meet travelbag

What’s your background and your connection to Cobham?

“I’ve been in the travel industry for 34 years, ever since I left college, working for a number of high profile travel businesses. I was actually in South Africa for a work trip last year and met one of the ladies who worked for Travelbag. She was telling me about a new branch opening up in Cobham and while I initially started out in a supporting sales role going around to the different branches, I then became manager of Cobham earlier this year.”

What makes Travelbag different?

“We've been established since 1979 by Aussie Peter Wade, who wanted to provide bespoke holidays to Australia and New Zealand, and now, we sell holidays all over the world. We now have 8 shops around the UK but also have a big online presence meaning customers can pop into the shop (have a cuppa tea, or glass of bubbles) or book online.

We offer tailor-made holidays and we have a lot of customers visiting Asia, particularly Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. As I’ve worked in every branch of Travelbag, I’ve built up great relationships with people across the business and can call on all of their expertise on specific locations. There are lots of members of the team with incredible first-hand knowledge of so many amazing places around the world.

We’re owned by Dnata (one of the world's largest air services providers) so even though we’re a small company of around 140 employees, we’re part of a bigger family.

But we’re not just about complex trips and far flung destinations, we’re also branching out to more European and closer destinations too. We’re here for whatever you need.”

What can people expect to spend for a Travelbag holiday?

“We do specialise in luxury holidays and our accommodation options are 4 and 5 star. However with all of our customers, we work to their budget and work closely with them to understand exactly what they’re looking for from their holiday. Everyone is generally quite budget conscious these days and we’re mindful of that.

There’s the added safety of being ABTA & ATOL protected by booking with us, and if anything should go wrong due to external factors, such as the recent fire at Heathrow, we’re on hand to sort everything out.”

Do you cater for families?

“Our slogan is ‘out there made easy’ and this has really followed through with our family offering. We’ve found many of our family customers still want to do adventurous long-haul trips, even if they have children. It doesn’t just have to be a ‘bucket and spade’ holiday, it’s easier than ever to travel as a family. We can book everything from private transfers to day trips!”

Where is your favourite place to go on holiday?

“That’s so difficult but I’d have to say South Africa. I love how much there is to do and the variety, from Cape Town and Table Mountain and all the trendy places to go out, but then you’ve got the wine areas and driving the Garden Route, topped off by a safari at the end. Safari is one of the most incredible things I’ve done.”

What’s your favourite thing about working in Cobham?

“It’s such a nice village, it has a lovely community feel. I love the big events like One Summer’s Day and Onederland. It sometimes feels like our end of the High Street is a bit quieter so we’d love to see more people coming down and popping in to meet us. We’re a friendly bunch and we’re here to answer all of your questions!”