2026 in association with
MATTHEW RUTH, YOUR CO-OP
The Personal Travel Agent in Partnership with Your Co-op tells Samantha Mayling about how Madeira made him cry with happiness
Q.Why did you apply to be a Cover Star? A. I made a huge effort in my application video two years ago – I got my lodger to throw water over me and said: “It’s raining here in Manchester, so I’d like to be in Majorca.” I didn’t get on, but then Madeira came up. I’ve been to lots of places and sold Madeira, but never visited – I knew the trip would include lots of excursions, so I applied. I recreated the toboggan ride they have in Madeira, with one of the lodgers pushing me along in the kitchen in a big wicker basket. It worked.
Q. How was the Jet2 flight from Manchester? A. Manchester Airport is easy for me to get to. And I love Jet2holidays – the first person you meet at the airport will be smiling and so will the last person at the other end. We were on an Indulgent Escapes package and we got a £10 voucher to use on board the plane. We used the Escape Lounge, which was beautiful and well organised.
Q. How was the Savoy Palace hotel? A. I loved it. When we arrived, they sat us down with a glass of fizz and dealt with everything. The breakfast was out of this world, with pastel de nata pastries, a breakfast area just for kids, barista station and the best avocados I’ve ever tasted. I had a fabulous big room with a beautiful sea view.
Q.What was the itinerary like? A. It was packed, and completely blew my mind. I knew that people walked the levadas [irrigation channels] but there’s lots more. You can get four seasons in one day and the scenery is stunning. We swam in a beautiful rock pool – I didn’t know anything like that existed. The 4x4 trip was so good that I actually cried at the end of it. Our driver was hysterical, which meant we all had a laugh. And the food was superb. On the last night, we went to Audax, a Michelin Guide restaurant. One of the dishes was prawns in lemon liqueur, with a peanut oil sauce. It was mind-blowingly good. On the vineyard visit, I cried again, because it was perfect. We had a lovely meal. The tuna was out of this world and the wine from the vineyard was stunning. It was a really amazing group, with people from Travel Weekly, Jet2holidays and the tourist board looking after all of us.
Q. How did the trip help with your perception of Madeira? A. I’m selling it to much younger people. I always thought Madeira was for older people who went for the botanical gardens, which are stunning, and probably among the best in the world. But I can also sell the funky restaurants, beautiful cafes and bars, and many Instagrammable spots. I
HOW DID YOU GET INTO TRAVEL?
I started in a Teletext call centre, 30 years or so ago, selling holidays for £69. We had to fax through the names for last-minute holidays. I made £4 a passenger, once I’d done 20 passengers a week. It was a terrible wage. My friend went into homeworking; I visited one day and she did a booking for two adults, for which I would have made £8 and she made £70. I wanted a bit of that. I love homeworking but it’s not an easy game. I went to Instant Holidays, then the Co-op took over, then
it was part of the Thomas Cook joint venture. I moved to Midcounties Co-operative’s new homeworking division of Personal Travel Agents under Sheena Whittle. Now Central Co-op and the Midcounties Co-operative have merged and we are Personal Travel Agents in Partnership with Your Co-op. Sheena is a brilliant boss, plus they look after you and we get good commission rates and nice trips – I’ve been on the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada and to Lapland.
switched someone to Madeira, saying: “Look at this, it’s really cool, better weather, more trendy.” I also booked someone with Jet2holidays to the Enotel Lido in Madeira in August – I switched her from Greece because she was worried about it being too hot. There’s whale watching at certain times of year. I don’t sell cruise, ski or much long-haul; I’m bucket-and-spade and a discounter. I sell stuff a bit cheaper than people can book direct, so they come to me again and again. I give great service and they trust me.
Q. How was your photoshoot? A. I have a running joke with my mates that I used to be a model. Being on the cover is going to be hilarious because I am an actual model! I loved the shoot. I had my back to the edge of a big clifftop. I have vertigo so I was a bit scared, and I said to the photographer: “Don’t you dare say ‘Step back a bit’!” We were laughing and it put me at ease. They tried different spots to get the best background, and it was interesting seeing how that worked – with 15 minutes of me holding in my stomach. We all supported each other on our photoshoots. The agents knew I didn’t like heights and were saying: “You’re OK, you’re at least six feet from the edge,” which really helped. It was a lovely group.
Matthew with Liam
travelweekly.co.uk
9 APRIL 2026
25
PICTURES: Thomas Reader; Shutterstock/
Balate.Dorin
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