The Travel Journal

11/01/2026

what an absolute BLAST‼️With low expectations, we were BLOWN away!!! This is seriously a cruise product to rival the very best at sea. From the incredible food, to the super slick service, we can honestly find zero fault, in fact we feel like writing to to congratulate him on taking cruising to a whole other level. An experience so amazing, we have just re-booked for November 2026! Looking for a cruise expert for your next holiday? Then look no further than ‼️💯

20/12/2025

AHOY THERE SAILORS!

It's nearly a festive wrap for yet another year, and OH MY, what a year it's been!

From birthday duet's in Las Vegas with Leona Lewis, to raising £12k for 'Breast Cancer Now' on our Crete charity hike...this year has been beyond EPIC!!!

As 2025 draws to a close we just wanted to say a heartfelt THANK YOU for all your continued loyalty and support in 2025. Our business continues to strive and grow from strength to strength, and we can't thank you all enough for turning our dreams and ambition for 'The Travel Journal' in to what it is today. THANK YOU!!! x

We also wanted to take this time to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and an amazing 2026.

Finally, you may be thinking...'what on earth is this picture of Ben about?' WELL...it's just us (Ben) spreading some festive cheer in our own creative quirky way!!! Cruising is quickly turning into our passion (verging on obsessed to be fair) and when we close the agency for our Christmas break we will be flying out to San Juan on boxing day to embark on a 7-night Caribbean cruise aboard Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages ladyship 'Valiant Lady'. For those that follow our instagram stories, this will definitely be one to tune-in for!

I'm sure you've all heard the rumours about Virgin Voyages?! Well we can guarantee there will be a story to tell on our return!!!

The agency will be closing from 1pm on Christmas Eve (24th) and will re-open normal hours on Tuesday 06th January. We can't wait to see you all in the new year and we're very excited about planning all your future travels!

Over and out...

Ben - The Travel Journal

x

27/09/2025

Just 1 more sleep to go until the BIG charity hike! Not gonna lie, I'm feeling incredibly anxious and I'm seriously doubting my cardio ability, but I keep telling myself the hurt and pain of completing the challenge ahead will quickly fade and what I'll be left with is the sweet satisfaction of raising a shed load of money for Breast Cancer Now! In reality, the self inflicted pain I'm going to put myself thru, is nothing in comparison to the pain someone goes thru with this terrible disease right?! Which brings me on to the fact it's PAY WEEKEND guys! If you can spare a few quid to support this amazing charity then please donate on the link below - in return for your sponsorship I promise photos of me when I reach the top in a big sweaty/ hairy mess complete with sweatband, lycra shorts, hiking boots, and walking sticks as your reward for doing so!!! 🤣🤪

Help Ben Poole raise money to support Breast Cancer Now

19/07/2025

!!! WE HAVE SOME NEWS TO SHARE !!! Ben has successfully been selected to take part in a travel industry charity hike to raise money for Breast Cancer Now. Ben has personally lost 3 of his dear and beloved travel industry friends to cancer in 2025, so this is his chance to fundraise in their honour and memory. Breast cancer touches far too many lives – including the remarkable women and men who form the backbone of the UK travel industry. This initiative is about more than just raising funds; it's about honouring those who’ve been affected, standing in solidarity with those still fighting, and remembering those we've lost.
The 2 day hike will take place on the 28th September 2025 and will cover 16 miles and some of the harshest - yet beautiful terrain on the Greek Island of Crete (including Crete's highest peak at 2456 meters). Ben isn't known for his cardio skills (or walking for that matter) so dig deep and let's see him suffer, whilst bringing the money home for this amazing charity! Click this link to donate AND THANK YOU FOR READING

Help Ben Poole raise money to support Breast Cancer Now

04/01/2025

01/08/2024

Happy Yorkshire Day! From our own little slice of Harrogate 🤍

15/06/2024

'Today's news, tomorrow's chip paper' here is your latest 'soggy Saturday' blog from The Travel Journal 😂 Have a great (wet) weekend everybody! ✈️🌎

(Photo credit ) HELLO old friends! Here we find ourselves (once again) in the month of JUNE, which can only mean one thing! It's the first edition of our blog for 2024! We hope you're all keeping well and warm, whilst enjoying the baltic Yorkshire summer out there. Glorious isn't...

29/05/2024

We stumbled across the most amazing hidden gem of a street in Venice CA today. Indie retailers, a real shoppers delight and foodies dream…when you know, you know! SO many photo opportunities, but this one is our fav ‘pic of the day’. Iconic. Follow our journey thru California on our Instagram story between 27th May - 04th June. Discover and add us on Instagram

10/05/2024

News just in! We’re officially Harrogate’s No.1 travel agency 2024🏆🍾🥂

03/01/2024

HAPPY 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣!!! Barbs 🇧🇧, as always, you’ve been a complete blast! The perfect tonic for complete relaxation. We’ve lived like Bajan’s, with the odd peppering of indulgence thrown in along the way. It had been 4yrs since our last trip ‘back home’ and a lot has changed in that time, some change for the better, and yes, unfortunately some change for the worse. These trips are always a ‘fact finding’ mission to make sure we’re armed with the most up to date intel to inform you, our clients, so please feel free to get in touch if Barbados is on your wish list for 2024, we’d love to tell you all about it. We land back into Manchester tomorrow and our first official day back into the agency is this coming Friday (05th) BUT we have a sneaky feeling Ben may be venturing into the agency at some point tomorrow afternoon to make an appearance as he is rearing for takeoff and the enquiries and bookings have already been surging poolside! Just excuse his appearance if he is rocking the Havaiana’s, shorts, and beach hair in the bleak of a wet/ windy Yorkshire winter…it’s what we call ‘airport to agency’ ready!!! 😂 We can’t wait to see you all soon.

19/12/2023

Our festive opening hours are now live once more...HO, HO, HO! Check them out at... https://www.thetraveljournal.co.uk/post/season-s-greetings-from-the-travel-journal Festive best wishes, The TJ x

And just like that, it's festive time once more! It's been 6 months already since our last newsletter...seriously though, where has the time gone?! We're finishing yet another year, on an all time high, with both record breaking trading and record amounts of passengers travelling in 2023. Putting it...