DIRECT TRAVEL SHEFFIELD


Ben Ireland went back to his home city of Sheffield to visit a high street agency that focuses on the traditional values of a local travel agent


There are three flags hanging outside Direct Travel. One is that of the United States, another Australia and the third South Africa. Can you guess the agency’s top-selling


destinations? The most popular holidays sold by the agency, which opened in 1996,


MEET THE TEAM


JUSTINE ADAMSON TRAVEL CONSULTANT I’ve been here for… four years. I was the manager of the local Co-Op Travel and worked there for 21 years


before it shut down. My specialist destinations are… the Indian Ocean destinations such as Mauritius and the Maldives. I prefer selling long-haul to short-haul. A customer once asked me… if I could get their cello to Germany for a music concert. I had to book an extra seat under the name ‘X Cello’. It didn’t need a passport.


LINDA ROBINSON TRAVEL CONSULTANT I’ve been here for… seven years. Before that I worked in Apollo Travel’s call centre in Rotherham and am a


qualified graphic designer. My specialist destinations are… anywhere you can ski, which could be the Alps, Canada and Bulgaria now. I got into travel because… I went travelling and got the bug. I also worked in Turkey and the French Alps, but not as a rep. I worked behind the scenes in ‘operations’ making sure things went smoothly in resort.


are tailor-made long-haul itineraries that are difficult to put together. But as a long-standing, traditional travel agent, the shop will sell any destination, “as long as it’s right for the customer”, says managing director Paul Rushby. “I used to have a saying that I had more seats to Sydney than Spain,” he told Travel Weekly. “I’m not sure if that’s strictly true anymore but we’ve been a long-haul specialist for years.”


Generation game Direct Travel has definitely moved with the market. They’ll happily sell a two-week all-inclusive package to the Western Med – Jet2holidays is popular – but also appreciate that customers are savvy enough to go direct. They know where the value is. And whether


that’s helping a reliable client’s 18-year-old book their first foreign holiday or put together a once-in-a-lifetime American rail or road trip, it will be tailor-made to the customer’s personal requirements. “You have to be a sponge to absorb


what they are looking for,” said Rushby. “Then use your knowledge to book them a personalised trip that fits their needs.”


38 travelweekly.co.uk 19 October 2017


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