Based in Royston

Angela Anderson

Available for new enquiries

It's Nice To Meet You

Hi, I’m Angela - thanks for visiting my page.

I am looking forward to being able to share my passion for travel with you, and find you the perfect trip. Travel is my calling and I have been in the industry for over 20 years - my entire working life in fact.

I currently live in Melbourn nr Royston with my husband - who I met whilst working abroad - and my two now not so little girls Chloe and Alice who are 13 and 7. As a family we spend a lot of time travelling the country as we have friends and family all over - a perfect excuse for a road trip and we all love the thrill of an airport and exploring somewhere new.

I realised my calling in travel at 16 when I studied travel and tourism at college. From here I worked in Crete and then spent eight years living and working all over France and Italy.

After that I spent two years selling tailor-made trips to Australia and New Zealand - and all places en route in each direction! I loved creating these holidays of a lifetime that really meant something to my clients who relied on my expertise as an Aussie/New Zealand/Hong Kong Specialist to make their trip perfect. I love getting my teeth into somewhere new, and virtually exploring the area unravelling its secrets. I then spent eight years working for a schools tour operator, selling curriculum based trips for groups of students - which really uses my European and US city break knowledge. I was also a long-haul specialist for those schools who wanted to visit China, Vietnam, Cuba and India.

I have travelled to many of the places I have sold so have first-hand knowledge and can help you feel at home when you get there. I have been around the world (almost) but my absolute favourite destination is Venice. It is such a beautiful city - it helps that it was here where my husband proposed!

I can’t wait to help you put together your dream trip - be it a weekend break in Europe or a multi-centre Australia trip of a lifetime - be assured, I will put as much care and attention into it as I would my own trip and I can work on it at a time that is convenient to you. Working from home in Royston, Herts gives me that flexibility to be there when you need me!

So what are you waiting for - let’s get planning your trip!

Give me a call or send me an email.

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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.

Self Drive Camping trip To Disneyland Paris

03 June 2019

What an amazing trip we had over Easter. To celebrate my 40th birthday we decided to go away as a large family group and chose my favourite country France. As we were self driving we didn't want to travel too far as we have the children, so we decided to go to a campsite we knew just outside of Paris called Le Croix du Vieux Pont - in a village called Berny Riviere. We drove down to Dover and stayed overnight so we could catch the early ferry the next morning and by 11am local time in Calais we were on our way. 2.5hrs later we arrived at the campsite. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm which was a nice surprise. We were early for check in but thought we would see if we could get our keys. We queued at the check in point for Al Fresco holidays and out of the 3 mobile homes we had booked, 2 were ready which was perfect. We got the keys and went in and found everything we needed for our holiday. The emplacements were huge and we had 2 mobile homes next door to each other with the 3rd being just behind, so that was perfect. The kids had their scooters so had the freedom to scoot around in safety. After an hour or so we had the keys to the 3rd mobile home. We unpacked then headed off to the supermarket to get some essential groceries and more importantly beer! That evening the temperatures dropped considerably - it was really cold - I think about minus 2 degrees. We did have heaters in the mobile home but they weren't amazing. Luckily we were provided with duvets. The next day was Sunday, and was spent exploring the campsite and testing out the amazing pool area which was covered with a glass sliding roof. Closed for when the weather was a little chilly as it was on the Sunday, but open when the sun came out later in the week so we had the best of both worlds. The pool was split into 3 areas, a main pool with a shallow and deeper end, then a kids pool that was just calf deep for adults and had some little slides, then there was the splash park area. There were also 2 waterslide areas - a twisty one and a faster one that my eldest aged 8 loved! I loved the slides too but the splash pool was freezing! The rest of the site had loads to cater for everyone - a massive lake where you could buy a fishing permit and fish all day if you wanted, you could also rent swan boats or canoes there too. There was a little café/bar with amusements such as a bouncy castle, trampolines, bungee trampolines and a go kart track. Next to this was the man made beach with perfect sandcastle building sand and a paddling lake which wasn't too deep but really made it feel like a beach with the waters edge. Onsite facilities include a minimarket, a bakery, a takeaway/ice cream parlour and a restaurant and bar area with various entertainment on during the week such as disco's, karaoke and quiz nights. On Day 3 we decided to venture out for the day. We got up early and headed to Compiengne which was half an hours drive away. We parked up in a long stay car park (€9 for the day - bargain) and crossed the river to the train station. For €14 per adult return we caught the train to Paris which took just over half an hour - direct into Gare du Nord. What an amazing day - we saw all the main sights - Sacre couer, Moulin Rouge, Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees, then we headed to the Eiffel Tower for a few selfies before taking a boat trip down the Seine courtesy of Bateaux Parisiennes. Ater this we headed up to the Tour Montparnasse 56 where we had the most amazing views of the whole city including the Eiffel Tower (I'd choose this over the Eiffel Tower any day), before taking the metro back to Gare du Nord and catching the train back to Compiegne. Tuesday was my birthday so was a day of relaxing - or it should have been if I hadn't noticed I had a nail in my tyre so with the help of the reception staff on the campsite I took the car to the garage for a repair. We needed it, as on Weds we drove just over 1hr to Disneyland Paris...... fulfilling the dreams of my 2 children (and I think us adults were just as excited!) Disneyland Paris Parking for non residents is €30 per car per day! We were in 2 cars, so we decided to park at Val D'Europe where a full day in the multi story was €4.50. We then took the RER 1 stop to the gates of the Disney Parks. A day of fun and laughter ensued, we watched the parade then slowly made our way home to Berny Riviere. We spent Thursday on the beach - wow the weather was hot, and Friday was a day for souvenir shopping and our last dip in the pool and a ride round the lake on a swan boat. We had to check out of our mobile home and drop the keys off by 10am so we packed up and hit the road. We spent the afternoon in Boulogne, before heading to Cité Europe for a few essentials before heading to Calais for the ferry home. We had been advised to get to the port early as queues for passport control were likely to be long - but actually it was very quick and easy. So much so we were placed on an earlier sailing getting back to British shores an hour earlier than planned! The boat was fairly quiet and a nice smooth sailing. An obligatory wander around the duty free, and a Starbucks coffee later we were home. We all had an amazing week - helped by the weather from Weds onwards hitting the mid 20's. It was so easy to do, and we found it very handy having our car with us to be able to get around and about. If you are contemplating your own European Self Drive Adventure - do give me a call. It is the best way to see everything on our doorstep, and there are some wonderful campsites within a couple of hours drive of the major French ferry ports, or further afield if you fancy!

The fabulous myTC app

19 January 2018

The myTC app is a MUST for every traveller! It’s been quite a while now since we launched the myTC app for all our customers, for both holidaymakers and business travellers and we have received so much great feedback on this. This app is unique and a fantastic addition to my personal approach as your Travel Counsellor. And I would like to tell you why. How does the myTC app work? myTC gives you access to all your travel data and offers a convenient way to count down the days until your departure. The app is also there for you during your trip. For example, view your itinerary, even if you are offline. The app also includes your travel documents in addition to the itinerary. In a separate folder you will find the flight tickets, accommodation vouchers, transfer vouchers, excursion vouchers, in short, all important papers for your journey. It's that easy, you cannot lose them and consult them anytime and anywhere. I'm going on a virtual journey! myTC app is a personal extension of your Travel Counsellor that you always have with you, wherever you are in the world. Please contact me as your personal Travel Counsellor at the touch of a button. Share your journey with others The myTC app it is possible to share your itinerary via email so that you stay informed at home about your stay. You can also easily share it on social media. Share your secret with the myTC app. If you are satisfied with my service, you can also give your family, friends and acquaintances a personal Travel Counsellor? Do not keep me secret! My contact details in the app can be shared with family, friends and acquaintances at the touch of a button. I mainly build my company on personal recommendations, so this would be a big compliment to me. Customer portal The myTC app is also linked to your customer portal. This online portal can be accessed with the same password as that of the app. On the portal you can also view your invoice and pay easily, securely and quickly online in addition to your travel details! You can view your new/updated quotes If you have asked me for a new quote I can prepare this and share it straight to the app – meaning you can have this quote in front of you immediately as it is finished. No waiting to log on to your email account to open it. My TC for Business besides holiday travel I am also happy to assist the business traveller. The myTC app allows me to stay in close contact with the business traveller. He or she can consult their itinerary and travel documents anytime and anywhere. And, when needed, with one push of a button contact me. Especially for the business traveller who is often on the road, the myTC app is a godsend, no prints, no separate e-mails - just consult the documents in the app. There is more. We are working hard to expand the app even further and thus serve you better as a customer. And to top it all off, it is possible to make the payment of your holiday via the myTC app. So how do you get it? It is so easy to access – download the app from your app store or Google play and use your customer portal number to register – which I will send you in a link.

Travel Insurance - Do I really Need It?

19 January 2018

If you go on holiday, do you have to take out travel and cancellation insurance? I advise all my clients to take out proper travel and cancellation insurance, but have had certain questions asked to me as not everyone knows what the benefits are of making sure you are fully covered from the point of booking your trip. I would like to tell you more about the importance of travel and cancellation insurance. So that in the future, you can make an informed choice and go on a journey without worry. What is travel insurance and what is it for? Travel insurance is an insurance policy that offers a number of guarantees during unforeseen circumstances and problems during your trip or holiday. A travel insurance policy provides cover for a number of important components: - Financial compensation for, among other things, loss or theft of luggage. - Compensation for necessary longer stay or accelerated return home. - 24-hour emergency assistance from an Emergency Centre. - Medical expenses. In which situations can travel insurance come in handy? There are a number of reasons why it is wise to take out short-term travel insurance. The most important ones are carefree on vacation, assistance with unexpected events and the prevention of high costs. A number of practical examples: - You must cancel your trip in connection with illness. - A family member has had a serious accident and you must return to the UK immediately. - Your flight is delayed due to heavy weather and you have to stay overnight in a hotel. - Your luggage has been lost at the airport and you have to purchase new clothes. - You need acute medical assistance abroad. - You are involved in a car accident abroad and you need legal assistance. - You cannot go home because of strikes at your holiday destination. What is a cancellation insurance and what is it really for? A cancellation insurance gives you financial compensation if you cannot go on holiday or if you have to cancel or cancel your holiday due to an unexpected event. For example, in case of illness of yourself, your travel companion or a family member (who may or may not be travelling with you). It must then be an event that falls under the cover. The policy conditions of a cancellation insurance state exactly what is covered. Even if you have gone on holiday and have to cancel it, this can be covered by your cancellation insurance. What is covered by a cancellation insurance? Below are a number of examples of events that are usually covered by a cancellation insurance (as with anything please double check the policy before taking it out as different providers have different levels of inclusions): - Death, illness or accident of the insured. - Death, illness or accident of close family members - travelling or not (unless it is due to undeclared pre existing medical condition - see more notes below). - A medically necessary intervention with the insured, partner or children. - Unemployment of the insured as a result of dismissal. - Final disruption of the insured's marriage. Not obtaining a necessary visa. - The failure of the private means of transport with which the trip abroad would be made. - Duty of care for a relative in 1st degree. - Loss or theft of insured travel documents required for the journey on the day of departure. Extra information about insurances: - Did you know that you can file a claim with your cancellation insurance if you have a departure delay? - When you go on a ski holiday, you need to take out additional cover on the travel insurance to cover the dangerous side of the activity. - You need to declare any pre-existing medical conditions to the insurer before you travel. They may then decide to increase your excess should you have a claim for this whilst away, or decide not to offer any cover on this aspect at all. If you have a pre-existing condition, always check with the provider what they would offer you in regards to this before you take out the policy so you can decide if you are happy or not with the level they are providing. On a lot of policies pre-existing conditions of family members not travelling also need to be declared - in case you have to cut short your trip to return home to them. - There is an age limit on policies, so do read the information regarding this as if you are over their upper age limit the policy will be void. Specialist Insurers can provide insurance on this occasion. I advise all my clients to take out proper travel and cancellation insurance. I can help you with this, give you advice on coverage conditions and what you should pay attention to so that you choose an insurance policy that suits the journey you make! I can also offer a policy that would be suitable for anything you book with me, if you are unsure of what type of cover you need. Stay safe – you never know what is around the corner and I have heard some pretty awful examples from people who wished they had been insured when things went wrong.

Car Hire Abroad

19 January 2018

Do you want to experience more during your holiday? With a rental car you can discover everything! Flexible and independent, completely at your own pace. Through your Travel Counsellor you book a car with the all-inclusive rental formula. The most obvious reason, but often completely forgotten. Most people plan their holidays from start to finish. The first day you go to the amusement park, the second day lazing on the beach, the third day you go on safari and the fourth day you go back home. Having a plan is great, but is usually not carried out as expected. Perhaps the amusement park and the safari are not activities for a full day. What do you do with your newly acquired free time? With your own car you can do what you want. You do not have to make a choice from the list of bus destinations or decide whether an activity is worth the cost of a taxi. You can just find something to do and go there. Because we like the best for you here are some tips. With a rental car you can see more, we are convinced. But you do not always need it. For example, do you first go to the city for a few days and only then explore the area? Then it is wasted money to pick up the rental car at the start of the holiday. So, collect your hire car whenever you need it – it doesn’t have to be on arrival. In such a case, you can often collect your rental car at a city office instead of at the airport. And a lot of the time you can drop off at a different place to collecting. Car rental companies have a limited number of cars and when the end of the stock comes into view, the price goes up. Moreover, you also have less choice if the stock is shrinking. Do you have a preference for a certain type of car or do you want to purchase special services or extras? Make sure you are on time. Because if you wait too long, you run the risk that your wishes can no longer be fulfilled. It can also happen that you can work fine with a cheap model, but that there is only an expensive SUV available, which is a total waste of money, that can be used elsewhere. And sometimes the cars are completely gone. The prices are usually much higher at the car hire office than pre-booking. Booking early is therefore highly recommended! Make sure you have your drivers’ license with you. Sometimes companies will want to see the paper part of the license as well as the photocard. More often than not these days, you have to complete an online form for a driver number before you travel. Another tip is to take out the full insurance - it doesn't matter how great a driver you are, and are convinced you will not need to make a claim, but you absolutely cannot guarantee what the other drivers are like over there. Protect yourself by booking the full insurance before you go so you know all bases are covered. 24-hour rule - do you know the 24-hour rental rule? You can end up paying for a full extra day for just 30 minutes of rental! Car hire always goes every 24 hours. So, do you deliver your rental car at a later time in the day than you have picked it up? Then that will cost you a full rental day. Therefore, coordinate your collection and return times. Do you land at 2pm and stay for a week? Then pick up the car around 2.30pm and return it on day 8, no later than 2.30 pm. You then pay seven full rental days. If you then hand it in at 3pm, you pay an extra day for that half an hour! Do you want a rental car during your holiday and make the most of exploring the area? Ask me about the possibilities, I'll be happy to help you!

Recommended Smartphone Apps when Travelling

19 January 2018

These apps should not be missing on your smartphone if you like to travel! My TC Through this app your personal Travel Counsellor is always with you. The app gives access to your travel data and counts the days until departure! Google translate Never get stuck abroad again - whether you need directions, want to buy something or are simply ordering a drink - let Google help you speak the lingo! iMovie With this app you can make short films of your travels and then share them via social media Guides by Lonely Planet Start your city trip with this app. You can download city guides from more than 80 world cities. The guides contain up-to-date content and provide information about the best sights, restaurants and nightlife. Extra fun: there are also tips from locals! Easy Currency Converter This app shows you the exchange rates of more than 150 currencies around the world in a fast and user-friendly way. Splitwise On a trip with friends? This app keeps track of all expenses. At the end of the holiday the app automatically calculates per person who is due to whom! KopieID More and more often you are asked for your identity card or passport at check-in. Often you leave it with all confidence. With the KopieID app you protect your identity data. Make a secure copy of your identity card, passport or driving license yourself with KopieID. You can cross out the identity details in the copy that organisations do not need or are not allowed to process and can put a watermark in the copy containing the purpose and the date of the copy.

Tips for Travelling with Children

19 January 2018

You don’t want to stop travelling now you have children, and you still want a good accommodation with good facilities and preferably also a bit of time for yourself to relax. I’d like to share a few tips with you, so you can enjoy a wonderful holiday with the kids but without stress. 1- Relax. Go with the flow and do not take too much stuff with you. Build in rest days and be realistic in what you want to see and do. 2- You can learn a lot from travelling, and so can a child of 5. Prepare your children for the journey. Read a book, watch a video about the destination and try some local specialties. Find the land or place in the atlas. Look at things together that they can do there. 3- Have children keep a travel diary, take pictures or have them draw what they have seen and done. 4- Make a plan B- make sure that you can also do things when the weather is not in your favour (it happens sometimes unfortunately – no matter where you go). 5- Try to check in online beforehand so that you already know that you are together – which I can do for you to ensure this. 6- If entertainment is important, check whether the entertainment is suitable for the age of your kids and whether they are open if you travel outside the school holidays. 7- For younger children take a buggy with you, even though your child can walk, sometimes they can also sleep in, rest or if it is later in the evening, lie down. 8- Check the hand baggage rules before departure, pay attention to taking liquids with you. You can’t just take anything through with you. Baby food is allowed, hot water they have on board to make your bottle. Young children will not be allowed to take through filled drink bottles, so empty them out, and re fill them airside. 9- If your child is still drinking from a bottle, give it while ascending and landing. This helps to keep the pressure off their ears. 10- Take something to play in the plane, colouring book or games/music/tablets, so that they can keep themselves occupied on a long flight. Once the initial excitement of take off is over, it’s not long before boredom sets in once they realise they can’t get up and walk around freely.

Australian Adventure - Part 1 Perth

08 January 2018

I was lucky enough to earn a place on an exclusive educational trip to Australia in my days working for Austral. As an Aussie Specialist we have to travel out to Oz and sample the products we are selling to give us a much better knowledge for our clients - it is a perk of the job I quite like I have to admit. There were four groups of travel agents from the UK and Europe who took part in this - and each trip covered a different part of Australia. My trip was Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. I started my journey by boarding the BA shuttle service from Manchester to Heathrow, where I then checked in for my Cathay Pacific flight to Perth. I was granted access into the business class lounge in Heathrow and in Hong Kong for this outward journey - which was a lovely gesture from the airline, although I have to admit I was hoping for a business class seat on board! The lounge was a great way to start my journey - especially as a single traveller, with drinks and snacks available when I wanted. It was also a safe place to leave my hand luggage whilst I went for a wander around the duty free instead of having to carry it around with me. The aircraft was their flagship 777 and, as it wasn't a full flight, I had the two window seats to myself, giving me loads of room. At 32 inches though the seat pitch was quite generous should I have had anyone beside me. There was a great selection of entertainment in my seat back TV, however as it was a night departure it wasn't long before I fell asleep and woke when I arrived in Hong Kong. The stopover in Hong Kong was straightforward enough and having access to the Cathay Pacific lounge ensured I was fed and watered before I boarded the flight to Perth. On arrival in Perth I was met by the agents running my group, and we collected another travel agent from Zurich, and together we left for our hotel. As it was early morning we had time for a quick shower and a bite to eat before our itinerary began. We were staying at the Travelodge Perth. A pretty standard hotel and perfect for a base to explore the area, close to the city centre and train station. It was pretty consistent in décor with most other Travelodges in Australia, and the rooms were comfortable and adequately equipped. First stop was a tour of Kings Park, and a walk along the SkyWay which was beautiful. The botanic gardens and river were stunning. We then took part in a little bell ringing at Elizabeth Quay - which was exciting, loud and actually quite difficult. We had a tour of Perth city where we looked round a couple of hotels and had an interesting guided tour of the Perth Mint. We had a Lemington filled afternoon tea in their tea room - a first taste of the infamous Lemingtons for me, and most certainly wouldn't be my last - delicious! Dinner that evening was taken overlooking the Indian Ocean at the Blue Duck at Cottesloe Beach. We had a lovely meal, but as we had had a pretty long day it was early to bed ready for day two. The next morning, we rose bright and early and headed to Scarborough beach for an inspection of the fabulous Rendezvous Hotel who kindly provided a delicious breakfast for us. This is a delightful hotel overlooking the beach and one of the best sellers in the area for me, so was great to have a look around the spacious comfortable rooms with superb ocean views. Next, we headed to the beach where we all donned wetsuits for our surfing lesson. We learnt the basics on land with a view to taking it into the water - however the sea was a little too rough for us to learn so we had a demo from the surf school (which I was a little relieved about as I'm not the most sporty of people!) From here we headed inland to the Lancaster winery for cheese and wine tasting before visiting Caversham Wildlife Park. I loved it here - getting up close with the native animals such as wallabies, koalas and even getting to hold a wombat. We had a little refresher at the hotel with a chance to wander into Perth before heading to the coast again - this time to Fremantle. This place was like stepping back to Colonial times. The architecture of the buildings, the feel of the place it was just something else. Our first stop was the fabulous Esplanade hotel. Again, this was a property I had offered, and still do, to many of my clients in the area. With its large airy atrium and lovely décor, the rooms were tasteful and a good size and certainly looked every bit as good as I had anticipated. The staff were so friendly, and I could see why guests returned time and time again. From here we moved on to our dinner reservation at a lovely little pub where I had my first taste of kangaroo. I was a bit wary at first as it was only a few hours earlier that I was face to face with these beautiful creatures and now I was having it for dinner - but I gave it a try and it was delicious! Back to the hotel for our last night in Perth. The next morning another early start and this time it was a trip south of the city to Rockingham, where I had another opportunity to get into a wetsuit, and this time I was going to get in the water as we went out on the boat to swim with the Rockingham Dolphins - in the wild! I had always wanted to swim with dolphins and this experience was out of this world. As it was in their natural habitat we were told not to grab or touch the dolphins - so no being pulled along by them as you would get in a Marine Park, but they interacted with us, nudging us and swimming around and under us. It was most certainly the highlight of my trip so far. And this is a trip I would recommend to anyone visiting the area. The guys on the boat were fantastic hosts as well. From here we took our bus inland again and back to Perth to collect our belongings and a spot of free time before heading off to our onward flight to Adelaide. For more info on how to plan your exciting itinerary in Oz please get in touch. I have some fantastic recommendations and can bring your dreams to reality.

Australia Adventure - Part 2 Adelaide

08 January 2018

Part two of my amazing adventure in Australia was arriving in Adelaide from Perth after a pleasant 3.5hr flight with Qantas. On arrival we were taken by coach to our accommodation for the night, courtesy of North Adelaide Heritage Group. They have 19 luxury boutique serviced apartments and cottages and our group were accommodated in around four of them. Each has its own unique theme - from the Fire Station (one of the beds is actually in an old fire engine) to Buxton Manor - an old Victorian mansion converted to four apartments and one spa cottage. I stayed in the George Lowe Esquire Apartment - a beautifully furnished two-bedroom apartment with full facilities - kitchen, bathroom, two double rooms (one with an extra single bed) and a sitting room. Patio doors opened out onto the lawns. It was such a shame we were only there for the night as I could have quite easily spent a week in this unusual but very authentic Victorian style apartment. The next day we had a walking tour of Adelaide - ending at the migration museum, where the bricks on the driveway were carved with names of people who had settled in Adelaide and where they had come from. Very interesting to see there were some from most of the countries represented by our group. I found one from very close to my hometown of Leeds - which was great to see, and we had great fun looking for familiar names/places. Next, we headed to the ferry port at Cape Jervis and set sail over to Penneshaw Kangaroo Island. This was something I had been looking forward to doing since my arrival in Australia. I love wildlife and nature, and as much as I love a bustling city - I love peace and quiet as well. We arrived in Kingscote and checked into the Friendly Ozone Eco Hotel where we had dinner. The rooms here were lovely, and I would definitely recommend this hotel. Spacious bright rooms, some overlooking the sea. My room was on the ground floor with a little garden area instead of a balcony which was lovely. The next morning, we began our tour of the island. It is not a huge place, so a full day will give you plenty of opportunity to take everything in. There are a few places to stay on the island however so if you wanted to stay for a few days peace and quiet and wildlife watching you certainly wouldn't get bored. We were able to walk amongst kangaroos in their natural habitat - although we didn't get too close as they can be quite aggressive, and boy are they big! We also saw the koalas snoozing high up in the trees, like little soft and cuddly teddy bears. Apparently, koalas are only awake for an hour a day to feed, then straight back to sleep. What a life! We had an inspection at the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat - absolutely perfect for a bit of luxury whilst living side by side with nature. The hotel staff told us of possums that had been found curled up on the guest beds like kittens when doors had been left open, and echidnas and wallabies roaming freely around the communal areas (which is all outdoor). The rooms were luxurious given the surrounding on the edge of the Flinders Chase National Park. After a spot of lunch here, we took to the track again and through Flinders Chase to the Remarkable Rocks. They are exactly as described - what a beautiful formation created by nature. Truly remarkable. Next stop was Seal Bay Conservation Centre. No explanation needed of what we saw here. There seemed to be thousands of them on the bay - so noisy and my gosh did they smell! Back to Kingscote after this, and time to head back to Adelaide where we opted for a flight back. This was a little 39-seater plane, which took around 45 mins to reach Adelaide. The next day we headed out to the Barossa for some wine tasting at two very different wineries. One was Peter Lehman wines which I knew my dad enjoyed back home, so felt I should buy him a bottle to take back as a gift! Then we had an inspection of the Novotel Barossa before heading back to Adelaide to check in for our flight to our final destination – Melbourne. To be continued..... For more information on how to make the most of your South Australia break and experience all this wonderful region has to offer please get in touch.

Australia Adventure - Part 3 Melbourne

08 January 2018

The final destination of my unforgettable Australian adventure (all in the name of work of course) was Melbourne. A wonderfully bustling, cosmopolitan city with a distinctively laid-back feel. Whereas London is completely fast paced and hectic, Melbourne is bright and airy with a sense of fun and culture, whilst being the hub of being the second largest city in Australia. Perth and Adelaide were lovely cities, but to me there was just something missing from both that I couldn't put my finger on - well Melbourne has that and more. What a wonderful end to my journey. On arrival in Melbourne, after a slight delay to our flight, we were whisked straight to the luxurious, stunning Langham Hotel for an inspection. On arrival in the foyer at the foot of the marble and gold escalator entrance to the reception lobby, you could tell this hotel would be top class and it certainly didn't disappoint. The rooms were tastefully decorated and spacious, the staff were attentive and polite, and you can see why this is one of the best hotels in the city. I wished we were staying here, but alas it was not to be. We had a wonderful drinks reception where we met up with the rest of the teams that had been visiting other cities such as Sydney, Cairns and the Red Centre, as well as the relaxing Hamilton Island. Shortly after, we were whisked off again to inspect the Travelodge Southbank, which was a lovely hotel, but a bit of a difference shall we say from the Langham. This is a perfectly adequate central hotel fit for any stay in Melbourne. The beds were large and the rooms were adequate. The same Travelodge standard as witnessed in Perth and I suspect at all of the hotels in the chain throughout Australia. From here we visited the Eureka Skydeck. This is the tallest viewpoint in the Southern hemisphere. A jaw dropping 88 floors above the city with sloping glass windows, this is an attraction not to be missed. Your visit to the Eureka Skydeck is not complete without a visit to the EDGE (absolutely not for the faint hearted). This cube takes you out of the side of the Skydeck main viewing gallery, then simulates an earthquake where the opaque glass floor cracks then suddenly clears as if it has fallen out! You are left feeling like you are floating about the streets of the city. We did this in the dark, and I tell you what, it made my heart go a little bit I won't lie! I am glad I did it though - another experience I will never forget. Dinner this evening was aboard the Melbourne Colonial Tramcar - my second taster of kangaroo! This is a wonderfully 'touristy' way of seeing the city whilst enjoying fine dining aboard an authentic 1900's tramcar. The food was lovely, the service great, and each car has just a small number of tables which means you can dine fairly privately. Perfect if you are celebrating a special occasion as it is just so different. The next day we had a choice of excursions we could partake in. Ramsey Street Neighbours Tour, the Great Ocean Road, or Phillip Island to see the penguin parade. I would have loved to do all of them to be honest, but I chose the Great Ocean Road - an iconic drive which, if completed in full, takes you all the way to Adelaide in about two to three days, stopping en route to take in the scenery and local towns along the way. We didn't quite go that far however but we sure did take in some sights. First stop for photos was the iconic Bells Beach. Memories of Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves in Point Break came flooding back, as this is the setting for the final scene of the film - where they caught the ultimate wave. On down the coast through Lorne to Apollo Bay where we stopped and had a look around and inspected the Captains at the Bay hotel - a beautiful boutique adults only B&B set just off the seafront. Very quirky, it would make a great stop for those taking in the Great Ocean Road. Next stop for us then was the iconic 12 Apostles. Stopping here at the visitor’s centre, we then ditched the coach and took to the skies for a scenic helicopter flight over the Apostles. What an experience - the feeling of freedom as we soared up over the sea and land. With a fantastic commentary from our pilot and this has to be the only way to see these amazing creations of nature. The 12 Apostles are stacks of rock carved by the sea over centuries, and the reason they are so spectacular is that they are pretty much in a line heading up the coast. I am fascinated by the caves and natural arch at Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire so imagine my awe at seeing these beauties. Back on land we went to the visitor centre and viewing platform which was interesting, don't get me wrong, but it’s something else seeing it from the air. Our final stop on this trip was to Port Campbell, where we had a quick look around town before taking the fast route home via Colac. Home to the Ibis Melbourne Little Bourke Street (where we had been staying since we arrived) and ready for our final day in this wonderful city. This is another standard 3* hotel centrally located perfectly acceptable for any stay, with a good-sized room and tea and coffee facilities in the room. The next day we took a tour of Melbourne by coach, heading down to St Kilda - the popular beach area of town, and went past the iconic Formula 1 GP circuit. Our tour ended at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where we were welcomed by a whole host of suppliers from hotels to tourist boards, so a great opportunity to meet our regular suppliers in person and have a natter. Then back to the hotel to doll ourselves up for the final evening and our Gala Dinner. A sumptuous five course meal, where we were entertained by the famous singing waiters. It was an amazing end to a stunning trip, one that was filled to the brim with excitement and adventure, once in a lifetime experiences and wonders I will most likely never see again, and it has truly whet my appetite for more - next time I am planning to head to the East Coast, Sydney to Cairns and see if I can bring this part of the brochure to life. For more info on how I can help you to plan the trip of your dreams, and add in wonderful experiences such as the ones I had and more - please get in touch and let me make your trip even more special for you. Thanks for reading!

My customer stories

Sent by Kerry Jones-Birks

Angela was fantastic, helped with so many different options , always there anytime with any questions, would def recommend Angela before going to any of these cheap websites :) thank you again Angela xx

Sent by Darren Illingworth

Angela spent tireless amounts of time finding our cruise morning, nights and weekends! I have already recommended her to family

Sent by Leyla Jackson

Angela is great, very approachable and willing to price up different options

Sent by Susan Shepherd

Excellent Service, she gave us a quote on same day and answered all our other queries, within 24 hours, We would definitely recommend Angela, great personal service,

Sent by Katy Stenhouse

Great personal service provided. Angela takes the time to understand your requirements so she can meet your expectations. I love the Travel Councillors app which makes things so easy!

Sent by Abi Tkaczuk

Hi Angela, just wanted to say a huge thank you for all your help and support with our holiday. We had THE most fantastic time and it would never have been so good without your expert knowledge and organisational skills. You're a total star and I will certainly be back for help with wherever we decide to venture to next. Thank yooooooou

Sent by Lindsay Dewar

Fantastic service.

Sent by Georgina Hopwood

Very friendly and accommodating, finding our perfect holiday!

Sent by Cath Aspin

Angela is always helpful and friendly. She consistently helps with quotes to get things just right for her clients. Once again so pleased with the service and will be sure to book through Angela again. Highly recommend her!

Sent by Sarah Pazkowski

Angela found me and my partner some fantastic holiday choices within a few hours.Answered all the questions I had and was very helpful and efficient.

Sent by Laetitia Piedois

Angela was so quick to reply to any of my emails In a week of contacting her we booked our honeymoonFirst class service

Sent by Kim Humphreys

Absolutely brilliant booking with Angela, she’s so helpful & goes the extra mile!

Sent by Hilary Forrester

The service massively exceeded my expectations - and that doesn't mean I had low expectations to start with, because the company were highly recommended to me. Every aspect of the service was just exceptional, from the speed of communications, the availability of the counsellor, the accuracy with which she understood exactly what I wanted and the fantastic options she provided. This was an expensive holiday and I am not familiar with organising overseas travel but Angela's expertise and passion for travel gave me confidence to know that the arrangements were all in safe hands. Thank you Angela.

Sent by Hayley Francis

Angela has been absolutely brilliant, and so patient as we have changed our mind so many times about where we want to go!!

Sent by Lynsey Langdon

Catered to everything we wanted out of a holiday and went above and beyond to sort it all out. Totally hassle free!!

Sent by Sarah Lester

Angela was so helpful, accommodating changes we choose to make after the initial quotes. I would highly recommend.

Sent by Ruth James

Loved that we completed the holiday booking at a time convenient to me. 10pm at night. And communication with Angela before that point was by text. Told Angela what I was looking for and she found it.

Sent by Merrie Tuchsherer

I would go beyond, most likely and say " without a doubt". I will definitely be in touch for any future trips.

Sent by Kathryn Watson

Angela was wonderfully helpful from start to finish! Took all the stress out of booking our holiday.

Sent by Louise Elsom

Have just booked with Angela for the second time, she responds very quickly and has yet again you found us our perfect trip away. I have recommended Angela to friends and hope they use her services we can not fault her on anything.

Sent by Caroline Weber

Angela is amazing at her job! I was with her in her previous job and just followed her in this new one! It's like having a good hairdresser, you stick with the person no matter where they work!

Sent by Alexis Beeching

For a super busy family, Angela saved us literally hours of time. No more trawling the internet looking for destinations, flights and accommodation. We simply emailed Angela our dates, budget and an idea if the sort of holiday we wanted. The next day she sent a broad but not overwhelming selection of holidays, all within budget. It was easy to provide details of travellers, and pay over the phone. The icing on the cake was Angela personally hand delivering our travel documents to our door. We will definitely use this personal, friendly and time saving service agiain.

Sent by Steve Sirrell

Angela, just a short note to say thank you for arranging our short break in London. Everything went smoothly, thanks to your efforts, Adele was amazing and the hotel was situated in a lovely location. Once again, many thanks from myself and Gwen.

Sent by Frances Huzzey

Huge thank you!

Sent by Nicola Prime

She has been great at sorting our holiday!

Sent by Hylda Reardon

Really helpful and got us the holiday that met all our requirements.

Sent by Alex Coates

Angela was very helpful and a pleasure to work with when booking our holiday, I would certainly recommend and will be using again for future holidays.

Sent by Leanne Wainwright

Angela was very helpful in finding just what we were looking for, She helped us with a hotel booking that will start our holiday with a relaxing stay at the beach.

Sent by Carol Axe

Excellent friendly service, she takes time to understand your needs and dreams, will quote a variation and numerous iterations of this with no qualms. When you book she is in touch with you at regular key milestones, checks you in, confirms you arrived and everything is OK, and then again when you get home! You can't get more personal than that!

Sent by Eric Britt

Angela was very patient with our various changing thoughts about holidays. She produced a selection which suited us and eventually we found what we wanted. She did all the hard work which saved us a lot of time. We will definitely book with her again.

Sent by Lesley Thornalley-Grey

Angela was willing and enthusiastic to help direct and seek appropriate holiday destinations, flight times, accommodation and any extra incidental needs for us and was happy to keep searching to find the "right" one! I think a face to face first meeting to fully explore holiday criteria and ideas is vital and would be something that I would suggest to anyone else in the future. It's also very useful that Angela is widely travelled too, so knows of destinations that would interest us and if she didn't she was very willing to find another consultant who could offer further advice. A great experience and very excited to be going away in a couple of weeks.

Sent by Richard Mitchell

Angela has provided an excellent service, offering alternative suggestions where appropriate. First class! I have already recommended her to a number of friends.

Sent by Tamlyn Van Aswegen

Professional, quick responses, patient and not pushy. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Sent by Alison Taylor

Thank you!

Sent by Kim Humphreys

Very helpful and ensures she matches your requirements. Thank you.