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12/10/2026

Heading to St Lucia Thursday for some exploring!

Lots of lovely hotel visits on the itinerary including:

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📍 Sapphire Sands by

As well as the opportunity to experience Rainforest Sky Rides for zip lining, the famous Gros Islet Friday Night street party “jump up” and plenty of local cuisine!

Let me know your questions on St Lucia and I’ll answer them once I’m back!

06/10/2026

❄️ Ice & Snow Hotels You Didn’t Know Existed... Part 1

Think winter holidays are all about cosy log cabins and traditional hotels?

Think again... 🧊

From Sweden and Norway to Canada and Finnish Lapland, these incredible hotels are actually built from snow and ice...and yes, you can sleep in them!

Here are 5 of the world’s most unforgettable ice and snow hotels.

Which one would you be brave enough to spend the night in? 👇

✈️ Ready to start planning your winter adventure?

📞 02477 180165
📧 [email protected]

🇸🇪 ICEHOTEL | Jukkasjärvi | Sweden

📍 Location: Jukkasjärvi, Swedish Lapland, around 200km north of the Arctic Circle.

✈️ How to get there: Fly from the UK to Stockholm, then take a 90-minute flight to Kiruna. From Kiruna Airport, it’s around a 15-minute transfer to ICEHOTEL.

⭐⭐⭐ Why you’ll love it:
• The original ice hotel, welcoming guests since 1989 and rebuilt in new artistic designs every winter.
• Each room is a unique work of art, created by artists from around the world using ice from the frozen Torne River.
• You can experience the Northern Lights in winter or the Midnight Sun in summer and ICEHOTEL 365 means you can even sleep on ice outside the traditional winter season.

🏆 Award: Winner of World’s Leading Ice Hotel at the World Travel Awards multiple times, including 2019, 2020 and 2021.

💾 Save this one for your ultimate winter bucket list!

🇳🇴 Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel | Alta | Norway

📍 Location: Alta, Northern Norway, around 20km from Alta.

✈️ How to get there: Fly from the UK via Oslo to Alta Airport. The flight from Oslo takes around 1 hour 45 minutes, followed by a transfer of approximately 30 minutes to Sorrisniva.

⭐⭐⭐ Why you’ll love it:
• The world’s northernmost igloo hotel, rebuilt from scratch every year with a completely new theme.
• Around 250 tonnes of ice and 7,000m³ of snow go into creating the hotel each season.
• Combine your stay with Arctic adventures including Northern Lights hunting, husky sledding, snowmobiling and authentic Sami experiences.

🏆 Award: T

29/09/2026

F1 2027 is calling…

22/09/2026

**Okay, THIS is how you do a family holiday… 👀**

This **three-bedroom Bayou Villa with Sea View .barutcollection , Didim** is seriously impressive.

We’re talking **241m² of space**… yes, 241! 😍

🏡 180m² indoor space
🌿 61m² private garden
🏊‍♀️ Heated private pool
🛏️ 3 bedrooms
🛁 3 bathrooms + guest bathroom
🌊 Sea views
🍽️ Fully equipped kitchen and dining area
🎵 Bang & Olufsen sound system
☕ Premium minibar & coffee set
👗 Dressing room
🧴 Pillow & scent menus, beach bag, robes & slippers

And then there’s the **service**…

✨ Personal Guest Assistant
✨ Priority reservations at **six à la carte restaurants**
✨ Butler service available
✨ Priority check-in
✨ Room service
✨ Turndown service
✨ Buggy transfers around the resort
✨ Private beach pavilion
✨ Babysitting available

So who is it perfect for?

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families who want **space**
👴👵 Multi-generational holidays
👯‍♀️ Two families travelling together
🥂 Groups of friends
💎 Anyone who wants **privacy and serious luxury**, without giving up all the facilities of a fantastic resort

And honestly, **241m² + your own pool + that level of service** makes this a very different kind of family holiday.

You get your own private space when you want it, then all the pools, restaurants, beaches and entertainment of Anda Barut Collection when you don’t.

**This is exactly why I love doing site visits. I can tell you what the brochure can’t.**

📞 02477 180165
📧 [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

21/09/2026

What actually happens on a hotel site visit?

I recently spent three nights .barutcollection in Didim, Türkiye, hosted by the lovely and it’s been such a brilliant few days with the most incredible and inspirational gang.

A site visit is about getting under the skin of a hotel so that when I recommend it to a client, I’m doing it from first-hand experience, not just a brochure.

I know which rooms are closest to, or furthest from, the pool, reception and beach.

I know which areas are peaceful, which are livelier and, importantly, who I think the hotel will actually suit.

Over the last few days we’ve:

🏨 Toured the hotel and viewed the different room types

🥂 Checked out the little details

💦 Experienced the different pools, beaches and water slides for different ages

🎡 Discovered the little evening fairground in the Family Zone

🍽️ Eaten our way through the restaurants

🥂 Experienced the ultra all-inclusive offering and premium drinks

🧖‍♀️ Explored the spa, including the sauna, steam rooms, ice experiences, waterfalls and fire & ice facilities

🏋️‍♀️ Checked out the huge gym, indoor saltwater infinity pool and jacuzzi

🎭 Watched the full-production evening entertainment.

🏛️ Visited the incredible Temple of Apollo

And despite the hotel being around 80% occupied while we’ve been here, it really doesn’t feel busy. There is so much space!

I’d love to bring my own family here and twin it with a few nights in Istanbul first.

A huge thank you to and for hosting us and giving us the opportunity to experience .barutcollection first-hand.

📞 02477 180165
📧 [email protected]

11/09/2026

🤿 Thinking about getting your Nitrox certification?

If you love diving, Nitrox is one of those little upgrades that can make a big difference to your diving experience.

Enriched Air Nitrox can give you longer allowable bottom times on many recreational dives, which can be particularly useful when you’re doing multiple dives over several days. It can also mean less nitrogen loading compared with diving the same profile on air.

For me, it’s another tool in the box when planning a diving holiday, especially when you’re diving somewhere incredible and want to make the most of every opportunity to get underwater. Also it just makes me feel less brain foggy after a dive!

And the best part? The course is relatively straightforward, so once you’re certified, you can use Nitrox on future dive trips around the world.

If you’re heading off on a diving holiday and haven’t considered Nitrox before, it could be worth adding to your list.

🌊 More time underwater. More diving opportunities. More memories.

Thinking about your next dive adventure?

That’s where I can help too. From finding the right destination and resort to arranging diving experiences, I’ll help you put the whole trip together.

09/09/2026

🇹🇭 THAILAND VISA UPDATE

Planning a trip to Thailand? ✈️

From 15 September 2026, the visa-free stay for UK & Irish passport holders is changing.

⏰ 60 days → 30 days
If you’re travelling to Thailand from 15 September, you’ll be able to stay for up to 30 days visa-free for tourism (previously 60).

✅ Staying 30 days or less?
You can still travel without getting a visa in advance.

⚠️ Staying longer than 30 days?
Make sure you check the latest visa options before you travel.

Already in Thailand before 15 September? Your original permitted stay will remain unchanged.

📌 Save this for your Thailand trip!

📞 02477 180165
📧 [email protected]

08/09/2026

✈️ Did you know you can use a private terminal at Manchester Airport even if you’re flying Economy?

Meet aether, Manchester Airport’s private terminal, designed to make the airport experience feel a whole lot more effortless. ✨

Instead of the usual airport queues, aether can give you:

🧳 Private baggage check-in
🔐 Private security
🍽️ Dining and premium drinks
✨ A dedicated Host
🚘 Chauffeur transfer directly to your aircraft

And there’s something extra for my clients...

Travel Counsellors clients receive an exclusive 20% discount on aether’s baggage check-in service. 🎉

I’ve put together a full guide explaining exactly how aether works, who can use it and how my clients can access the exclusive 20% discount.

👉 Read the full article https://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/donna.gilbert/AetherManchesterAirport

Flying from Manchester and want to know whether aether would work for your trip? Send me a message and I’ll be happy to look at it for you.

Because sometimes the holiday should start before you even board the plane. ✈️✨

07/09/2026

So THAT’S why I’ve been quiet lately… 😂✈️🌍 My summer as a travel agent has been absolutely MENTAL!

If you’ve wondered what a travel agent actually does behind the scenes, here’s a little snapshot of the last few months…

✈️ 136 travellers checked in for their flights 🏨 34 hotels & villas confirmed and checked before arrival ⬆️ 8 room upgrades secured after I cheekily asked (harder when hotels are at capacity)  🚨 4 flight cancellations resolved before clients even knew there was a problem 🌍 12 countries travelled — Greece (LOTS!), Turkey, Egypt, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Mauritius, USA, Albania, Cyprus & Morocco 🤿 Including a big diving group in Egypt 🧳 5 missing suitcases — ALL reunited with their owners ❤️ ⭐ 13 Michelin-star restaurant reservations made, plus countless others 🐢 46 excursions booked 🚐 And countless transfers arranged!
Plus delayed flights, EES niggles and all the other little things that come with international travel… 😂

And somehow I even squeezed in a little working holiday in Spain to see family! 🇪🇸
BUT… that’s only the clients who have travelled. 👀

Behind the scenes, I’ve also been busy creating bespoke and tailor-made holidays for later this year and into 2027.
And there are some VERY exciting trips in the pipeline…

ALL of the above is my leisure travel.
It doesn’t include the corporate travel, business travel and corporate clients I’m also looking after.

So yes… it’s been a MENTAL summer! 😂
I may have been quieter on social media, but behind the scenes I’ve been researching destinations, finding the right hotels, building itineraries, arranging transfers and experiences, negotiating upgrades, sorting problems and making sure my clients have someone to turn to when things don’t go quite to plan.

Whether you’re looking for a luxury escape, a family holiday, a honeymoon, an adventure, a multi-centre itinerary, a ski holiday or simply someone to take the stress out of your holiday planning…

I’m here to help. ❤️

30/08/2026

🦈💙 WORLD WHALE SHARK DAY 💙🦈

Despite their enormous size, whale sharks are gentle giants. They aren’t whales at all, but the largest fish in the world, feeding mainly on plankton, fish eggs and tiny marine creatures.

Some can grow to around 12 metres, and every whale shark has its own unique pattern of spots, rather like a fingerprint. 🐋✨

🌍 Where can you see them?

🇲🇽 Mexico | June–September Isla Mujeres and the Yucatán are famous for seasonal whale shark gatherings.

🇹🇭 Thailand | April–June Koh Tao and the Gulf of Thailand offer the chance of an encounter, although sightings are never guaranteed.

🇵🇭 Philippines | November–May Donsol is well known for wild encounters, particularly around February–April.

🇦🇺 Ningaloo Reef | March–August One of the world’s most famous and carefully managed whale shark experiences.

🇲🇻 Maldives | Year-round South Ari Atoll is a fantastic option for snorkellers and divers hoping to encounter whale sharks.

🇲🇿 Mozambique | October–March Tofo is a brilliant destination for combining whale sharks with an incredible marine-life experience.

💙 But here’s the really important bit...
If you’re considering swimming with whale sharks, please choose your experience carefully.

Look for operators who allow the animals to come to you naturally.

❌ No feeding ❌ No chasing ❌ No touching ❌ No riding ❌ No crowding

A genuine wildlife encounter isn’t about making an animal appear.
It’s about being lucky enough to meet one in its own environment, on its terms. 🌊

For me, that’s what responsible wildlife tourism should be about: creating memories while helping to protect the animals that make those memories possible. 💙🌎

Happy World Whale Shark Day! 🦈

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Website

https://linktr.ee/yourtravelcounsellor, https://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/donna.gilbert/, http://www.yourtravelcounsel

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