Awards, suppliers and big announcements: inside The Travel Franchise Summer Celebration 2026

Every so often we get the whole Not Just Travel family in one room, and it never gets old. Not Just Travel is the consumer-facing brand of The Travel Franchise, the name our consultants trade under when they book holidays for their customers. Last weekend hundreds of consultants from all over the UK came together for our Summer Celebration 2026, two packed days of training, supplier meetings, big news and one very special evening celebrating the people who make this business what it is.

The theme of the weekend was Experience is Everything, and our biggest ever two-day event lived up to it from the first session to the last. As co-founder Steve Witt put it afterwards:

“Our Summer Celebration Conference has been an opportunity to share plans for the second half of the year, meet friends and colleagues, learn and share and have a bit of fun along the way. Our biggest ever two day event has turned out to be a huge hit. It’s been an experience.”

If you are thinking about starting a travel business and wondering what life inside The Travel Franchise actually looks like, this is about as good a picture as you will get.

A room full of people who used to be exactly where you are

Here is the thing that strikes you at an event like this. Almost nobody in that room came from travel. They uset to be teachers, police officers, NHS workers, corporate managers and parents looking for something that fitted around their family. At some point they all made the same decision you might be weighing up right now, and this weekend they were in a room together comparing notes on the businesses they have built since.

And they genuinely help each other. That is not a line, it is how the model works. Our consultants build their businesses through their own networks and their own repeat customers, so nobody is fighting anyone for territory. When someone finds something that works, they share it. You could see it all weekend, over coffee, over dinner, in the corridors between sessions. People who met on Saturday morning were swapping numbers by Sunday afternoon.

You do not have to take our word for how that feels. Nichole Waller, who joined recently, summed it up the day after:

“As newbies this was hugely inspiring for Damon and I. We met some amazing people and were in awe of how friendly and approachable everyone was. Looking forward to our journey with NJT.”

That is what you are actually buying into with a franchise like this. Not just systems and training, but several hundred people who want you to do well.

Face to face with the people behind the holidays

Sunday brought one of the most valuable parts of the whole weekend. Hundreds of the UK’s leading travel suppliers and trade partners came in for a full morning of face-to-face conversations with our consultants.

Think about what that means for a moment. If you are recommending a cruise line or a hotel chain to a client, there is a world of difference between reading about it online and having sat across a table from the people who run it. Our consultants walk away from mornings like this with sharper knowledge, better contacts and real confidence in what they are selling. Their clients feel that confidence, and that is what turns a one-off booking into a customer for life.

Consultant Sally Ward captured the whole experience:

“From pre communication, the app, the venue, the staff and food at the conference centre, to the fabulous quick paced sessions Saturday to the time available to chat to the suppliers. Everyone from NJT played their part and it didn’t go unnoticed.”

Around the supplier sessions the weekend was full of training. Luxury travel, cruise, social media, wedding fairs, finding new customers through local partnerships. Session after session, all led by people who know their subject inside out. The initial training week gets you launched, but this is the bit people underestimate. The learning never stops, and we put serious money behind making sure of it.

The awards: celebrating the people who went above and beyond

Saturday night was the big one. Our awards evening recognises consultants who have gone above and beyond over the past year, whether that is delivering outstanding customer experiences, growing their business, championing a specialist area or making a real difference to the people around them.

A huge congratulations to every winner:

“Absolutely brilliant weekend. What a fantastic celebration. The organisation of the conference has been flawless. Thank you for such an amazing weekend and all your team who have worked so hard to make it all happen so exceptionally well,” says Anne

Every name on that list has a story behind it, and nearly all of them start the same way. No travel experience, a leap of faith and a lot of hard work with the right support behind them. Watching them collect their awards in front of a room that was genuinely cheering for them was the highlight of the weekend.

And yes, there were announcements

We are keeping the details back for now, and that is deliberate.

What we can say is that some big news was shared over the weekend, the kind that made the whole room lean forward, and everyone who was there left knowing the next twelve months are going to be some of the most exciting in the company’s history. Full details are coming very soon, so keep an eye on this space.

“Amazing weekend. We have come away full of energy and inspiration. Looking forward to new things to come.” – Emma

What all of this really tells you

You can read about awards, training, buying power and support on any franchise website. What a weekend like this shows you is whether it is actually real.

Two days with this community and you would have your answer. This is a business that has been named the Best Lifestyle Franchise in the World two years running, and it earned that by investing properly in the people who join it. The training, the supplier access, the recognition and the community are not perks bolted onto a franchise fee. They are the reason ordinary people with no travel background keep building extraordinary businesses here.

Find out what that could look like for you