UP CLOSE: Meet Teddington's independent travel agent who can help tick off your bucket list
As the new year rolls around and the lethargic hangover wears off, everyone has only one thing on their minds: holidays!
That's where Sonia, an independent travel agent, based in Teddington, comes in. Having worked in the travel industry for over 26 years, and travelled for 40, she lives and breathes it.
"It's so important to take time away from the stresses of work and daily life," Sonia tells me. "I believe it can improve our physical and mental health, motivation, relationships, job performance and perspective, with this in mind, it's so important I get the clients' holidays right."
It sounds like a cliché, but travel has always been part of Sonia's life. When asking her what first got her interested in travel, she looked at me and says, deadpan: "It's part of my DNA, I have the DRD4 gene – the "Wanderlust gene!"
She started her career at Thomas Cook, before going on to specialise in the airline sector. She enjoyed 17 years, working in various roles, with the Australian airline – Qantas, in London.
Sonia met her husband at a Qantas/British Airways event (he worked for BA!) 30 years ago, and after having a career break to look after their two boys, she also learnt a new way of travelling - with children!
With a goal of travelling to more nations than her age, Sonia is currently at 64 countries- and ahead of schedule. "The only continent I haven't travelled to is Antarctica" she says. "It's in the early planning stage, at the moment," she assures me.
"My personal travel passion is adventure/active holidays. I enjoy going off the beaten track," Sonia says. She explains it means learning about the local culture and way of life, staying in authentic hotels, using local guides, and eating typical food.
She trekked the Inca trail in 2022, summited Kilimanjaro in 2023 and in 2024 she is going to trek to Everest Base Camp.
Sonia is part of an award winning, global travel business - Travel Counsellors. She chose to be part of this company as they are a 'people first' business, with care at the heart of their culture. "I instantly connected with this philosophy," she says.
This came into its own during the pandemic when internet bookings had little help, properties closed, flights grounded, countries in lockdown and people losing a lot of money (if not booked as part of a package). "During this time, I was constantly at the end of the telephone helping many travellers, whether they had booked with me or not," Sonia explains.
Sonia works from home: "Not with usual office hours – I work when required, 7 days a week if there are urgent situation or emergencies," she says.
Sonia and her clients also have access to Travel Counsellors UK Duty Office, which operates 24-hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
When a volcano erupts, a conflict starts which puts tourists in danger, a hurricane, a family situation that requires clients to return home early, a Foreign Office advice against all travel, the duty office is there to assist and get clients home as soon as possible. "It's more important than anything to know my clients are looked after, before during and after their trip," she says.
When asking Sonia about why people book with her, she says: "First and foremost, I care and offer a personalised service! To me, travel is more than a destination – it's making memories and moments that matter."
Sonia explains she loves nothing more than researching destinations, working with the best suited companies, hotels, flights, car rental, cruise ships and experiences. "Of course, ensuring I have quoted a competitive rate within a given budget is also paramount- you don't pay any extra for my services." she adds.
Once your holiday is booked, Sonia advises on passport, visa, and health requirements. She provides help with special requests such as celebrations/honeymoons, airport parking, airline seat allocation, special dietary requirements and check in information.
Once you are on your way, Sonia monitors flights when clients depart to ensure the transfer company knows of any delays, check in with the clients when they arrive in their destination and so much more. "All the clients have to do is pack" she says. Even then, she tells me anecdotally that she sometimes advises what type of clothing/items to take!"
Dedicated to the personal experience and the finer details, Sonia says she will not start an enquiry without having a chat with clients. Detail-orientated, she wants to ensure she gets it right and personalised to the client's specific brief. She needs to know what they like and don't like, what they want from their holiday.
Sonia picks up on all the tiny travel details and legal changes which people may miss in everyday life. These include EU passport expirations, VISA requirements, Foreign Office documents and driver's licenses.
It is also the "silly little things" which Sonia looks after like whether the hotel has a car park, whether children is allowed in certain safari areas and need malaria tablets, fluctuations in exchange rates and experience activities.
Like any industry, travel goes through trends. You perhaps might have noticed and wondered why all your friends and family, or your neighbours all seem to travel to THAT location this year.
Asking Sonia what are the top travel destinations for 2024, she says the USA is still popular as are Thailand, Greece, Maldives, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Australia, and Italy. She is also seeing an increased interest in Africa Safari's, Slovenia, Japan, the Nordics and Central and South America.
Or email her at [email protected]
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