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PERFECT GETAWAYS –
A TRAVEL AGENTS WITH A DIFFERENCE
Wirral Life talk to Nicola and Dave Palmer,
owners of Perfect Getaways.
We were invited to come and visit Perfect Getaways travel agents in
Neston in early January to meet the owners Nicola and Dave Palmer.
We entered the store but weren’t prepared for what we were about
to witness. This is a travel agents with a difference. They have bars
(apparently different specialist bars in each shop), artificial grass,
sweets galore, games, large screen TV’s, but most of all a warm and
relaxing atmosphere that makes you want to stay.
We sat down with Nicola and Dave (with a nice chilled glass of wine
from the fully stocked bar) to find out how they’ve ended up with a
travel agents so different to what we were expecting.
Firstly, tell us about Perfect Getaways?
Nicola explains ‘Well we are an independent travel agents providing
all kinds of holidays from all tour operators. We currently have five
shops in Little Sutton, Neston, Birkenhead, Liverpool and St Helens.
We opened our first travel agents in May 2017 in Little Sutton and chose
it as we live there and know a lot of the community. We then opened
in Neston as Dave is from Neston. Once these two were established we
then grew into the larger town and city stores.’
What made you open a travel agents?
We have been involved in travel since 2007 and we had seen a massive
shift away from booking on the internet in the last couple of years and
the value of having a travel expert advising on your holiday. The world
is getting smaller and people are getting more adventurous with their
destinations. A travel expert who can advise you what to do (and not to
do) is essential. A holiday isn’t a commodity – it’s a service and we want
to provide the best possible service.
How are you different to other travel agents?
When we were opening our first travel agents in Little Sutton we
looked at the competition. We found going into a travel agents to be a
bit boring, a bit stuffy and almost like going into a bank to get a loan.
Holidays are fun. They’re something that people work all year to be able
to afford and enjoy. We decided that surely a travel agents should be a
fun place to go to. That’s why we created our concept of ‘Your Holiday
Starts Here’. When you step into a Perfect Getaways travel agents it
should be the start of your holiday experience. Our shops have bars
with complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (all-inclusive),
beer gardens and seating areas to relax and enjoy looking at holiday
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brochures, big screen TV’s which are either playing music or showing
you videos of your hotel or resort, kids cinema rooms, sweet shops and
games consoles.
Why use a travel agents over booking online?
Firstly, we do everything for you. We help you choose your perfect
holiday and put it together for you so you have nothing to worry
about. We are part of Co-Op Travel Consortium so everything is fully
protected. If anything does go wrong we are here to sort it out for you
and deal with queries on your behalf. Because of the number of holidays
we book across our five shops, we have excellent relationships with all
tour operators so have massive bargaining power on your behalf.
Secondly, all of our pricing is live and fully protected. The price we give
you is the price you pay. There are no T&C’s where we can take your
deposit and then the holiday isn’t available or the price has increased
like a lot of the online companies. We are rarely beaten on a live price
by anyone.
Thirdly, all of our shops are ABTA registered and your holiday is
completely packaged giving you ABTA and ATOL protection. A lot of
DIY holidays on the internet aren’t fully ATOL or ABTA protected.
What message would you give to the people of Wirral on why to
choose Perfect Getaways?
Just come in and make the choice yourself. We are a locally-owned
independent company who wants to serve the people of Merseyside
and Cheshire by giving them the best holiday experience possible. We
are proud of our local community and support and contribute to it at
every opportunity possible. When you purchase a holiday with Perfect
Getaways you are choosing a local company that cares about you and
the area.
We would advise you to come and experience Perfect Getaways
yourselves. We have witnessed first-hand what they have done over
the last 12 months to give back to the local community and charitable
causes. The experience is one you certainly won’t forget.
Just pop into one of their stores or call Nicola on 0151 223 0087
and arrange an appointment. Going by our experience you won’t be
disappointed!