Celebrating success: Travel Counsellors’ extraordinary 2026 Gold Trips

For Travel Counsellors, achieving Gold status is a significant milestone. It reflects the dedication, passion and consistency that business owners bring to their travel businesses throughout the year.

In 2026, Gold Travel Counsellors were rewarded with a collection of unforgettable journeys across some of the world’s most inspiring destinations, including Iceland, the Athens Riviera, Seychelles, Singapore, the Mediterranean and Alaska.

For our South African Travel Counsellors, these trips were an opportunity to celebrate their achievements, connect with fellow entrepreneurs and experience destinations first-hand, bringing valuable insight back to their customers.

From Iceland’s landscapes to Singapore’s energy

The 2026 Gold Trips began with an immersive escape to Iceland, where Travel Counsellors explored dramatic glaciers, waterfalls, black-sand beaches and geothermal landscapes. The experience included a visit to the Blue Lagoon, a Northern Lights cruise, snowmobiling across Langjökull glacier, the Golden Circle and the Katla Ice Cave.

For Karin Livingstone, Gold Travel Counsellor from Cape Town, the Iceland trip was a standout experience: *“One of the most unforgettable travel experiences I’ve ever had.” *

Pictured here: Karin Livingstone and Kerith Hulme

The Gold Trips continued with the Athens Riviera, the tropical beauty of Seychelles and the vibrant city of Singapore.

Natalie Matthews represented South Africa on the Singapore Gold Trip, staying at the Grand Hyatt Singapore and enjoying the destination’s unique mix of luxury, culture and innovation.

Natalie described the experience as: *“Our trip was incredible. Every event and excursion was planned to a T.” *

Pictured here: Natalie and Tana Matthews in Singapore

A journey through the Mediterranean

Gold Travel Counsellors travelled aboard Crystal Serenity on a luxury Mediterranean itinerary through Italy, Croatia and Greece.

The journey included stops in Trieste, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Cephalonia, Monemvasia and Piraeus, offering a combination of historic cities, beautiful coastlines and the refined experience of a Crystal cruise.

Experiencing these destinations personally allows Travel Counsellors to offer customers more than general travel advice. It gives them genuine insight into the atmosphere, service and experiences that can make a holiday truly memorable.

Discovering Alaska aboard Norwegian Bliss

The final Gold Trip of 2026 took four South African Gold Travel Counsellors to Alaska aboard Norwegian Bliss.

The trip began with a stay in Seattle before continuing through Alaska’s spectacular wilderness. From towering glaciers and fjords to rainforests and wildlife, the journey offered an opportunity to experience one of the world’s most remarkable cruise destinations.

Celebrating achievement and community

While the destinations were extraordinary, the Gold Trips were also about the people who shared them.

“Achieving Gold status is a significant accomplishment and reflects the dedication, passion and consistency our Travel Counsellors bring to their businesses. Each year, the Gold Trips become more extraordinary, giving those who have reached this highest level of success the opportunity to experience exceptional destinations first-hand, while connecting and networking with like-minded entrepreneurs from across our community,” says Marc de Jager, Business Development Manager at Travel Counsellors.

For South Africa’s Gold Travel Counsellors, the 2026 trips created memories to treasure, relationships to build on and destination knowledge to share with customers.

The experiences are also a reminder of what can be achieved when passion, commitment and a love of travel come together. At Travel Counsellors, success is celebrated not only through recognition, but through meaningful experiences shared with a supportive community of like-minded business owners.

Could you see yourself building a successful travel business and being rewarded with experiences like these? Discover how you could become a Travel Counsellor, enjoy the freedom of running your own business and benefit from the support, tools and community to help you grow.