I love travelling. As much as I love being at home, I am always on the lookout for my next holiday. I love meeting new people, learning their culture, history, a little bit of their language (well, I try to without butchering it) trying their local food & wine, and everything about it really.

I was fortunate to go on a few foreign holidays as a child; The South of France, Canada & Spain. Back in the 70’s and 80’s travel was a lot more expensive then it is today, and my parents were by no means made of money, so I felt lucky that I did travel abroad.

Moving forward to 1990, I knew once I did a week’s work experience in secondary school with Lunn Poly, (yes, that long ago) that I was going into the Travel industry. I didn’t even do much really; stamped a few brochures and tidied up, but I loved it.

I left school at 16 to attend college on a one year Travel & tourism course. It was awful, honestly, and I learned… well, not a lot. Maybe it’s the fact that I learn more on the job, rather than doing theory? The best part of the course was when I did 4 weeks work experience in a travel agency. Living in Chertsey at the time, I found a spot at Alec Bristow Travel, who were a small independent of 5 agencies around Surrey. I loved it. I kind of jumped in feet first and got really involved. I couldn’t believe it, following the end of the 4 weeks, they offered me a job, talk about right time right place, and so after 6 months spent there, I left college to pursue my new career.

WOW! Memories. Woking branch — WOW! Memories. The Woking branch

Back then, before apprenticeships, there was the YTS course, yes I did that, at age 17 I was earning a massive £25.00 a week. WOW! it was a fortune back then and anyway, I had no responsibilities, I was working for the love of my job, and the amazing holidays it gave me. As a 17 year old, I travelled to and stayed in Disneyland Paris (then Euro Disney) on a fam (familiarisation) trip with other travel agents. I also had the opportunity to spend a week in Israel, also on a FAM trip. We stayed in Eilat - taking a yacht out across the Red Sea, and in a submarine too - also Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, as well as spending time on the Dead Sea, and visiting Masada.

Unfortunately, and sadly, All Alec Bristow Travel shops closed years back.

Moving on over the years I hopped around a few multiple high street chains, including Thomas Cook, Lunn Poly & Going Places. I booked many package holidays, all-inclusive holidays, ferries, flights, car hire…you name it, we booked it.

Cruises were not big back in the late 80’s/90’s, they were considered too expensive and snobby, only for rich people, not like today where there is a huge variety of ships; a cruise for everybody.

As much as all these companies were great in their own way, I always missed working for an independent. There was something about the whole environment , the way bookings were made, offering greater variety in products and operators. Whereas the multiples were starting to develop their own brand holidays, and this is what we were really told to push.

I had my whole career path laid out in front of me, or so I thought. The plan was to work in the agencies for a few years, then become a flight attendant and travel the World. It seemed other plans were instore for me, as, in 1994 I had my first child, and in 2002 I got married and had my second child. I delved in and out of work, preferring to work at home, so I could be with my children, so I found a job with Teletext Holidays for a few years.

In July 2007, my family and I started out on an adventure, which we had been planning for some time; to move to Canada. We arrived in Nova Scotia on the East coast with a 12 year old, a 4 year old, our suit cases and our Worldly goods on their way in a container. We had no jobs, no car & no home, but hey, we made it.

We found a home, bought a car, and enrolled the kids in schools. Husband found a job in his field of expertise; IT and software testing, and I, found my dream job at a travel agency called ‘Cruise Holidays’.

Now, I had always wanted to be a cruise specialist, right back in those early days, one of my colleagues in the agency got herself a free sailing on the QE2, and then wore a badge which said on it ‘Cruise Specialist’. I always wanted that badge.

So, there I was, learning to be a cruise specialist. I booked every cruise from the very small, to the very large, and everything in-between. OK, so I had never been on a cruise, no, not even one. To help me out, my boss sent me on an 8 day Mexican Riviera Cruise with Royal Caribbean so I could see how it all works and put my theory work into practice (I know, it’s a tough job!). It was even better than I even imagined it to be, I was totally hooked.

I then did an 8 day river cruise on the Danube from Budapest to Passau with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, you know, just for research purposes, and this time I took my husband, and we both loved it; the food, the wine, the ship, the staff, the itinerary, were all perfect.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises - The Beatrice

I also had lots of fantastic opportunities to visit ships which docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the day. Here we were able to tour the ship, it’s staterooms & suites, and public areas, before being treated to a beautiful 3 course lunch, with plenty of free-flowing wine.

In 2013, my family and I again packed up our Worldly belongings to go into a container, now with an 18 year old, a 10 year old, a Labrador/shepherd cross, and our suitcases - we drove down to New York to board the QM2 for our journey across the Atlantic and back to England. What an adventure!

Husband and I on formal night on the QM2

Upon returning, I contacted Cruise Holidays UK and started a franchise here. Working from my home office for the next 5 years, I built a lovely business and have many happy customers. I love that again, I am independent and so have so much choice and freedom in which cruise lines I can work with.

Being back in the UK continues to offer me opportunities of fabulous ship tours in Southampton or Dover, plus, CLIA - The Cruise Lines International Association - put on special events where we can also tour river cruise ships at end, or beginning of their sailing seasons.

I have also been on several more cruise holidays with the family, also just the husband and I. You can see which ships we have been on here.

In January 2019, I rebranded my business to focus more on the luxury ocean and river cruise ships, as I truly believe, with everything included in the cost, these offer fantastic value for money.

In December 2019, I made the brave & bold, I think, decision to open my own Cruise Travel Agency. So, here I am, a face to the name, to the website, to my social media pages, able to continue offering fantastic service to all my existing and my new customers. Pop down and see me at Ashridge garden Centre in Wokingham.

It's funny how life pans out. Since having my children, I grew an irrational fear of flying. In 2017, I attended a one day British Airways ‘Fear of flying’ course at Heathrow airport, along with many other men & women. It was amazing and with a 45 minute flight to round it all off and feel confident, I was then able to go back and visit friends in Canada without first taking a couple of diazepam. So, who knows if I would have suffered this fear anyway? It would have put an end to my career as a flight attendant, that’s for sure.

Everything happens for a reason, and all that.

Contact me to book your dream cruise

Me in the British Airways cockpit at the end of the Fear of Flying course

How it all started...

Why would you use a travel agent?

It's upon us...