Behind the scenes at Firecrest Travel

This is a behind the scenes look at what goes into launching a new travel brand. Though, it may seem like I've been on one long holiday lately, I like to call this research, there's been a lot of things going on at Firecrest HQ.

Heading to Bako National Park in Borneo last month (research!)

It's been a busy start to 2025; gaining memberships to trade associations, becoming ATOL licenced, completing all sorts of training & developing a new brand, website & marketing. After two years running a successful travel franchise, I felt the next step was to establish an independent travel company. I wanted to offer a wider choice of holidays, access unique products with greater value and more flexibility for my clients.

There was much to consider; financial protection, competitive pricing & added value, strong supplier relationships and systems. Then, there are the little things that make life easier for my clients, such as offering both printed documents & a digital travel app with itinerary, docs & flight updates, being available to chat things over on video calls or WhatsApp and make changes quickly.

Getting Consumer Protection in place

I joined the Travel Trust Association in March, the membership ensures full consumer protection, this includes using a Trust Account to protect your hard-earned cash, package holiday protection through ATOL, single services protection and fraud protection. The TTA have been in action for over 30 years, and as well as offering consumer protection they also have established business partnerships with a wide range of suppliers to offer excellent value for money.

Joining the Travel Trust Association, with membership services manager Darren Coker

Next up, I completed the required training my ATOL licence, granted in April. This was a big step forward. It means that as well as selling ATOL protected holidays from a variety of operators, I can also package bespoke tours and holidays not sold elsewhere. This provides the ultimate flexibility and protection for my clients for those extra special tailor made holidays.

Branding

Then there's the logo & branding. Nathan Smith of Nate Creates developed the brand identity for Firecrest Travel, we talked through different ideas, Nathan designed several versions of the logo and colours and I'm delighted with the finished result. I think Nathan captured the spirit of Firecrest Travel perfectly; vibrant & bold, grounded in nature. (Side note, a tiny new bird appeared in my garden this week, I think he's a baby Goldcrest living in the giant conifers, imagine if he'd been a Firecrest)

Supplier news

A couple of exciting developments with new suppliers; A new client contacted me about doing an epic adventure around NZ, so I've just signed up the Kiwi Experience. They offer everything from hop-on, hop-off bus tours & small group adventures - ideal for discovering all the islands have to offer on a reasonable budget. Byway Travel offer rail holidays around Europe, with added flexibility to change plans your along the way, fancy a longer lunch in Paris? no problem! Further afield Lupita Overland take private tours or small groups around the heart of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, offering an authentic experience of Central America- Day of Dead next year anyone?

I'll continue to work with my trusted business partners, as part of the TTA, here's a just a few you might know:

• Short haul: Kirker, Jet2 holidays & EasyJet holidays.

• Long haul; Anzcro, Kuoni, First Class, Caribtours & Beachcomber..

• River cruising: Ama Waterways, Rivieria & Avalon.

• Rail: Eurostar, Rail Tour Guide & Great Rail Journeys

• Touring partners: Jules Verne, Cox & Kings, Travelshere & Just You

• Small group adventures: Intrepid, G Adventures, Exodos & Explore.

• Villas: Solmar, Vintage, Corfu Villas, Florida Villas, Villa Collection, & Simpson Travel.

• Luxury tailor-made; Audley, Carrier, First Class & ITC.

• Snow holidays: Crystal Ski & Neilson.

• Expedition cruising: Hurtigruten, HX, Silversea, Star Clippers, A&K & Quark.

The advantage of booking with Firecrest Travel is that you have the same prices, PLUS you can add additional products such as flights, accommodation, activities, airport parking, lounges, insurance, rail & transfers, which all become part of the financially protected package. We find and compare different operators and offer advice on which products suit your needs. The best thing of all is that our suppliers value working with us, so if you need something we can arrange it on your behalf - which means less time for you on the phone and more time to plan what to pack.

Delighted to have seen an Orangutan in Semonggoh Reserve (he's at the top of the tree) this June.

Community, Environment & Impact

I'm keen to make a positive contribution with Firecrest Travel. I've partnered with Planeterra to support overseas community-led cooperatives. For each booking I make, I'll contribute to their work here, with the aim of raising £500 this year. As part of a Travelsphere tour I had a great lunch at the Sthree Cafe in Kandy which provides training and work for women and marginalised producers. I saw what a great initiative it was and love the idea that travellers can support new businesses to thrive.

We are supporting rewilding efforts in Portugal for Europe's first large-scale elephant sanctuary at the Pangea Trust.  This is a great solution for animals abused in zoos and circuses, as well as creating a new home for them, the landscape is transformed.

I've continued my responsible travel training with Kiwano, this involves monthly workshops & webinars. We've explored ethical wildlife encounters, the power of community tourism & indigenous-led tourism and designing regenerative travel experiences, There is so much to learn and I'm really interested in how we can harness the potential of tourism to do more good in the places we visit. I am a little behind, I need to catch up!

In a nutshell, this is what you can expect from Firecrest Travel:

• Full ATOL bonding though our suppliers and our own ATOL licence.

• 100% financial protection though our managed Trust Account with the TTA

• A commitment to traditional values, we can chat over the phone, email or videocall. (There are no call centres here, thank you).

• A wider choice of holiday styles to suit different budgets; from a back-packer style adventure, family holidays to luxury train journeys such as the Rocky Mountaineer or Ghan.

• Competitive & fair pricing always.

• Our service doesn't stop at the point of sale, we are here for you every step of the way.

• We take more time over planning your holidays, and for good reason. We're not the 'McDonalds' of travel agents, and nor do we want to be.

• Ultimately, we care about you, your holiday and the places we visit. We want to do a great job and we hope you'll return to us again and again.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article, hopefully it's provided a little insight into life in travel and some of the considerations I've taken in developing Firecrest Travel.