By Kevin Bunch, New Client Relations Officer at Go Beyond Holidays.
As we head into the Christmas and New Year festivities, it’s a great time to reflect on the past 12 months while looking forward to the year ahead.
Starting in business some 15 years ago as ‘Go Provence’, Go Beyond Holidays has always strived to grow and offer different and more diverse holidays every year.
2024 has without question been our most successful year to date. We’ve travelled further than before, welcomed more guests than before, and increased our staffing numbers as a result.
Kayaking in Finland
A distant dream
We never dreamed when our first holidays were offered in and around Provence those first few years, that we’d have reached these heights while staying true to our key values.
We started the year by heading out to North Africa and beautiful Morocco and then hitting the ski slopes of the French Alps. The year ended by taking a group up to Helsinki, Finland which also incorporated a day in nearby Estonia.
Every holiday this year without exception has been hugely enjoyable and memorable and we know our guests loved the destinations we’d chosen too.
Go Beyond Holidays’ Ian Callen speaking at an Icons of Inclusion event at The Dorchester in London
Growing our reputation
Our reputation in supported holiday travel has also significantly grown. When not away with our guests, we are attending expositions and events promoting the company and introducing potential clients to the possibilities and wonder of international travel.
In March, company director Ian Callen was invited to be a guest speaker at the ‘Icons of Inclusion’ event held at The Dorchester Hotel in London.
Ian was asked to talk about how the wider travel industry can improve their services to people who need support on their holidays.
Ian’s vast experience of organising and facilitating trips with Go Beyond made him a great addition to an outstanding list of speakers, all of which were experts in their field.
In June, we had a stand at The Autism Show at ExCel in London. It was a massive event, visited by thousands of people over two days. It was such a buzz to be there and we made some amazing connections – so much so, we’ll be returning this June to the same event.
As well as this, Ian, a keen photographer, showed a number of the photographs he had taken with our guests at an exhibition in Provence, France, where he resides.
It was an opportunity for him to champion our work and spread further the news of the supported holidays we provide and was fabulously received.
The photographic exhibition in Provence, with Ian Callen’s work on display
Industry recognition
In October, we were welcomed to a glitz-and-glamour awards ceremony in Manchester, courtesy of Aspire Magazine, after being nominated for an award.
You can’t choose to be nominated, you are approached to be invited and for us to be short-listed in the ‘Inclusivity Champion of the Year’ category was a true testament to our growth in the industry over the past few years.
I attended the ceremony on behalf of the company and it was an honour to be asked to represent Go Beyond Holidays. It was a wonderful occasion and although we didn’t come home with a shiny trophy, just to be recognised for the work we do within the travel industry was an achievement of which we are truly proud.
By way of further recognition of the respect and good name we have within the industry, Ian was approached to be part of the judging panel for another supported holiday category, casting his eye over the nominees and selecting his choice to be the recipient of that award.
Our new itinerary and brochure for 2025
The new 2025 brochure
Yet, of all our achievements and milestones this past year, perhaps we’re most proud of the itinerary we’ve put together for next year and the brochure we’ve produced.
After months of planning, on 30 September we announced this to the world by linking it to our website and posting hundreds of brochures around the UK.
We have an entirely new itinerary for 2025, where we’ll visit destinations such as Transylvania in Romania and the Portuguese island of Madeira.
The feedback has been wonderful, with dozens of holidays already booked up, a couple of which are nearly sold out!
Many of these confirmed bookings are from returning guests, but we’re delighted that we’ll be welcoming new guests into the Go Beyond family, too.
We literally cannot wait to get started, commencing with a trip to the stunning ski slopes of Malyovista, Bulgaria in March.
Please get in touch
If anyone would like to know more about Go Beyond Holidays and the tours we have planned for next year, then please head to our website to get a real feel for what we’re all about. https://www.gobeyondholidays.com
If you have a specific query or just want to discuss the potential of coming away with us, please give me a shout and I’d love to chat with you. Also, if you’d like a brochure to be posted to you, just ask!
Email: kevin@gobeyondholidays.com
Tel: 07904 878365
