I remember being at a franchise exhibition in London at the end of January 2020 and starting to hear about this strange ‘up and coming’ virus.

We spoke with some great people at the exhibition, some are now franchisees of ours, and some have put plans on hold until things become a little more normal.

2020 was obviously tough for everyone and we would have much preferred not to have to deal with a global pandemic, but we, and our amazing franchisees have managed to navigate the tricky waters remarkably well.

We’ve adapted, grown & improved. We’ve had late nights & early mornings. Dealt with cancellation and re-bookings. Rebooked the re-bookings and yet throughout all of this, our team of driven, passionate and dedicated franchisees have increased their turnover by over 350%, after cancellations!!!

So, this is a message to say thank you to our franchisees for being so great. You’ve proven that there is no bad time to start a great business. 2020 is done and I look forward to seeing you grow your businesses even more.

I’ve also seen amazing kindness this year. I’ve seen our network start to connect and friendships begin. I’ve had 3am starts opening my inbox to thankyou messages and messages offering us support if we need it, from our franchisees. You all know who you are and will never know how thankful we are.

To the guys that are just getting started with us, look back at the class of 2020 as inspiration for what can be achieved. Over the coming months we’ll see the world start to open up and a huge bubble of pent up demand will be yours for the taking.

But you don’t need to wait. As an online travel agency, you’re able to book holidays now, whilst high street shops are closed. You’ll be given opportunities from customers that wouldn’t normally shop around.

You’ve even got Simon Calder telling the public to book with a travel agent!

To the guys that are just about to join us. We’re so excited to welcome you to the team and start to become part of the community. We can’t wait to start bringing your brand to life and seeing your business take off. Enjoy the training and get to know us, and we’ll enjoy getting to know you.

So although 2020 had its challenges, it has forced our arm to try things we wouldn’t have before. We’ve refined our training which has now become accredited by the Institute of Travel & Tourism.

We’ve added Chris and Jordan to our team after receiving over 200 applications, both bringing incredible skill sets and experience that will enhance your journey with us.

Talking of the team (and what a team it is), thank you for your dedication and flexibility. I know the franchisees appreciate it and we couldn’t do it without you.

We were finalists and highly commended at the AFA Awards for Franchisor of the Year and Franchise Leader of the Year.

We’ve launched a new Travel Professional Package aimed at supporting the travel industry, and we’ve continually invested in our franchisee’s businesses with constant updates & new ideas.

We even have some on the horizon that no one knows about yet!