The concept of having your own personal travel agent who works from home and who gives you the best possible personal service is clearly proving a great success with customers in Co Mayo as another personal travel counsellor joins from the county.
Rachael Higgins who hails from Kiltimagh is the latest experienced travel consultant to decide to join Travel Counsellors, specialising in giving her customers the highest possible levels of personal service and independent travel advice. During her 13-year career Rachael worked for the past nine of these in a travel agency in Castlebar and has travelled extensively.
Despite the reports of doom and gloom in the current economic climate Travel Counsellors has reported business is booming, claiming that this is down to customers now looking for a “different type of travel service”.
“There is no doubt that the current climate is having an effect on lots of businesses across the country, including travel agencies,” says Rachael. “However as I operate differently from other travel agencies my business, and those of other travel counsellors across Ireland, seems to be bucking the trend.”
Because Rachael runs her business from home it means she can be available to her clients 24/7 should the need arise. Customers can book their travel arrangements from the comfort of their own homes without having to venture into main street shops and Rachael can also meet up with her clients at a time to suit them. Plus unlike many retail agencies which are owned by a big name tour operator, Travel Counsellors is completely independent, meaning that Rachael is free to recommend and book the holiday that exactly suits her clients’ needs.
Rachael says: “From my experience people are still booking holidays but want better value and a service that goes above and beyond. In terms of booking trends we are seeing that customers are booking closer to the time they want to travel, possibly because they want to hold onto their money for longer. They are also venturing further afield to non euro destinations and places like the Far East in order to get better value for money.”
As Rachael is part of a global travel company with over 1,000 travel counsellors operating across seven countries it means she has the constant back-up and support from the company’s office in Cork and global headquarters in the UK, as well as access to a worldwide network of travel experts that she can turn to for information and advice should she need it.
Says Rachael: “I am delighted to be back in the business and to be the latest experienced travel consultant to decide to join Travel Counsellors so I can concentrate on providing my customers with the highest possible levels of personal service. There is huge demand for the type of travel service we offer which is why I am delighted to join the other County Mayo travel counsellors Bronagh and Anne.”
For more information or to discuss your forthcoming travel plans contact Rachael on 094 937 6765 or [email protected] or log onto www.travelcounsellors.ie/rachael higgins.
