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"We only back exceptional high-growth technology-enabled businesses with stable, proven leadership teams."
The Travel Counsellors Story
Who are Travel Counsellors?
From our roots in the North West of England to an international travel business, our story is one of incredible growth and success.
We were founded in 1994 by David Speakman, who anticipated the shift towards travel professionals running their own leisure or corporate travel businesses from home.
David's pioneering model meant franchisees could provide their customers with an unrivalled level of personal care and attention when creating bespoke travel experiences.
Our entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to offering a truly personalised travel service, underpinned by the values of trust and customer intimacy, remain as true today as they did back then. As we approach 2,000 colleagues in seven different countries, these principles continue to guide us to new heights.
The timeline of Travel Counsellors
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1999
We welcome our 100th Travel Counsellor to the family.
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2003
We were the first travel company to win the Queen's Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category which recognises businesses that demonstrate commercially successful and innovative services.
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2004
We launched our own unique financial trust in the UK, to ensure our customers' money is 100% safe when booking with us, no matter what.
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2005
Travel Counsellors continues to expand and services launch in Ireland and the Netherlands.
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2006
Our bespoke-built, in-house booking platform, Phenix, is launched, enabling our Travel Counsellors to create tailor-made travel itineraries.
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2007
As our success continued, we expanded to South Africa, taking our bespoke services global.
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2008
We hit a key milestone as our 1,000th Travel Counsellor joined the company.
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2011
Travel Counsellors is highlighted as a key mid-size company in the UK’s economic recovery following the recession and is named in the Telegraph list of Britain’s 1,000 Brightest Businesses.
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2012- 2013
Our global expansion continues as we expand into the UAE and again in 2013 when we opened our doors in Belgium.
A new chapter
2014
Travel Counsellors celebrates its 20th year in style with a significant financial investment from Equistone Partners Europe, one of Europe’s leading mid-market private equity firms.
2015
We move our headquarters from its birthplace in Bolton to a stunning new £2m premises at Trafford City in Manchester.
2016
As we continue to scale and grow, we recruit the 300th member of our global support team.
2017
The myTC app is launched with a 4+ star rating on the Apple and Android store. Over 15,000 users a year enjoy the paperless experience of having their travel documentation all in one app, and connecting to their Travel Counsellor at the tap of a button.
2019-2020
In 2019 we celebrated sixteen years of successive record growth, with sales in excess of £650m. Customers voting in the British Travel Awards crowned us the UK's Best Travel Retailer in 2019 and 2020.
Travel Counsellors won the Queen's Award for Enterprise for the third time in April 2020. The same year we climbed the rankings in the Sunday Times PwC Top Track 250 for the sixth consecutive year against the challenging backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023
We celebrated the biggest sales day in our history in January 2023, with bookings exceeding £5.1m with global sales for the month hitting £114m.
Our Accolades
We have a world-leading customer satisfaction rating of 96% with a growing collection of accolades and travel industry endorsements.
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Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023
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Top Homeworking Agency | TTG Top 50 2023
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Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards 2023 - Homeworking Agency of the Year (Large), Best Agency to Work For (Large) and Sustainability Champion of the Year (Large)
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Luxury Homeworking Business of the Year | TTG Luxury Awards 2023
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TTG Luxury Homeworking Business of the Year 2022
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Best TMC | The Business Travel Awards 2020
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Queens Award for International Trade 2020
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Best National Travel Retailer, British Travel Awards 2020
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Why work for Travel Counsellors?
We aim to enable Travel Counsellors to work from home whilst delivering best-in-class service focusing solely on the customer's pleasure and convenience. Whether you are a current travel professional, want to take on a Travel Trade training course, expand your skills in Business Development or are looking to get back into the Travel Industry after some time away, we can help you get there.Are you ready to work as a Travel Counsellor?
If you are ready to join our award-winning and constantly expanding global team, contact one of our experts today. Our support team will be able to assist with any queries you may have.