughout the process. Thank you Marina!
Sent by Sophia Jones
Reading 13/06/2023
Marina made our holiday possible. She guided me through the transport and accommodation options. She had a really deep knowledge of Disneyland Paris and this resulted in convenient transport and an aparthotel which met our needs. She even had the patience to spend an hour helping me understand the Disney app.
Marina was also an amazing source of information on travelling with a baby. She advised on what liquids could be taken on Eurostar and on baby friendly accommodation. She was able to give me information on baby services, such as stroller hire within the park.
Even the hotel room sink was perfect as a baby bath. Her professional and supportive service made travel with a baby straightforward.
We will be booking with her again and absolutely recommend her.
Sent by Karen Dann
Bracknell 01/06/2023
Marina listened to our requirements and offered 2 different options. When our circumstances changed, Marina efficiently and professionally made the necessary adjustments.
Sent by Julie Breckon
The Wirral 23/05/2023
There are thousands of holiday options out there, but when you are overworked and in desperate need of a break, who has the time to research (spoiler: it was not me... I definitely did not have the time). Thankfully, I did have Marina Schumacher, Travel Counsellor who took "I just want a week in April where we can lie on a beach in the sun- here is my budget" and delivered three initial options for me to look at, which is a far more manageable decision.
After a few little changes, there was the perfect holiday picked for me and tied up in a little purple bow. Actually it was delivered very efficiently in an organised folder, with all the paperwork we needed and flip flop luggage tags a few days before we were due to fly out.
When our flight was looking to be delayed, I knew I could just get in touch with Marina to see what I needed to do about the transfer and without hesitation she liaised with the transfer company and I didn't need to do anything at all.
The hotel was perfect and had lots of little extra touches- robes and slippers, extra long beach towels, and the all important breakfast omelette bar! I'm half convinced she also planned the weather, apparently it rained the day before we arrived but we were treated to a week of blazing sunshine with it clouding over as we were due to fly home again.
Through the whole process, from initial enquiry to the post holiday check in card, it couldn't have been easier. Marina really does make it an extra special holiday experience!
Sent by Alec Lom
London 19/09/2022
Marina Schumacher is an exceptional professional, someone who goes the extra mile for her clients... then goes extra miles after that. Marina's expertise and industry knowledge not only will ensure we will recommend her to friends & family in future, but we also look forward to engaging with Marina and Travel Counsellors again ourselves for future trips. Thank you.
Sent by Maddie Green
Buckley 19/09/2022
Marina was just amazing and myself and my partner were incredibly pleased with her. She was very accommodating and friendly and made us feel at ease right from the get go which was important as this was our first time travelling alone. Marina helped us with all the small details of our trip and was quick to get to the bottom of any query. We had a wonderful holiday thanks to Marina and will definitely be in contact with her again for future travel!
Sent by Antonia Kimonos
Reading 23/08/2022
Marina is very helpful and efficient. We love the personal touch she has given to helping us book our family holiday. Marina was able to answer any queries we had in a prompt and professional manner. We are really really pleased with the service and would recommend her to anyone.
Sent by Gillian Sealey
Malvern 25/04/2022
Marina has been an absolute star throughout the whole process, from the very first idea I had, to booking our dream holiday of a lifetime. Her knowledge of the area was fabulous and her willingness to go the extra mile to make sure it was right for us was brilliant. We will definitely be recommending her to anyone that will listen :) We are so so lucky that we found her and feel completely confident with all the arrangements she has made. I wish I could book a holiday with her every month!
Sent by Nicola Lowson
Berwick 03/02/2022
Marina has been fabulous at researching and answering all of our questions. She has really been supportive and has made sure we felt confident in our booking. Definitely reduced all the stress of trying to sort it out ourselves.
Sent by Anne Delauzun
Reading 02/08/2021
We came to Marina with a big ask- a family holiday in the UK for a group of 8 adults and children, during school holidays, at very short notice - and she delivered! She listened carefully to our requirements and found us an ideal location with everything we needed. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Marina's services to anyone looking for a knowledgable and friendly expert to save them hours of trawling the internet!
Sent by Kevin McManus
Earley, Reading 21/07/2021
Fantastic service and really friendly, honest advice. I've recommended to all my family and friends!
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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.
Inspired by the remarkable Palau Pledge (written for visitors by the children of Palau) and as part of my engagement to become a TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassador, I've created my own responsible travel pledge, which I hope all my clients will informally sign up to and embed within their trips.
Recognising the impacts we can have on a destination (both good and bad), plays a crucial role in respo
There are many ways to make your holidays a more meaningful experience. Check out a list of suggestions on how to go about this:
+ Research and Respect Local Cultures: Learn about the customs, traditions, and social norms of your destination. Show respect by dressing appropriately, learning basic phrases in the local language, and following local etiquette.
+ Think about when and where you trave
Part of a holiday for many is to see animals in their natural habitat. In today’s day and age, when many wild animals are on the brink of extinction, it is very understandable that we want to get as close as possible to them, but that’s not usually in the animals’ best interest.
Many tourism operators are still promoting unethical practices that involve captive animals: Elephant rides, tiger self
New Zealand's South Island is so much more than Christchurch and Queenstown, but especially if you're thinking of travelling between these two towns, this list of suggestions may come in handy. All places can be reached from Christchurch within a day's drive - even with stops along the way!
1. Jetboating and visiting the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools
We did both in the pouring rain, as we figured
New Zealand is in general a great place to travel to and around with children. Our latest experience was very South Island oriented (much to our dismay as we had a weekend in Wellington booked, but Storm Gabrielle and the earthquake near Wellington and the resulting backlog of cancelled and barely running ferries and overbooked flights nixed that plan), which is why this list of excursion suggesti
No matter if you’re flying to the Algarve or road-tripping through Cornwall, how exciting is it to be off on your first trip with your new baby?! Yet with all this excitement, I’m sure there is also a bit of trepidation mixed in about what to pack, how much of everything, what to better leave behind…
This is why I thought it would be helpful to provide you with a few tips and tricks of how to m
I fell in love with Vancouver nearly 20 years ago, when I first visited in early 2004. The snow-capped mountain views, the proximity to the sea and beaches, the sparkling city lights, the many lovely shops, cafes and galleries (well, I was 21, so let's be honest, souvenir shops, bars and clubs) and last but by no means least: I've met a friend I'm still in touch with and coincidentally, we both ha
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:
