Donna Eldred - Business Travel Manger

10/02/2023

05/09/2022

M E E T T H E T E A M!

Did you know I have an amazing team of holiday experts that work alongside me?

The same expert & personal service you can count on for all your business travel is available for your leisure trips too!

🏝Kerensa Kassi

For Luxury, long haul and bucket list trips! Kerensa makes high end travel planning a breeze.

☀️ Becky Miles

Booking a family holiday can be time consuming, Becky genuinely cares about all our customers and with years of experience under her belt for beach, ski, Lapland & city breaks, Becky is the person to find the right holiday for you. What she doesn’t know about Mexico isn’t worth knowing!

✨Laura Boulton

If you’re looking for a Disney specialist Laura is your gal! Walt Disney World Florida, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland California & Disney Cruise Line. Everything from dining reservations to fast pass+ and the best hotels to stay at, Laura has extensive knowledge to make your next trip magical!
Laura also has expertise in cruises, twin & multi-centre holidays and the Caribbean.

We’re here to provide you with best-in-class booking and travel experiences whether that’s for business or pleasure.

Watch this page for upcoming holiday offers from the team!

21/09/2021

In March 2020 I was in San Francisco, meeting with travel industry partners.
There was a crisis unravelling and the news stations on the hotel TVs were constantly reporting on the arrival of Covid-19. Out in the bay a cruise ship was anchored, the passengers onboard were not allowed to disembark for fear of them spreading the virus.
Very shortly after my arrival back in to the UK the USA closed its borders to all UK arrivals and the travel ban has remained in place for the past year and a half.

Yesterdays news is such a relief for many, as from November the US will finally lift the travel ban for British arrivals!

04/08/2021

Now is a good time to check your passport validity!

As more and more people are starting to travel here is a timely reminder that since the UK left the EU passport requirements have changed for British passport holders entering the EU.

1. You must have a minimum of 6 months left on your passport after your planned return date.

2. If you have extra months added to your passport (due to an early renewal) these DO NOT COUNT.

Adult passport validity is 10 years from date of issue, ignore the expiry date!

Too many people are being caught out and as lots are booking their travel 'last minute' to avoid potential covid related changes, there isn't enough time to get a new passport.

Please check yours here:

https://www.gov.uk/check-a-passport-travel-europe

06/05/2021

The government Traffic Light System for travel is set to be in place from the 17th May, here is what the different levels will mean for travellers.

25/03/2021

We recently conducted a survey with our corporate clients and the results show many are keen to restart their business travel ASAP.

The recent news around travelling abroad for holidays has been a blow for many but please remember if you have a need to travel for work purposes it is still allowed under the current restrictions.

https://www.businesstravelnewseurope.com/Travel-Procurement/Small-businesses-eager-to-resume-business-travel?utm_content=158875991&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-208134964270

Research from Travel Counsellors for Business points to summer resumption of corporate travel

24/02/2021

To all my contacts,

If this weeks Prime Ministers announcement has made you want to book a holiday, before you book online please consider using a travel agent (contact me for a recommendation) to help our industry get back on its feet.

Financial protection, peace of mind, personal service, expert advice and competitive pricing are just some of the reasons to use an agent, but most importantly it will help to protect jobs, livelihoods and small businesses in an industry I love and that has been hugely impacted by the pandemic.

12/02/2021

Yay, its Friday!

And for a lot of the UK it's also the start of Half Term break, it's only 5 weeks until Spring and many of you are probably thinking ahead to your summer holidays.
In fact, our recent customer survey told us that 72% of customers are intending on taking a UK break this year. (also evidenced by the responses to the short survey I posted here last week!)

Most of us are desperate to get a holiday this year, many of us didn’t get away at all last year and until there is more confidence about travel abroad, many are playing it safe and getting a UK break booked.
This is having a significant impact on availability and pricing. UK operators are stating that by Easter, they do not believe they will have Summer availability left!!

That’s right, read it again: Within the next few weeks most of the popular UK summer destinations will be fully booked!

You will know that selling UK breaks is not my core business but I’m pleased to say that the same expert & personal service you can count on for all your business trips is available for your UK holiday bookings too!
Ask me for an introduction to my leisure colleague and find out how you can start saving time and money by using Travel Counsellors for Family Holidays, UK Staycations, Cottages and much more.

We’re here to provide you with best-in-class booking and travel experiences whether that’s for business or pleasure.

03/02/2021

Do you Travel for Work?

Find out how you can start saving time and money by using a corporate travel management service

We’re here to provide you with best-in-class booking and travel experiences whether that’s for business or pleasure.

To get an insight on how our bespoke travel management service can benefit your business, please take a look at my recent blog on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-benefits-using-travel-management-company-anyway-donna-eldred/?trackingId=3ZwV9qN073QE%2FEJe%2BaQOZw%3D%3D

So, what are the benefits of Using a Travel Management Company (TMC)? Travel management companies can be invaluable to business travellers, event organisers and corporate leaders for a wide range of reasons. Some of these are obvious, while others can be overlooked.

03/02/2021

Could I get your help with some data please!

We already have the industry reports but given the present situation, I'd be keen to hear honest thoughts from those of you on the ground so to speak - optimistic or otherwise.

With your answer in the form of Emoji, please respond to this question:

"When do you think you will be ready for international travel?"

❤️ = Now to April
👍 = May to July
😮= August to October
😢 = November onwards (after the vaccine roll out is complete)

Along with choosing the relevant reaction, feel free to add some comments, it would be great to get a feel for general opinion!

03/02/2021

*Free Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Status*

I know many of you are serious when it comes to collecting Frequent Flyer Points so it might be good to hear that Virgin Atlantic are offering frequent flyer status matches to selected British Airways executive cardholders.
To qualify all you need to do is purchase tickets for future travel on a Virgin Atlantic flight before the end of the month.

This is great news for customers who are travelling on routes where BA may have reduced their services, opening up a world of upgrades, lounge access and reward flights - here's a summary to see how that translates for you;

• British Airways Executive Club Bronze member - Flying Club Silver status for 1 year if you have a flight booked in Premium or Upper Class
• British Airways Executive Club Silver member - Flying Club Silver status for 1 year if you have a flight booked in any cabin.
• British Airways Executive Club Gold member - Flying Club Gold status for 1 year if you have a flight booked in any cabin

If you would like more information around flight options and current travel restrictions please get in touch:

e: [email protected]
p: 01234 49 00 55
m: 07477 926 816

05/01/2021

In case you missed it:

I'm delighted to say that Travel Counsellors were crowned winner of the best National Travel Retailer category in the British Travel Awards once again!
This prestigious award is important as its voted for by customers, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my clients for your unwavering support this year, and I look forward to helping you with your travel plans in the coming weeks and months too.

If you know anyone who is looking for a trusted and award winning Travel Manager for their business travel please don't keep me a secret!

T 01234 49 00 55
M 07477 926 816
E [email protected]
W https://tctravelmanagement.co.uk/donna.eldred

🏆Check out some of our other achievements:

https://people.travelcounsellors.com/gb/blogs/travel-counsellors-named-the-uks-best-travel-retailer-for-the-second-year/?utm_content=149442533&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-208134964270

05/01/2021

We are currently recruiting for our corporate travel division and are looking for individuals who have experience in account management and a proven record in winning new business.

The role is a self employed opportunity and comes with a strong support system, proven business model and a knowledgeable network of colleagues with tons of industry experience.
Successful applicants will have the scope to really make the role their own but will need to be excel in sourcing their own leads and securing new business.

Flexible working, UK wide, based primarily from home.

Please email me to express an interest.

18/05/2020

For those concerned about the spread of Covid 19 on aircraft once we start flying again, here is a piece from the British Airline Pilots Association:

*Dispelling the myths around aircraft cabin air*

It is a common misconception amongst passengers that when on board a flight, they are all sharing 'stale air'. At this time, with coronavirus a real fear amongst the public, it is more important than ever to challenge that misconception and help the public understand the way cabin air works.

Where does the air come from and how does it flow?

Cabin air is a mix of fresh air drawn from outside of the aircraft (treated prior to entering the cabin so that it is at a pressure and temperature comfortable for breathing) and existing cabin air that has been recycled through extremely efficient filters (known as High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters) that are capable of trapping microscopic-sized particles such as SARS-Cov-2 (the novel coronavirus which causes Covid-19). Tests have shown HEPA filters to have an efficiency level of better than 99.99% and they provide air that meets the standards set for hospital operating theatres. In normal operation, less than half of the air is filtered and recirculated, the rest is fresh air drawn in from outside the aircraft.

Air supplied to the cabin enters at the level of the overhead compartments (from above and below them) and is extracted at floor level. This means that the air is drawn down and, importantly, there is no flow forward or aft along the cabin. Air supplied to aircraft toilets, galleys and cargo-holds is not filtered, but instead is dumped directly overboard. The cabin air in a typical airliner aircraft such as an Airbus A320 is completely changed, on average, every three minutes, which compares to every 10-12 minutes in a typical air-conditioned building.

This visual helps explain further:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2_C2iN-tEs&feature=youtu.be

📨 [email protected]
📞 01234 49 00 55
📱 07477 926 816

18/05/2020

Some great news for Travel Counsellors today, we have all been working hard bringing travellers home safely, cancelling and changing bookings, it’s nice to see that all that hard work is recognised by our clients.

When all is said and done, the personal service really does make all the difference.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/05/mse-travel-survey-results/?utm_content=1589784272&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook,twitter

The coronavirus pandemic has been uniformly devastating for the travel industry, with millions of holidays and travel bookings either unavailable or cancelled. Yet how firms treat their customers due to it has led to a stark divide, according to a major new investigative survey by MoneySavingExpert....

12/05/2020

As a thank you, Qatar Airways are giving away 100,000 complimentary flights to frontline healthcare workers.

Follow the link to register - you don’t have long!

Please share with any of the following people you may know:

🌈 Doctor
🌈 Medical practitioner
🌈 Nurse
🌈 Paramedic
🌈 Lab Technician
🌈 Clinical Researcher
🌈 Pharmacist

Keep Safe

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/offers/thank-you-medics.html?CID=ORALL923450

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/press-releases/2020/may/MedicsGiveaway.html

04/04/2020

28/03/2020

I know it feels like we are in an airport transit time-zone or stuck on that week between Christmas and New Year when no one really knows what day or time it is but remember, just to spice things up a bit, the clocks go forward tonight!