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Meet the Team

Meet the team that will help you see the world.

Andre Ashford

Sales Consultant

I left school on a Friday afternoon in July 1974 and the next Monday I started work in a Travel Agency in Bristol as an Office Junior, and have been a Travel Agent ever since. Over the years I have worked for a mixture of both Independent and Multiple Agents, and most of the last 25 years have been in a Management role. I am predominantly based in Bristol, but enjoy getting out and about and visiting customers in their own homes to discuss their holiday plans in a more relaxed manner.

Over the years I have been lucky enough to visit such countries as Australia, India, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, a Caribbean Cruise as well as most European Countries, but the place that keeps drawing me back is America. I first went there in 1982, and was sat with my wife recently and realised that we have now been there approaching thirty times. Because the country is so vast we have to do it in bite sized chunks, generally do it as a Fly Drive with a pre planned itinerary, and am currently planning the next one via Chicago around the lakes.

My highlights over the years

  • Sydney. A simply stunning city

  • Great Barrier Reef . Great snorkeling and diving

  • Nile Cruise. Full of history

  • Orlando. You just never get bored of visiting

  • River cruising

  • New York. The city that never sleeps

  • The National Parks in Colorado, Utah , Arizona and California. Great scenery and colors

  • And in Europe have been fortunate enough to visit such lovely cities as Venice, Paris, Madrid , Barcelona , Florence and Amsterdam

Get to know Andre

Work related

  1. When did you start working in the travel industry? 1974

  2. Why did you start working in travel / what brought you to the industry? Completely by accident. Was leaving school to go work for Sainsburys on a trainee manager scheme, and saw a job advertised in the BEP for a travel office junior at Lewis’s Travel. Thought it sounded interesting, applied and got it. So dumped Sainsburys for a life in travel

  3. What’s your favourite aspect of your job? Helping to guide and assist clients to make it perfect for them

  4. What’s the best holiday you’ve created for a customer? I love the USA , so any of the numerous self drive itineraries I have put together over the years

  5. What’s quality (or qualities) are most valuable in a travel agent? Got to learn to have a thick skin. Sadly there are clients who will take your ideas and time and book it themselves online to save a few pounds

  6. Best piece of advice / top travel tip? Make time to explore and experience a destination

About you:

  1. What would you be doing if you weren’t a travel expert? Probably running a Sainsburys store

  2. Top 3 favourite travel destinations (that you've been to)? USA (Utah, Arizona and Colorado), South Africa and India

  3. What are your Top 3 bucket list destinations? New Zealand, Maldives, Peru

  4. Name your Top 3 films: Papillon, The Sting, One flew over the cuckoos nest

  5. Best travel book(s)? Anything by Bill Bryson

  6. Favourite place in the UK? Love everything about Devon and Cornwall apart from the number of tourists!

 

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