Nichola Luke, a senior luxury travel specialist, had never booked the customer before, but spent time working with him to design the two-week 70th birthday celebration trip to Barbados next Easter.

The party of 12 – across three generations – will stay between the Colony Club (for the kids) and Coral Reef, flying with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Nichola said she shopped around for the best outcome for the client, and ended up booking through Pure Luxury, who she said was the quickest and more engaged supplier about the booking. She admitted the client had a lot of questions about booking in the current climate, but she was able to reassure him. 

“He mainly wanted to know that the company was legitimate, and I reassured him that our directors know how to look after customer money. He was also pleased to hear I’d worked for the company for 11 years.”

Nichola continued: “I want other agents to be encouraged that there are big bookings waiting out there... I was so happy be making a booking I think my passion overflowed and inspired him.”

She added that the Caribbean and Indian Ocean seemed particularly popular, with customers perhaps willing to “spend the money they’ve saved this year”, and revealed she’d even secured a 2023 Maldives booking.