Fancy being recognised as being the best in the business? Be inspired by our agents who are winning the travel industry’s highest accolades and trophies. Perhaps one day you could join them on the podium?
Who doesn’t love being rewarded for their great work?
Offering great customer service sits at the very heart of the Not Just Travel brand with all our agents striving (and pretty much always succeeding) to beat customer expectations.
As far as we’re concerned, they’re all winners.
So, we love it when our consultants are recognised in the wider industry for their talent, dedication and, frankly, awesome performance.
Here are just a handful of our Not Just Travel consultants who have made it onto the winning podiums and taken home some of the industry’s top trophies.
1. David Walker
David, from Nottinghamshire, has to be our biggest success story. He started his Not Just Travel business in 2014 after a 22-year, high-flying career in human resources.
Apart from having travelled extensively with his job, he joined with zero experience in the travel industry and has proved that by making customer service his top priority, the world really does become your oyster.
Less than 10 years later, (plus, over a million pounds in commission – yes you read that correctly!), David was crowned the UK’s best Leisure Agent of the Year – and that includes all high street agents, not just homeworking agents – in the prestigious Travel Weekly awards held in July 2023.
2. Tracey Fordham
And, the award for the Most Customer-Focused Luxury Travel Agent 2023 goes to …Tracey Fordham!
For this Suffolk-based travel consultant, winning this prestigious award from SME UK Enterprise proves you don’t have to own a big travel agency to stand out. According to SME UK Enterprise “the awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend those most deserving for their ingenuity and hard work, distinguishing them from their competitors”.
The reason for her win is best told by one of her customers who posted this on TrustPilot: “I approached Tracey to help me find the right holiday for us as we had certain criteria to try to keep everyone in our family of four happy. She gave us five different options and we opted for a villa in Gale, Algarve, Portugal. Tracey made this holiday so simple. She took care of everything. Tracey checked in at various stages pre-holiday to see we were okay and then we received a message and a card welcoming us home. Absolutely amazing service. We will never holiday again without Tracey!”
We think this says it all.
3. Rachel Tredwell
Preparing for the ‘big day’ has been made so much easier for countless couples thanks to this Oxfordshire-based travel agent. She’s gained such a reputation for booking overseas weddings and honeymoons, that she’s earned herself the nickname: ‘the travel fairy godmother’.
Her meticulous attention to detail (some say she has the magic touch) has also earned her the Customer Service Award for two consecutive years from Guides For Brides, which recognises the best wedding suppliers in the UK and overseas.
Having signed up as a Not Just Travel agent in 2019, Rachel was also shortlisted this year for the TTG New Luxury Travel Designer 2023. Sadly, she missed out on that gong because it went to our very own Ross Johnson (see below).
However, she’s in with another chance of a trophy now that she’s been
shortlisted in, not just one but, two categories in the Aspire Awards 2023. In October, Rachel could be crowned the Luxury Seller of the Year and Sustainability Champion of the Year! We’ll keep you posted.
4. Ross Johnson
Having travelled extensively for his job as a musician, in 2020 Ross joined Not Just Travel and created Travlux – a luxury travel agency. Launching during a global pandemic was a risk. Yet, a mere three years later, Ross is the title holder of TTG’s New Luxury Travel Designer of the Year.
And in 2022, he was featured in the National Geographic Traveller Luxury Collection.
So what’s his secret to success? Getting to know his customers as individuals, he says.
“Travel can mean something different to all of us – escapism, adventure, connection – but how it makes us feel is our biggest focus. For that, we need to get to know you, so that we can help you see the world the way you want to, while we take care of everything.”
5. Raine Martin
Joining us in 2018, Raine wasted no time winning our Money Back Challenge. Just four years later she was crowned with the Top Homeworker Award at the prestigious Classic Awards 2022.
Renowned for offering personalised, luxury holidays, the tour operator, Classic Collection, recognises that its customers also deserve a personalised, luxury service when it comes to booking.
Raine clearly ticks this box very nicely thank you.
6 & 7. Rachael and Colman Coyne
The Great British Franchisee Award: it’s the highest honour in the franchise world and in 2022 it was proudly presented to our very own Not Just Travel husband and wife team, Rachael and Colman.
Both had no travel experience when they joined us.
Winning this prestigious trophy is impressive enough, but it becomes an even greater achievement when you learn that it was won while Rachael endured a tortuous programme of chemotherapy.
Well done Rachael. We commend you.
8. Ami Wood
She only signed up as a Not Just Travel agent in 2022 and immediately she made her mark on the travel industry.
Not only did she secure £50,000 worth of bookings just one week out of training, she has already bagged £1 million in holiday bookings and smashed our Money Back Challenge.
No wonder, Ami was shortlisted for TTG’s New Agent of the Year award. Talk about making an entrance!
9. Reshma Aggarwal
Mum of three, Reshma, joined us during the pandemic, yet in just 18 months, she sold £1.2m of holidays!
The prize – winning back her franchise fee of course with our Money Back Challenge, but also the prestige of being shortlisted for TTG’s New Luxury Travel Designer of the Year 2022.
10. Gemma Poppy Outram
Among her many industry awards, she’s been named Cruise Agent of the Year and Travel Agent of the Year by TTG, Rising Star and Cruise Agent of the Year by the Wave Awards and Top Agent of the Year by both P&O Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.
As well as running her agency which has already sold over £1 million in cruises, she’s our cruise business development manager which means she is on hand to help any agent skyrocket their cruise sales.
