A former employee with collapsed holiday firm Thomas Cook has bounced back from the shock of sudden redundancy by setting up a new travel business in his hometown of Carlton.
Michael Shanahan is now a franchisee with the independent Travel Counsellors – running his own business around-the-clock from his home in the town.
This new kind of travel agent specialises in a highly personalised service that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which means their counsellors can advise their customers when other travel agencies have their shutters firmly closed.
Michael joined Travel Councillors – which now has more than 1,500 personal counsellors on the books – earlier this month after losing his job following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
The closure of the historic company hit 9,000 employees which included those in-store, overseas reps and cabin crew. It had more than 600 high street stores on a national scale which all closed after it collapsed on September 23.
He said: “I am delighted be part of Travel Counsellors and hope to bring a totally new kind of service to Gedling borough.
“The in-house technology available to me is incredible – better than anything I have used on the high street – and means I can search through thousands of holiday options for my customers at the best prices.
“Many people don’t have time to talk or even think about their holiday during the working week and that’s where I come in. I am available when it suits them and I can take all the hassle out of the booking process.
He added: “I think my customers will really value the personal, caring service and attention to detail I’m offering as a Travel Counsellor – you can’t get that online.”
For more information contact Michael Shanahan on 01158320000 or e-mail michael.shanahan@travelcounsellors.com
