24 talking shop
WISE COUNSEL
Sales cruising as confi dence returns & on location
ALL ABOARD! The saying ‘one size fi ts all’ could not be
further from the truth when the discussion turns to seafaring vessels – and even more so when 550 Travel Counsellors are involved! My colleagues and I spent 24 hours aboard the brand-new P&O cruise ship Britannia last month. Despite being the biggest cruise ship ever built specifi cally for the British market, you can imagine it was still a bustling affair. Britannia has a space for every kind
of cruiser, from the Cookery Club on the Lido deck to the excellent children’s club catering for tots to teens (2-17). Then there’s the theatre and the relaxing outdoor spa, Retreat. For me, the highlight would have
to be a Cookery Masterclass with one of P&O’s Food Heroes, James Martin, who appeared during the onboard presentation! Clients can book classes 120 days prior to sailing, along with the other excursions on offer. The food was, as expected, delicious! I opted for the Marco Pierre White menu. I am not a cruiser, so seeing ships is as important as seeing a destination. There are not many agents who sell just a certain type of holiday or
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“Brazil's colonial city Salvador is known for its Afro-Brazilian
culture and carnival” ANDY HOSKINS, TRAVEL WRITER
one destination. I don’t ski, go on walking holidays or do hen nights, but I still need to be able to relate to my clients and their friends that do.
BACK TO THE OFFICE I've had an amazing start to the year, with my January and February sales beating what I achieved January to July last year! The confi dence has defi nitely come back into the market and with 84% of my business being 'repeat' it means that the existing ones are booking earlier and, more importantly, spending more.
As soon as the sun started to warm up last month, I moved out to my ‘summer offi ce’. I love the Mediterranean alfresco style of living and I have trailing Jasmine and fragrant herbs growing around weathered-looking blue shutters – just to make me feel like I'm working in Tuscany or Greece! Should the weather fail, there is always my poolside Majorcan villa holiday to look forward to this April!
“Sardinia is famous for its cuisine and you can do foodie and vineyard tours as well as agrotourism” LAUREN RAZAVI, TRAVEL WRITER
The spice islands of Africa
TRAVEL Counsellor Sarah Bolton takes us to the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, in this second chapter of her Great African Adventure:
"BlueBay Resort, my Zanzibar home, immediately immersed me in local culture, booking me onto a Princess Salme Spice tour with Zanzibar Different. My wonderful guide, Anjam, showed me around the Mtoni Palace ruins, followed by a trip on a dhow to Salme’s Garden for traditional coffee and then the Kidichi Persian Baths and Mzee Yussuf’s spice plantation, where the owner’s wife made us a delicious local lunch which we ate
undercover on the plantation as the rain poured down around us! "In Zanzibar Town we started off at the market, which was heaving because it was the day before a Muslim holiday. Anjam walked me through the side streets where he was brought up, showing me the beautiful carved doors, mosques and churches. "The next day I struck off-shore with a Safari Blue excursion aboard a traditional dhoni boat. We stopped for snorkelling, before landing on an island for an amazing seafood barbeque of gigantic prawns, lobsters, fresh fruit and endless drinks. "My Zanzibar adventure was
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complete with a trip to Jozani Forest, the home of the endemic and rare red colobus monkeys, and afterwards I bade farewell to the island with a drink at the iconic The Rock restaurant, which is built onto a rocky outcrop and reached by boat. "Next stop was Pemba Island, a short fl ight away. Despite the weather, my gorgeous hillside room at Fundu Lagoon was a luxury hilltop tent with decking overlooking the trees and ocean beyond. Wildlife was all around and I even saw a bush baby! There is so much to do at this ‘barefoot chic' property, that I'll have to come back."
Be inspired!
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