Plan Your World was launched in October 2025 by Lorraine Saunders, who has more than 25 years' experience in the travel industry, including eight years with Kuoni, where she held several management positions before progressing to Head of Sales, as well as roles with Virgin Holidays and Travelbag.

The first two consultants joined last October and November before Saunders opened Plan Your World's first shop in Herne Bay, Kent, in February which she says has helped "compliment" the model she has created rather than detract from it.

Speaking exclusively to TTG, she said: "The Herne Bay shop came about because the right opportunity appeared at the right time, with two consultants already local to the area.

"It is a welcoming place to meet clients, collaborate with colleagues and host training, but our future is not about rolling out a chain of stores. 

"Our priority is to grow a strong nationwide network of experienced travel experts who can be successful wherever they are based.”

Plan Your World – part of Hays Travel Independence Group – is now aiming to grow "a community of travel experts who want the reassurance of a trusted framework alongside the freedom to shape the next chapter of their careers".

Saunders hopes to hire between six and 10 new consultants over the next 12 months in addition to the two sales staff already in place.

She added: “Too often, talented travel professionals have been expected to fit rigid job descriptions, even when their experience, customer relationships and personal lives call for something more flexible.

"Plan Your World was created to offer a warmer, more adaptable way forward: independence with support, flexibility with structure, and the chance to build a business without feeling on your own.”

James Underdown, one of two Plan Your World Personal Travel Consultants, said: "The flexibility of being able to work in-store or from home and manage my own time is ideal."

'Sustainable growth' aim

Saunders said: "For the Personal Travel Consultants who are there now, the shop creates a lovely space for face-to-face client meetings, a positive environment to work in and a blend of shop-based and home-based working. It is also a strong showcase for the brand and a great base for training, meetings and building a shared culture.

"My aim is to grow Plan Your World in a sustainable way, with the right people and the right support around them, rather than simply expanding for the sake of it." 

She added: "Some future consultants may not be near the Herne Bay shop, so the model needs to be flexible enough to work beyond one location."

Saunders said she trusts her Personal Travel Consultants to work collaboratively with one another and run their businesses professionally. "There are no fixed rotas or prescribed working patterns. The flexibility is entirely intentional and is one of the aspects that makes the model work so well," she continued. 

When asked why she had decided to create this flexible agent-led working model, Saunders said: "I’m passionate about travel, raising standards in travel and about building a business in a way that feels exciting, entrepreneurial and sustainable for the long term.

"This is not about reducing overheads; it is about creating a modern model that reflects how people want to live and work now. Many people are looking to blend meaningful careers with family life, flexibility and personal ambition, and that is something I wholeheartedly believe in and want to support."