72 WISE COUNSEL
A purr… fect month for bookings
BARBARA WAS VOTED MOST HELPFUL TRAVEL COUNSELLOR OF THE YEAR FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
BARBARA.CHARLTON@
TRAVELCOUNSELLORS.COM T: 0845 0587 290
END OF AN ERA It’s been a tough few months for the industry, with the closure of
both The Preston Group and the On Holiday Group. The loss of Longwood Holidays was the end of an era for the North Africa specialist, and I hope that the experienced staff at all the affected operators soon fi nd suitable employment. It is always such a great loss to the travel industry when we lose knowledgeable staff to other industries. I had a few nights away in
Northampton at the end of February and actually had a sunny morning at Rutland Water where I was able to share my fi rst ice cream cornet of the year with some lovely ducks! We had afternoon tea at Rushton Hall, a grand country house hotel in the area too. With tapestry-hung walls, huge marble fi replaces and comfy sofas, I certainly felt like the lady of the Manor in the Great Hall there.
SUNNY MOROCCANS I am not sure how I always manage to go away for overseas short breaks and experience the ‘unusual’ weather that the locals insist only started the day I arrived, which reverts to glorious sunshine just before I leave! It happened again to me in March. We stepped off the plane in Agadir
to glorious sunshine but by the time the taxi had taken us 25 minutes towards the coast we had found the windiest, cloudiest place possible! The cloud hardly lifted for four
days, and was joined by mist and fog but thankfully the Moroccan people are wonderful and we managed to fi nd sheltered spots to be looked after, unwind and be waited upon.
CAT HEAVEN We stayed at a RIU hotel by the glorious sandy beach at Agadir, and as a cat lover (I have four), I was thrilled to see that they had a ‘cat café’ and three resident cats. There was a sign saying that the cats had all been spayed and wormed, and
Moroccan spices represent every colour of the rainbow
were fed twice a day at the Cat Café, which included a big kennel for those chillier nights. The one that stole my heart was the three- and- a-half-legged ginger cat who I was happy to share my double day bed with. When I come back as a cat, it will be at the RIU Tikida Beach where I can not only sleep all day, but do it in the warmth. It made such a unique experience
to not only see the cats welcomed, and responsibly spayed but happy, healthy and well fed, so not a pest to non cat-loving guests. When a local spice man showed his wares, I really wished that someone had invented smell-a-vision cameras as the aromas where just heavenly. His display was so colourful and fragrant that my point and shoot camera did not really do it justice.
LATE BOOKINGS April will hopefully bring us all some lovely sunshine to celebrate Easter, and start the lead up to the lates season, which I think actually started in January this year.
It was as if the general public
fi nally seemed to have realised what we have been telling them for years, that the later they leave it to book, the more it will cost them. So I am hoping that as many of my clients are booked up for summer, I will be
"NEW YORK SEEMS TO BE POPULAR AGAIN FOR ME;
THIS TIME I HAVE HAD QUITE A FEW ENQUIRIES FOR APARTMENTS "
looking at the winter and Christmas long haul sun bookings. New York seems to be popular again for me, this time I have had quite a few enquiries for apartments which allow the clients with children and teens to be safely together with a bit more space and ‘home from home’ extras. In fact this type of accommodation is popular in a lot of cities worldwide at the moment, including the Australian ones and even Europe. It’s defi nitely an option worth suggesting to your clients who want to spend more than two nights in a city and want the privacy of their own room and the children with them, but in a separate sleeping area.
Hot combos...“Combine Caribbean cruises with Miami or New York stays, or sell cruises to past Caribbean holiday- makers - linking their
favourite islands” NICKI TEMPEST-MITCHELL, CELEBRITY CRUISES SALES DIRECTOR
CHECK ONLINE FOR DAILY TIPS AT
SELLINGLONGHAUL.COM
Hot tips galore!
Eat it up….“This is the Year of Food in Florida with 200-plus festivals planned. Perfect for
foodies” PETER ELLEGARD, TRAVEL JOURNALIST
Get shorty…“Consider Cape Town for short breaks as overnight flights and the minimal time difference mean
no jet lag” LOUISE TURNER, VIRGIN HOLIDAYS
www.sellinglonghaul.com
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