Meet the North West’s stars of luxury travel: Designer Travel’s Emma Buckle from Chorley; Travel Counsellor Sara Dickenson from Cheshire and Wirral-based Global Travel & Cruise co-founder Sarah Meadowcroft. All three are finalists for Luxury Travel Curator of the Year at The Travel Agent Awards North West 2026 – and here, they share the very different paths that led them into luxury.
Emma Buckle
“I returned to travel just before lockdown after a career as a primary school teacher. In the last two years, I’ve turned over £1,000,000 and have just hired an assistant. Luxury was a natural fit because I love nice holidays, and when I started out as a homeworker I used to book all my holidays through Designer Travel.
“At the start, I grew my business using social media, posting content about my own holidays and niche destinations I’d researched. Last year I also put a couple of adverts on the back of my husband’s coaches as he runs a coach company, which has proven brilliant. But I met my top-spending luxury client – who’s just returned from a £90,000 private yacht holiday – at an Ikos resort while on holiday myself. Now 90% of my business is recommendations and repeat clients.
“Client want to know where agents have been, so I’ve found they end up booking destinations I’ve visited: I went on a Norwegian Fjords cruise, and my cruise business boomed; I went to South Africa and I couldn’t tell you how many South Africa holidays I’ve done since!
“They also want to be looked after, so that means I’ll do things like research the best restaurants, then book them the best table. For one client taking his girlfriend to Rhodes, I arranged a floating breakfast with big balloons, while for another, I organised a singer to sing his favourite song on a yacht while he sipped his favourite wine.
“For clients who book a lot, I send a Fortnum & Mason hamper every Christmas, and flowers on their birthday. And for no extra charge, I’ll send a scratchcard with the destination so they can surprise their loved ones.”
Sarah Meadowcroft
“My family imported gold and jewellery, which took us all over the world – Japan for pearls, Barbados for emeralds, Thailand for gold – and we always stayed in high-end hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and Aman. That was my education.
“I set up my company 26 years ago, and my first shop was in an affluent area, so we brought high-end travel to a local audience who wouldn’t have found it at another agency at the time. Clients were wowed, and we built up our database and repeat clients because I’d be recommending then-unheard-of destinations like Boca Raton in Florida.
“My ethos has always been: I’d never send anyone somewhere I wouldn’t go myself. It’s about educating yourself and truly knowing your product, then spending time with clients to understand what luxury actually means to them.
“Once you’ve built a toolbox of three or four properties you really know, that’s how you sell it. For example, I sell a lot of Sani Resort packages, and I could probably tell you the colour of the bath sheets. It’s the same with One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius, which I know is fantastic for multi-generational trips. I recently sent 20 people from one family there, spanning a 60th birthday to grandchildren.
“Luxury isn’t about price, it’s about service. One client was quoted £400 by her hotel for an airport transfer; I found the same journey with a local company for £80. Clients who can spend £150k-200k on a holiday have usually worked hard for it, so they still want value and the little extra touches, like emailing the General Manager ahead about a birthday.”
Sara Dickenson
“I began my career in travel at Thomas Cook in the 90s before moving to corporate. As I entered my midlife (crisis), I started feeling lost, and joined women’s community groups where we’d learn about wellness, from yoga to sound baths.
“I returned to travel last February and found that I naturally attracted like-minded clients who wanted to go on luxury wellness retreats. So now I sell packages to wellness professionals’ communities, with Portugal, Morocco and India as the most popular destinations.
“For these clients, luxury means authenticity, and excursions are key. For example, I had clients in India and they went to McLeod Ganj, home to the Dalai Lama, and that was really important to them. Others want spa treatments, but not at a polished five-star resort – instead they want local practitioners doing local treatments. They avoid anything that feels touristy, favouring experiences that are naturally immersive.
“I also can’t underestimate the value of an incredible local guide – I’m always on the lookout for them. A good guide takes the time to really understand what kind of experience a client is after, and can lead them somewhere completely bespoke.
“Ultimately, my clients don’t want just a nice holiday, they want to have undergone some form of transformation.”
Pictured from left: Sara Dickenson, Sarah Meadowcroft and Emma Buckle
