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

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