People work long hours and often save hard all year to give themselves and their family or friends a decent holiday. For many this is the highlight of their year and the last thing you want is to experience a “nightmare” holiday. Holidays abroad are now big business and for the layman can be confusing. A seasoned traveller will already know exactly what they want from a holiday and know the right travel agency to choose, but what can the ordinary person expect from an agency?

So what exactly are independent travel agencies?
Unlike the larger names such as Thompson’s, Lunn Polly etc, an independent company does not favour any particular travel company, instead they will stock a large range of brochures, and will also advise their customers on which company best meets their needs.
Travelcare has a policy of it’s “The Customer’s Right to Know” an open policy which will tell people exactly what to expect form their chosen destination and resort.
Unlike other companies that I will decline to name, no bonuses are paid to staff members to favour a particular company; instead an overall bonus is shared between the staff of 1500 people in branches all over the county. These bonuses are for overall performance in meeting the requirements of the customer.

Are you an older couple with mobility needs and don’t want to have your sleep broken by noisy nightclubs? Again the staff will help. Most important of all, any building work that is ongoing will be explained to you. For teenagers or young couples who want some nightlife and some activities such as water-sports, a resort will be found for you. The information will be presented clearly and you can actually read the book for yourselves, if you are in a hurry, the staff will photocopy the relevant pages for you.

How do I know this is true? I have been using Travelcare for many years now. I was a civil servant and holidays must be booked the year before to ensure there is sufficient staff to keep the system running properly. My first time I tried Travelcare I was at my wit’s end. I had booked two weeks in June and had also had to book the cattery well in advance, the Summer months are soon booked up and I had two cats to board out. My partner and I wanted to go to Rhodes, but we had to either book it early and pay full price, or chance a last minute reservation. By the middle of May I was panicking, the prices were still well over a thousand pounds for two people for two weeks and the cattery needed to know if we would be booking the cats in for extra days.

She did warn us about the noise and suggested a resort that would cost us just over a thousand pounds. Armed with photocopies and a few days to decide, we weighed it all up and went for the unspoilt village, after all the other resort would still be noisy with loads of younger people. I went in on the Monday and booked it straight away on my credit card.
The flight was on a Saturday and so I booked an extra two days either side of the fortnight to board the cats and arrange to pick them up.

Pictures of Travelcare

Rhodes appartment back view

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Once aboard the legroom was far superior to other airlines, our stewardess gave us a complimentary bag full of goodies, a neck pillow, socks to ease our feet, and a lot of soaps, toothbrush and paste, a refreshing face spray and some wet-wipes, now that was service for you!

Rhodes Airport was very busy and I expected a long delay, but we were through customs with our suitcases within half an hour. The buses were ready outside and the staff were quick and friendly, our resort was a ten-minute drive away, we were booked in quickly and after a shower and change of clothing, we were ready for a Greek meal and some bevies.
Saturday night was the main flight night, but we were too bushed to hear the roar of the Jets outside.

The staff were always on hand and were very friendly, but we took Travelcare’s advice and booked a car in Rhodes town, it was delivered at 8am the next morning to our apartments and was 50% cheaper than the local tour rep recommended. It had air-conditioning and a sunroof for a very modest price.

Within two weeks of arriving home, we had a customer satisfaction questionnaire from Travelcare. They use this to keep updating their resort details. Weeks later I got some feedback, the accommodation was clean and the maid came every day to clean up, but was puzzled why I had left a bottle of perfume behind, did I forget it? No, I left it for the maid who worked hard for little pay and perfume is a luxury to the poor Greek women.

I have yet to find another company that sends out a satisfaction survey and any complaint leads to an addition in their Gazetteer. On my trip to Zante, I went from Bristol Airport, about forty-five minutes drive from where I live. The Travelcare staff has a list of local firms that will drive you to the airport, drop you outside the terminus and pick you up on the way home. They take your flight details and turn up dead on time, using their knowledge to know if a flight is delayed. The cost for all paties are £60 return, much cheaper and easier than driving.