Former homeless agent hits £1m in annual sales


Juliet Dennis


A homeworker has turned her life around to hit £1 million in annual sales just six years after being left homeless with only £40 to her name. Claire Finn is now one of


Inspire Europe’s top-selling travel agents despite working part-time. The single mum, whose daughter


Ava is now 13, found herself in a toxic relationship in 2020 after moving in with a partner in London following a long-distance relationship. “He was asking me for money all


the time; I quickly realised I was a cashpoint to him,” she recalled. “I was stuck in a toxic relationship, far from home, feeling completely alone.” Six weeks later, Finn discovered


there was no money left for rent and realised it was time to get out. She and her daughter, then seven, returned to Newcastle with £40 and nowhere to live. She said: “Those early days were


incredibly hard. I begged the local authorities for help but was told we’d have to be homeless for seven weeks before they could offer support. I was devastated, but I didn’t give up.” Through family connections,


alongside an initial stay with her daughter’s former childminder and family friends, Finn found a private


Claire Finn with daughter Ava


rental. In 2021, after spotting a job advert, she started working for Inspire. Finn initially worked as a


call centre homeworker selling holidays to families who receive vouchers from Inspire’s partner charity Family Fund. In 2024, she switched to focus fully on her own Inspire homeworking business as an independent travel associate (ITA). “I always wanted to get back into


travel,” said Finn, who was previously an agent for Freedom Direct and Holiday Discount Centre. “But it took a long time to believe in myself.” As an ITA, Finn’s sales rose from £466,000 in her first year to £1 million


Two Spear Travels agencies rebrand as Miles Morgan Travel


Spear Travels shops in Thame and Blandford have rebranded under sister agency Miles Morgan Travel, expanding its network to 22 branches. Parent company Hays Travel acquired Spear Travels’ 12 branches in June 2025. The original staff will remain in both branches, which are located in Miles Morgan Travel’s southwest heartland in Oxfordshire and Dorset.


8 9 JULY 2026


in her second year. She became a top-seller despite working just 12 to 15 hours a week. She attributes her success to head office support and a loyal customer base of repeat clients who book high-value trips. “I’m living my best life. Two years


ago I was a different person,” she said. Inspire head of business


development and training Sam Fisher said: “Claire’s sales have been nothing short of phenomenal. She has become someone others aspire to be [but] when she first joined us,


she had very little belief in herself.” i Out this week: the Travel Weekly Guide to Homeworking 2026


SixStarCruises focuses on expedition with new brand


SixStarCruises has launched an expedition sub-brand featuring a website with video guides and featured experiences. Launch partners for SixStarCruises Expeditions include Silversea and Seabourn, plus seven other lines. The luxury cruise specialist will host an event with the Expedition Cruise Network on July 21.


Port of Dover warns of EES ‘severe congestion’


The Port of Dover is urging the government to negotiate with the EU to defer full implementation of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) border controls. Chief executive Doug Bannister


warned of a potential “critical incident” mirroring the May half-term holiday, which saw queues of up to 4.5 hours after only a few hours of EES processing. He predicted far greater


congestion during the summer peak, noting both Dover and Folkestone would be severely affected. Writing to Business and Trade


Committee chair Liam Byrne MP, Bannister said: “Without greater flexibility in how EES is operated during periods of exceptional demand, we will face repeated episodes of severe congestion. “Traffic modelling shows


tourists could face car queues spilling onto public roads for miles.” He added that a workable


solution had still not been agreed “and time is rapidly running out”. “The Port of Dover has sounded


the alarm,” Byrne said. “Without an agreement with France to pause the new EU border tech this summer, Britain risks border chaos again.” Meanwhile, the Chartered


Institute of Logistics and Transport UK warned the EES rollout will compound pressure on already stretched operations.


Celestyal seeks successor for chief commerical officer Haslett


Celestyal chief commercial officer Lee Haslett is leaving the line in October to take up a senior leadership role in the sporting sector. Haslett joined the company in 2023 from Virgin Atlantic. Celestyal thanked Haslett and confirmed a recruitment process is underway to find a successor to continue the line’s global commercial strategy.


travelweekly.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48