My Journey In The Travel Industry

Over 30 years!

Where It All Began (1990-1991):

Discovered my passion for travel during a work experience week at Lunn Poly, Ascot

• Spent my time stamping brochures—but I loved every second!

• Enrolled in a Travel & Tourism course at Brooklands College, Weybridge

• The course was pretty dire. I signed up to a month-long work experience, and that’s where it all really began

Early Career:

• Gained hands-on experience at Alec Bristol Travel, Chertsey, leading to my first job

• Joined the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) and began my career as a travel agent

• Worked at top travel agencies, including:

  • Thomas Cook

  • Lunn Poly

  • Going Places

  • Teletext Agency – Holiday Now

• Balanced my career while starting a family

A Bold New Chapter – Canada (2007-2013):

• Emigrated to Nova Scotia with my family for a fresh start

• Began my cruise industry journey at Cruise Holidays travel agency

• Became a cruise specialist—even before I had taken my first cruise!

• Turned my dream into reality, both selling and experiencing cruises

Returning Home & Continuing My Passion (2013 – Present):

• Moved back to the UK and continued working for Cruise Holidays

• The company rebranded to Cruise & Travel Holidays, where I still share my passion for travel today!

My Journey – From Setbacks to a Thriving Luxury Cruise Business

Taking the Leap – Opening My Own Travel Boutique (2019)

Opened Lorraine’s Cruise Boutique at Ashridge Garden Centre, Binfield – a dream come true

• Unfortunately, the pandemic hit soon after, grounding flights and docking cruise ships

• By July 2020, I had to close my shop but continued working from home, hoping for a turnaround

Two Years of Struggles & Burnout (2020-2022)

• The travel industry remained at a standstill, leaving me and many colleagues burned out

• Struggled to regain my footing & to begin the social-media posting, caught in a cycle of stopping and starting.

• The world had re-opened, but I felt discontent.

A Game-Changing Moment (January 2025)

• A casual Zoom chat with a networking acquaintance sparked a turning point

• We motivated each other to rebuild our businesses and move forward

• I realised: I didn’t want to sell just any cruise - I wanted to curate truly extraordinary experiences

Rebranding & Rebuilding with Purpose & clarity

• Launched a brand-new luxury cruise website

• Revamped my Facebook page & rekindled my industry connections

• Reignited my passion for crafting bespoke, high-end travel experiences.

Exciting Changes Behind The Scenes (March 2026)

• In March 2026, following the retirement of our company director and her husband’s serious illness, the previous company sadly entered liquidation

• Thanks to swift action and careful planning by our head office team, the business was successfully restructured and relaunched as Distinctive Journeys

• I’m delighted to say I still continue to run my boutique franchise, Bespoke Cruise Holidays, with the same personal service and attention to detail as always

In fact, the new structure now gives us access to a much wider selection of cruise lines & partners, which means even more choice and value for you.

Up-to-date (May 2026)

• I’m 50+, happily married for over 20 years, with two grown-up children and one beautiful grandchild. I live and work from my home in Wokingham, and after all these years, I still absolutely love cruising and helping travellers discover the wonderful world of small-ship, luxury cruise travel.