SUVIRA RIZA AND MEGAN O’LEARY VOYAGE-HER (TRAVEL COUNSELLORS) Specialise in: Female-only and LGBTQ+ travel
Q Why did you choose female-only
and LGBTQ+ travel? A Megan: We’re feminists who love
empowering women and the travel industry provides no end of amazing women in leadership positions that offer both friendship and inspiration. Being members of the LGBTQ+ community, we have our own experiences of travelling the world, both incognito and in our element. Suvira: I want to encourage more women to take the steps I was once afraid to. It can be especially daunting for women of colour because it feels like there’s an additional layer of consideration that can hold women like me back. Voyage-Her gives us a platform to acknowledge these concerns, validate them and create a solution for women and LGBTQ+ people who are sick of having an untouched bucket list.
Q What kinds of trips are you booking? A Suvira:Off-the-beaten-track itineraries, girls’ trips and solo adventures, which we love. We’ve sold trips to Norway, Dubai,
Italy, Spain and city breaks. Our aim is to fill the gap for LGBTQ+ individuals who aren’t interested in the pink cruises and party destinations, but are instead seeking luxury, cultural experiences, as well as a deeper connection both with their partners and locals.
Q How are you using your expertise to empower female
and LGBTQ+ travellers to travel? A Megan:We refuse to limit gay travel to Canada, Germany and Greece. Instead, our approach is to ask where clients want to go, before posing questions such as ‘are you aware of this?’; ‘how does it make you feel?’ and ‘how can we make this work for you?’. It makes the customer feel seen and validated, without fear-mongering and putting them in a box. I often have other travel counsellors asking for advice regarding their LGBTQ+ clients so they can plan their trips with more confidence.
Q How does Travel Counsellors support you in this sector? A Suvira: Travel Counsellors’ booking platform, Phenix, gives us
access to the entire world and our supplier partners are fantastic. It empowers us to build a package that works for the customer, rather than a customer that works for a package. We are both part of TC Pride, our in-house affinity group for LGBTQ+ individuals. It’s not just our systems. The head office support team uplifts us and cheers us on, offering advice and resources. Without the Travel Counsellors model, we’d have to navigate all of this alone.
KIERAN MILLER MAGICAL TRAVELLER Specialises in: Disney trips
Q How did you become a Disney
parks and cruise specialist? A Many of my friends were asking me how to plan a Disney holiday and they kept suggesting I write a guide. One day, I had
the light bulb moment: there must be a way to make money from this. When I found the opportunity to become a home-based travel agent, I jumped in. It wasn’t easy. My co-founder Phil Eccles-Miller and I started the business six months before Covid-19, so we had a bit of a rocky start. However, after that, it went from strength to strength.
Q Disney holiday packages are so popular – how do you
stand out from the crowd? A Showcasing our own personal holidays and experiences. It helps to bring the product alive, but it also demonstrates to our customers that we’re genuine travellers ourselves. We’re a bit unusual in the fact we’re a couple with no kids, so we tend to attract a very similar market: couples looking to visit Disney. That seems to be our unique angle, rather than focusing purely on the family market.
Q Do you sell any other kinds of holidays? A Yes. We are primarily cruise specialists. I’d say 70% of our business is made up of cruise bookings. We tend to specialise in premium travel,
12 JULY 2026
Disney Cruise Line
including land breaks and touring, so we sell a nice mix of holidays, but we’re very heavily focused on cruise. That’s where our Disney Cruise Line bookings come from, and then we add on land stays for people who perhaps want to do a North America holiday as well. We’ve recently started selling more of Asia, both Disney and cruise holidays.
Q How do you keep up with all the Disney updates? A Being a Disney fan means it doesn’t feel like work to keep up to
date with the latest changes. I’m in Facebook groups, web forums and newsletters to keep on top of the big news, as well as the small changes, like if trees are being moved in the parks. I genuinely love that kind of update. If I had to give tips to people who maybe aren’t as obsessed, online Disney vloggers are a great place to pick up tips from people who have just visited the parks.
travelweekly.co.uk
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