Shirley McManus and Sue Wilson, long-time colleagues, used to work at Thomas Cook but after it went out of business they decided to go independent.
Both have their own businesses with their own client bases, but they occasionally support each other when needed.
“After Thomas Cook, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and in the end, I realised I had nothing to lose and it was the best thing that we’ve ever done,” Ms McManus said.
Ms Wilson had already taken the plunge and became self-employed with Designer Travel, working from home.
She persuaded Shirley to join her, although the pair work independently of each other, and Shirley said they have not looked back.
Now, the duo can work their own hours, work without sales targets and dedicate themselves wholly to their clients’ individual needs.
Starting out just before the pandemic was less than ideal though as many holidays were put on hiatus or cancelled due to travel restrictions.
Ms McManus said: “We both set up before Christmas 2019, so when Covid hit it affected us massively.
“Because we were independent, we weren’t entitled to any government help, and we were therefore working for nothing.”
She explained that she and Sue were managing the holidays of the clients they acquired before travel restrictions were put in place, making sure that if travel could be rearranged it was, and dealing with the cancellations if they came.
In the meantime they were both working other jobs for money, with both working for the 119 test and trace service.
“We took on the extra jobs, but we still looked after our clients,” she said.
The process was difficult professionally and personally, as she explained: “When lockdown was announced I cried, I thought I was going to lose everything – it was like you lived in a bubble, you just can’t believe that it all happened.
“Overall though I’m quite a laid-back person so I just got on with it, as I had to.”
Coming out of Covid they were able to book some short-haul flights at first while long-haul was still difficult, but the main challenge was that each country was different and opened their borders at different times, she said.
She added that it wasn’t until the summer of 2022 that business picked up again as the nation emerged from much of the social and travel restrictions that Covid imparted and people were desperate to travel.
“We’ve now both got thriving businesses and many clients, from which we get a lot of help via word of mouth.”
For those interested in booking a holiday, Ms McManus suggests for many reasons using the services of a travel agent despite the ability to do it independently online.
For one, there’s the peace of mind that your holiday will always go ahead, as two weeks before departure she will check that all arrangements are in order so there are no nasty surprises such as flight changes or planned disruptions.
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Also, travel agents can add a personal touch and are always around to step in when things are disrupted, unlike a faceless website.
There’s also the aspect of not knowing exactly where you want to go, but having a general idea of the sort of trip you want to take – from this a travel agent can craft your perfect holiday and tailor it to your needs, wants and budget.
If you’re interested in booking a holiday with Ms McManus or Ms Wilson, call 07716 330097 or 07368 643886 respectively.
