The holiday industry has taken a big hit due to the pandemic but companies such as Travel Stop in Hadleigh have stayed open by remaining close to their customers and being available, as founder Bridget Keevil today confirmed.

Mrs Keevil added: "Many operators haven't been able to manage the storm and have been run out of business. We have been sensible and not wasted money where we didn't have to."

Travel Stop in Hadleigh, which first opened in 2013, has had to physically close its doors at times during the past 20 months of the pandemic, but it has been open for business in other ways.

Mrs Keevil, the company's founder and owner for the past 30 years, said: "We have had huge pink posters in the windows that says apart from our doors being closed, you can contact us by email, by phone or by appointment.

"We have been contactable throughout the whole of the pandemic.

"Where other travel agents like TUI closed their doors. We have been in contact with all of our customers within minutes.

"The whole travel industry has been decimated after the last 20 months. We have debts now that we have never ever had because I have chosen to keep all four of my shops open, even though the doors might not be physically open.

"A lot of the business is conducted via email and telephone and those people won't have noticed any difference whatsoever. It's just those who are use to coming in and chatting that have been affected."

"The whole travel industry has been decimated…"

As well as Hadleigh, Travel Stop has store locations at the founder's home town of Elmswell and also Buntingford and Claydon.

Mrs Keevil said: "We are a traditional high street travel agency but not in a normal way. We have very well travelled staff and our forte is putting together tailor made holidays and giving people ideas of where they want to go.

"At the moment we still only have one branch that is open six days a week at Claydon. Hadleigh is open on a Tuesday and a Saturday morning, but you can ring for an appointment at any time during the week and we will open our doors to any of our customers."

The beginning of the lockdown was tough for Mrs Keevil's business she said: "I worked initially from home I had four telephones set up in my study. All of the emails, all of the phone calls were diverted to me.

"Then gradually some of the other staff went on flexible furlough. And we all looked after our customers, throughout the whole time.

"Once we could open again it was best for all of the staff to work from one branch. Because that way the morale is higher. So we decided to open Claydon back up."

"It's not business as usual in any way shape or form"

Mrs Keevil said: "Travel is not normal. Even though the red list has been lifted it doesn't mean to say you can go to those countries cause they might not be allowing us in. There are still a lot of countries that have restrictions, it's not business as usual in any way shape or form.

"There are customers champing at the bit to go on holiday. We have sent lots of people away this year all very successfully. There are other customers that still don't think they are ready to travel.

"Holidays and leisure travel is something you have to look forward to. You have to respect every single customers opinion as to whether they are going to look forward to it or they are going to dread it. If they are not happy about travelling you have to respect that.

"I have traveled a few times and have had a superb experience. It has been lovely going through the airports.

"Yet the media have only reported the hours of queues when some boarder system went down. No one ever reports the good news stories."

The changes to travel have been more than just business but also how much the consumer has to spend on a holiday.

Mrs Keevil said: "Many countries require you as part of the covid procedure to have covid cover on your insurance. You need to get it. You need to make sure the insurance policy that you are buying covers covid.

"You can get some very good deals at the moment. As the planes aren't very full.

"Alternatively the United States which is opening up on November 8 have horrendous prices.

"Airlines have cut back on the amount of flights scheduled. There's no where near the same amount of flights there was pre pandemic. Once those schedules start building up again and there is more availability than the prices will settle down a little bit."

Mrs Keevil gave some advice, she said: "Anybody that transferred their bookings from this year to next year are probably going to win because a lot of those tour operators have transferred them over for the same costs of what they would have been this year.

"Whereas when you were trying to price up next years holidays they are going to be considerably more expensive than what they would have been this year."

"Travel opens the mind"

Hot climes and cruising remain top of holiday makers list and Mrs Keevile said: "The Caribbean has been very popular. That opened up quite early and a lot of people took the opportunity to go there and it all went very well.

"Cruising has also started again obviously initially just around the UK, but now the cruises are opening up around Europe and further away, and they're all going well so far.

"Many of the airlines have fitted new filters, which means the air in the aircraft is changed every two minutes. You cannot get a safer way of travelling.

"Travel opens the mind especially for children, it opens their mind to different cultures and is such an important part of life."

Will you be going away this year? What have been your travel experiences? Let us know your thoughts.

If you have a story you would like to be covered go to our main page: Hadleigh Nub News and click on the black Nub It button.

Interested in local events visit our What's On page here: Hadleigh Nub News What's On.

Never miss a story: Sign up to the Hadleigh Nub News newsletter below...

Or check out our other Hadleigh articles…