J'AIME AUGUST 2020

B U S I N E S S
Well travelled
AS THE LOCAL TRAVEL COUNSELLOR FOR FOUR OAKS, INDEPENDENT TRAVEL
AGENT CHARLOTTE MITCHELL SPECIALISES IN TAILOR-MADE HOLIDAYS
Charlotte says: “I started my travel journey studying
travel and tourism at Worcester College aged 17,
and worked part-time at a local independent Travel
Agency, Atlas Travel, until I finished my studies.
“In 2006, when my husband finished university,
we moved to Bristol, where I joined Thomas Cook
as a sales consultant, becoming a customer service
manager and staying for over four years. Many of
the holidays I worked on here were packaged by
Thomas Cook and were the days of when clients
would come into the shop armed with brochures and
we would go through the options the customer had
marked, one-by-one.
“I needed a new challenge and an opportunity
became available for me to work as a business
development manager for an independent travel
agency, Travel Solutions. Working on business travel
is very different to leisure travel and I missed the
excitement created when clients came in with their
ideas for holidays. So, in 2011, I moved within the
same company to Oxford to become manager of the
Summertown branch. Here I organised our amazing
wedding in Cyprus at the fabulous Aphrodite Hills,
Paphos and our multi-centre honeymoon to Hawaii.
“The types of holidays I started to create changed.
Customers wanted to go off and explore; they didn’t
just want to sit by a pool for two weeks but wanted
to really engage and visit as many destinations as
possible. Having the same passion, tailor-made
holidays became my thing – road trips are the best!
“For many years I had a dream of starting my own
travel business, but the timing was never right, or
the thought of doing it was too huge. But in 2016
we moved to Four Oaks and the following year I
took the leap and started my own franchise business
with Travel Counsellors. With a 24/7 duty office
across seven countries, access to thousands of
trusted suppliers and full financial protection, Travel
Counsellors ensure every holiday is created with care
and protection. All you need to worry about is the
happy holiday memories.
“Starting my own business has seen many challenges,
both personal and professional; from creating new
relationships with clients and business peers, but also
reaching so far out of my comfort zone by public
speaking and networking. The help and support of
local businesses has been incredible as the majority
of my business is via personal recommendations.
“2020 has been the biggest shock to the travel
industry that I have ever experienced. However, I
am extremely confident that we will bounce back – it
may take some time to find the new ‘normal’, but we
will get there! And when that time comes, I will be
ready for the new challenges ahead. No matter what,
I will always go above and beyond to deliver a service
that exceeds expectations. Take comfort in knowing
that you are booking with someone you can trust,
and who will be with you every step of the way.”
For more details, visit Charlotte’s website at
www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/charlotte.mitchell
or find Charlotte on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/CharlotteMitchellTC
CHARLOTTE IN SINGAPORE
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