Bespoke luxury holidays are a dominant force within the current climate, with more and more travellers setting their sights on worldwide locations and unique pursuits. If you are hungry for experiences, craving excitement and new cultural insights, then there are a number of experts, airlines and tourism groups with the tools to help match you with your dream bespoke holiday.
Travel Counsellors – David Bishop
When planning a holiday, whether it’s a multi-stop adventure to far flung places or a week in Spain, it’s important the trip is tailored to you. Designing the perfect holiday is no easy task, yet with the help of a specialist travel consultant, the process can be simple and stress free.
David Bishop has extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to booking holidays. After working for 10 years with travel experts, Trailfinders, he made the decision to become self-employed and now works under the umbrella company Travel Counsellors. With a unique network of travel professionals, independent experts like David can offer expert advice to tailor holidays to the individual.
Based in Edinburgh, David is happy to meet clients in person to discuss their trip, whether it’s over a coffee or via a home visit. Alternatively, he can discuss plans over the phone or through email.
Taking into consideration all aspects of the trip, from the flights to transfers, accommodation to insider tips, David creates dream breaks for his clients. No matter what the destination or budget, his skills and commitment mean no details are forgotten.
Some clients may seek a relaxing getaway in luxury resorts with day trips factored in; others may want an action-packed break, camping under the stars or trekking amongst beautiful landscapes. Whatever the plan, David can help make the dream a reality.
At Trailfinders David specialised in organising premium cabins with all major airlines, along with world-class ground arrangements including the Ghan, Indian Pacific and the Transalpine. This has provided him with in depth knowledge of the luxury travel market.
If clients want to visit some stunning locations, open-jaw itineraries involving cruises can be a unique way of travelling between incredible places, be it Singapore to Sydney, Darwin to Perth or perhaps Fjordland night cruises in New Zealand.
He is also particularly passionate about helping clients plan holidays to Australia and New Zealand, thanks to two years spent living there and exploring the many delights of the two destinations.
Much like a hotel’s concierge service, the personal service David provides is not limited to the flights and accommodation. He will take care of restaurant reservations, spa services, recommend night life hot spots and anything the client wishes. While away on the holiday, he will also be contactable in the rare instance where an issue occurs.
Trusted and relied upon, David is a Gold TC (Travel Counsellor). This means based on customer testimonials and sales, he is in the top 10 per cent of 1800 TC’s worldwide and one of very few Gold TC’s in Scotland.
Elitsa Nixon – Travel Counsellors
Passionate about helping customers create their perfect holiday, travel specialist Elitsa Nixon has years of experience creating bespoke trips. Based in Dumbarton Elitsa has worked under the umbrella company, Travel Counsellors, since last year as an independent travel consultant and one of the areas she specialises in is niche expedition cruises.
After settling in Scotland over eight years ago, Elitsa gained a master’s degree in International Tourism Management before joining a major UK tour operator specialising in itineraries to long-haul destinations such as the Far East, Middle East, Africa, Indian Ocean and Australasia.
Today Elitsa specialises in cruises, particularly focusing on niche expedition cruises. An increasingly popular way to travel, expedition cruises are changing the face of cruise ship holidays. Accommodating a few hundred passengers only- as opposed to the thousands normally found on cruise ships – they take passengers to incredible and remote corners of the world.
Expedition cruises are perfect for inquisitive adventure seekers wanting to explore places such as the Galápagos Islands, Antarctica, the Arctic and Australia’s Kimberly Coast. These once in a lifetime trips take passengers to spectacular locations on smaller, custom-made cruise ships designed to navigate icy waters and gain access to places not easily accessed by visitors.
As an up and coming holiday option, most travel agents aren’t well versed in expedition cruises. Elitsa however has a keen in interest in the specialist holidays and having worked on a cruise ship for five years, is well versed in normal cruise ship holidays too.
Whatever the length of trip, choice of destinations or budget, Elitsa can help create a truly bespoke cruise holiday. Many people will include land experience in addition to their cruise in order to make the most of their dream vacation and completely immerse themselves in new destinations and cultures.
Elitsa is proud to offer customers a flexible and personal service. She is happy to meet customers face to face or can discuss options over the phone or online. With the benefit of working from home, she can work around the customer’s schedule to provide impartial advice.
