This year’s National Travel Agency Day was a little bit of magic for all of us. We gathered with our head office team and franchisees for a relaxed, casual celebration, a day that felt more like a family reunion than a business event. Somehow, the Midlands weather smiled on us, giving us a perfect 25°C day of sunshine, despite the rain the day before and thunderstorms that followed. It was as if the weather knew we needed this day to be just right.

Both Sarah and I really enjoyed the Holiday Franchise Company summer party. It was a great opportunity to catch up with the fabulous Support Team, meet new people and get to know other franchisees. Everyone was super friendly and willing to give us newbies some great advice and tips. The presentation by Travelpack was interesting and good fun, and I found it really useful to have a chat with one of the Product Managers to find out more about their specialist area. The lovely food, the bubbles flowing and the sun coming out made it a great day!

Kate Henry and Sarah Edwards – Mirador Escapes

A Day of Connection and Learning

Our friends and core supplier, Travelpack really added to the day by organising a fun, laid-back quiz for everyone and sharing some brilliant updates from their their business. Thanks to Murray, Natalie, Darren, and Ankit. We handed out some prizes from competitions we’d held, and gave details of our own amazing FAM trip to the Maldives, which added a bit of extra excitement day.

What a lovely day we had last week all meeting up for a summer barbecue in a central location for everyone. Lovely weather made the day even better!

Great to meet up with current and new franchisees and share stories and make new friends. Hosted by Travelpack who were so supportive with their area specialists. It was lovely to chill out and have some down time with our colleagues. A great day I really enjoyed myself!

Emma Carrigan – Blissful Escapes

Sunshine, Prosecco, and Mojitos

After the quiz, we moved on to lunch, where Head of Franchise, Jo, took charge of the Prosecco and mojitos, and we all sat back to soak in the sunshine. It was one of those rare, perfect moments where we could all just relax, no talk of deadlines or sales targets, just enjoying each other’s company. For me, the best part was getting to know our franchisees better, beyond the usual business conversations. I found myself learning about their lives, their passions, and what makes them tick. It was refreshing, and it reminded me just how special our community is.

The Summer Celebration was a great way to get together with our fellow franchisees, catch up and let our hair down. It was nice to have such a relaxed get together, away from the day job, strengthen our connections and therefore our support network. Sometimes working for yourself in travel can be a challenge but chatting with other franchisees reminds us we are not alone. Thanks for putting the event on. Already looking for ward to next year!

Cat Sanders – Over The Moon Escapes

The Power of Community

Running your own business can feel like you’re juggling a dozen balls at once, and often, it’s a lonely job. That’s why days like this are so important. Being around others who are on the same journey, sharing stories, and celebrating our successes together, it’s like a breath of fresh air.

I’m incredibly proud of the network we’ve built. I won’t share the details of the conversations I had, but I do want to say what an incredible bunch of human beings we have in our group. These are people who take on extra weight to help others, who are willing to share their knowledge and insights, and who, of course, are always up for a trip to the bar.

Our Summer of Celebration wasn’t just about ticking a box on the calendar, it was about coming together, appreciating each other, and taking a moment to enjoy how far we’ve come. It was a day of connection, laughter, and a reminder that the hard work we all put in is worth it when we have days like this to share.

The HFC summer party was a great event. It was lovely to meet up with other franchisees, some I have known for a while, but some who were brand new. It’s great to share knowledge with those just starting out and also learn from those achieving amazing things! Thanks HFC for bringing us all together from across the UK to have some fun, socialise and build on our networks!

Mark Connelly Dawson – Hello Gorgeous Holidays

“I had a great day spending time with my fabulous HFC support team and fellow franchisees! It’s great to have a chance to catch up, swap ideas and knowledge and have some fun too!”

Michelle Barnard – Destinations By Design

Thoroughly enjoyed the summer party, it was an excellent opportunity to network with other franchisees and the product managers at Travelpack in a relaxed environment. The Holiday Franchise team really put on a great day, full of food and drink. Even the sun came out! Really appreciate all the hard work that went into the day and looking forward to the next one.

Philippa Ferguson – The Holiday Boutique 

I wanted to say a big thanks to Jo and all the team at HFC for organising such a great summer celebration last week.  It’s clear that you put so much effort into making sure everything is perfect and it really means a lot to know that it matters so much to you that you provide such a positive experience for all your franchisees.

It’s days like this which remind me why I chose to work with HFC.  It was a wonderful chance to get together with the team, and to see your friendly faces in person and have a good catch up.  The training organised through Travel Pack was really helpful and informative and I learned a lot.

It was a really great opportunity to speak with other franchisees, some who were already familiar faces, and some new.  Working as a franchisee can occasionally be lonely, but knowing the HFC team are always there to support you makes all the difference.  Having the opportunity to meet up with the team and other franchisees and all let our hair down together really strengthens those relationships and reminds us that we are one big team who have each others’ back even though we all have our own businesses.

Thanks everyone and look forward to seeing lots of you at the next event in January,

Lisa Hamilton – Zephyr Travel 

Amy and I attended our first group meet up at the summer social last week. It was so nice to meet everyone in person. Meeting other franchises was also very educational for us and we were given some great tips by other franchises to help us build our business going forwards.

Emma and Amy – Dream Travel Planners

It was so great being able to catch up with franchisees that I hadn’t spoken to in a while, meet people with new businesses and also chat with the lovely people in head office. I missed the Christmas conference so it was great having the summer party as another opportunity to connect.

Liz O’Donovan – Destinations Seekers.

The summer parry was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with the support team and the other franchisees. It was great to meet again in person and get the chance to get to know everyone better, not just on a professional level but also on a personal level. It’s so nice to be able to share our experience with other like-minded business owners, who can understand and support you. I can’t wait to see everyone again at the HFC conference!

Claire Masse – Frangipani Holidays