Being named the UK’s best travel agency is one heck of an achievement, especially when you’ve only been in business for three-and-a-half years.
But for Hannah Porter and her team at Travel By Hannah in the Wiltshire market town of Marlborough, it’s just reward for a lot of hard work – and some great ideas.
Porter, whose business was last month named Top 50 Travel Agencies by TTG 2024 Top Agency UK and Ireland, took over the former Robin’s World Travel shop in December 2020 after the owner, who was in his mid-70s, decided to retire after 35 years.
That proved a timely decision, just as Covid hit. “He decided to quit while he was ahead,” says Porter, who was then managing the shop.
“He said to me, ‘I don’t want there not to be a travel agency here. I know you’re only 25, but would you consider buying it?’ – I was like a deer in headlights.”
Porter’s father had his own business, was a big travel fan and, importantly, was persuasive. “He said, ‘Why not? If it goes wrong, it goes wrong’.
“We knew that when Covid was over, everyone would really appreciate travel agents, so we went on a family holiday to Rhodes and I sat on the beach writing a business plan.”
In the end, while Porter took over the Robin’s World database and lease, she set up as a totally new business. “Robin taught me a lot,” she says. “Without him deciding to retire, I might not have taken the plunge so soon.”
Travel By Hannah opened “very softly”, with Covid giving Porter and her team an opportunity to find their feet while business built back up slowly.
She did have some experience to fall back on: “I started as an agent at 20 with Thomas Cook and I’m very lucky to be brought up in a family that prioritises travel,” she tells TTG, adding her job still gives her plenty of “pinch me” moments.
She explains her decision to go down the retail route, rather than homeworking, was not a difficult one, despite the industry’s shift towards homeworking after the pandemic.
Top 50: Travel by Hannah – in profile
“You do need a bit of [financial] backing – it’s different to homeworking where the overheads are your home,” she reasons, advising others weighing up their options: “Don’t be scared to negotiate your lease; go for a bit of half or free rent, because high streets do appreciate independent businesses.”
She has no regrets about her decision: “Having the shop has been integral to our growth,” she insists. “During Covid, I focused on social media, but having a physical location on the high street is something tangible, it gives people confidence. They stop and think, ‘Oh, right, she’s serious about this’.
“At the time, people were keen to support small businesses, plus I’m not very good at working from home – I thrive on human interaction.”
Porter nonetheless puts her success down, in part, to a “homeworker-style” use of social media, which attracted a younger audience, something she believes is vital for the agency’s future. Three-quarters of her first-year business was from new customers, particularly families and couples, with 60% now repeat bookers.
“We treat every booking the same, because you never know what they’ll book next,” she says. “You can’t be a master of all trades, but we try to be an agent for life.”
Doing the groundwork during the pandemic paid off, with the team’s innovative thinking attracting a growing and diverse client base.
One example is that while many agencies partner with wedding fairs, Porter instead sealed a deal to mail-shot registry office weddings and civil partnerships.
“Florists do it, but I don’t think I’ve heard of a travel agency doing this,” she explains. “Before, we got older couples or second marriages. This has brought us younger honeymooners, plus stags and hens.”
Attention to diversity and inclusion is another factor widening the team’s customer base. “We make sure our online imagery is representative of the wider market and we have several customers with special travel needs – some are wheelchair users, some have ADHD, and we have several same-sex couples. We’ve all completed inclusive language training; no customer is treated any differently.”
Personal connections and new appointments, meanwhile, have brought new opportunities. Porter’s partner Billy Eastmond brought sporting links to the agency, which now has a sideline in organising trips to watch football, grands prix and golf, while Milla Callis, who joined the business in January 2023, has previously worked on big name music tours.
Although in her early 20s, Callis has already travelled the world and become adept at tailor-made bookings. “She wasn’t an agent and has had to learn quickly but she’s absolutely nailed it,” Porter beams.
The newest member of the team is apprentice Lily Jones, who joined last October. “I was looking for attitude and awareness rather than years of experience,” Porter continues. “They are fresh to travel, they help me see things I’m maybe not noticing.”
