THE mediums for booking holidays are becoming increasingly varied, with internet bookings higher than ever before; but there's nothing quite like the personal touch of a travel agent - and it doesn't come much more personal than that of the Travel Counsellor.

This relatively new, independent, home-based travel agent is becoming more commonplace in Northern Ireland, as a number of more experienced high street travel agents hand in their resignations in exchange for a more self-managed, flexible career.

Sharon Morgan, formerly of Buttercrane Travel did exactly that. She gave up a 20-year-long career in high street travel in turn for her own home-run agency which subsequently has become so successful, she set up her own office in Bessbrook, a few miles from Newry.

"I was a travel agent for 20 years. I began at Moore and Dunwoody, moving to Newry Travel and then joined Buttercrane Travel where I worked for 15 years," said Sharon who is now an award-winning Travel Counsellor.

"I had built up so much clientele over the years, but working on the high street means you've not enough time to devote to your regular customers, and you can be dealing with a lot of wasted time, so I was approached by Travel Counsellors to come on board.

"I declined at first, but after having two months off work sick, I began receiving phone calls to my home from customers. Travel Counsellors sent me through videos and information. They invited me over to their head office and when I saw the sophisticated IT systems and the fact that 300 people worked for them I became totally inspired and that's when I made the move," added Sharon.

And what a move it was. Sharon has since won a Gold Travel Counsellor Award for making a profit of over £50,000 within a very impressive five and half months!

She was rewarded with a break in the Four Seasons in London where she was wined and dined and has also bagged herself a 'Gold Weekend' to Tenerife for being Best Newcomer.

Excellent

"I started working from home and the customers kept coming but I began thinking that my home wasn't my own so I opened my own office in Bessbrook, only half a mile from my house. It's excellent because everyone who walks through the door makes a booking, there are no time-wasters, it's all guaranteed custom," Sharon added.

So how does this new-found independence and job satisfaction compare to a former career in high street travel agencies spanning two decades: "I wouldn't say it's more difficult but it's more focused and definitely more sales-directed. People book appointments with you and you can offer them a more personal service.

"And the technology is amazing too. I can safely say that side of things is easier and we've excellent IT backup should something go wrong or crash.

"We have better, flexible commission levels and a bigger choice of systems meaning we can offer more. We use Phenix, an accommodation-only website, unique to us and it widens our options and we can give more competitive prices.

"I had a lady interested in a holiday. She was quoted £2,500 for it and she asked me to match it or beat it and I did so by £450, something which the high street can't offer."

Sharon has taken on more staff in the form of a former colleague from Buttercrane and she pays just £40 a month to bring in an administrator to cover paper work etc - something that would have formerly been in her previous contracts.

"It's just crazy hectic at the moment but I'm more than happy. I switch off after six and I decide my own hours. For example, I don't need to stick to high street hours, and I don't work on Sundays."

But would she go back to her old ways? "Not if someone came up to me and gave me the lotto," she laughs. "I would totally change my career before I'd go back."

But it's not a job for everyone advises Sharon: "You need to have your own clientele built up to retain custom before you even think about it."

And it's not only Travel Counsellors who are recognising Sharon's talent, the local newspaper the Newry Democrat presented her with a 'thank you bouquet' as requested by a customer which got her some well-deserved publicity through a headline story: 'Sharon in a world of her own'.

The ever-expanding Travel Counsellors now have 14 workers based in Northern Ireland, the majority of which joined the company in 2005.

Helen Furnivall who covers PR for Travel Counsellors said: "We think there is huge scope for far more experienced travel consultants in North ern Ireland to join us, not just for the work life balance benefits but also for the bigger earnings opportunities we offer."

Some of the benefits over the high street often include a better work/life balance with personally suited hours, better earning potential and because it is totally independent, the consultant is free to sell exactly the right holiday to the client without having to directionally sell.

"Head office takes care of all admin and ticketing, leaving the consultant free to focus on giving the best possible service to the client and because it operates the Travel Counsellors Trust Fund, consultants can tell their customers that absolutely everything they book is financially guaranteed," continued Helen.

"One of our key strengths is also our technology. We were the winner of the Technology in Business category of the recent CBI Growing Business Awards.

Technology

"We have invested over half a million pounds and have eight developers working full time on Phenix, our dynamic packaging technology. This gives our consultants access to net rates and allows them to set their own commission, meaning they do not have to worry about operator's commission cuts," added Helen.

Travel Counsellors is looking for experienced travel consultants who have four years out of the past five experience. Consultants interested in finding out more should contact cathy.oldfield@travelcounsellors.com; telephone 0800 072 5704.

BY EMMA DEIGHAN