By Kevin Bunch – New Client Relations
Go Beyond is now firmly established as one of the UK’s foremost travel companies for supported holidays. Renowned for our scheduled holiday programme, we endeavour to offer something for everyone when putting together our itineraries each year. Despite being in business since 2009, we are still learning, still evolving and continually striving to offer the best possible experience for those that wish to travel with us. A crucial part of this progress is taking on feedback and listening to what our customers want. Therefore, in 2017 we launched our Travel Buddy scheme. This stemmed from understanding that not everyone wishes to travel as part of a group or perhaps had a dream location in mind that (as of yet), has not made the final cut for our scheduled trips. So, we decided to give the option of individuals (or groups), choosing exactly where they wanted to go, how long for and precisely what they wished to do whilst there. And so Travel Buddy was born with our first request being a ski trip to Barcelonnette in the French Alps. Since then we have now facilitated dozens of trips with each and every one (without exception), being a huge success and absolutely fabulous!
Recently, I have just returned from being a Travel Buddy for one of our regular guests, Colin. Colin has always loved The Beatles and Liverpool Football Club yet had never been to the city from which they both heralded, so last weekend we put that right for him! The process, as always, started with an initial enquiry, where we discussed exactly what Colin wished to see and do on his trip. Next, we put together a proposed itinerary and provided a quote. Once agreed upon, the countdown begins and we suggest that before departure, we host a video meeting with the guest, their Travel Buddy plus the family/support of the guest and a Go Beyond director.
We truly believe that our excellent communication is one of the factors that distinguishes us from our competitors and this is maintained throughout the time we’re away. This is usually through a WhatsApp group with the Travel Buddy posting regular updates, photos and videos whilst away. The trip itself begins and ends with a door-to-door service at the location of their choice (typically a train station or airport).
For us, what is of the highest importance, is matching the right Travel Buddy to the guest. For example, it’s pointless sending me on a skiing trip when I’m more likely to be spending more time in A&E than on the slopes!
However, for Colin’s weekend away in Liverpool, I was the perfect match given my knowledge of the city, plus I’m a huge Beatles fan and football mad! And so, it was on a cold Friday afternoon when I met Colin and his support at their local train station, before heading north to the home of John, Paul, George & Ringo and of the six-time football champions of Europe. Before we knew it, we were checking into our hotel and heading out for dinner before settling down for the night ready for our exciting weekend ahead.
The Saturday was all about The Beatles. From our centrally located hotel, we took a stroll through both the old and new shopping areas, before arriving at The Royal Albert Dock and the home of The Beatles Story. This wonderful museum warmly welcomed us as we commenced our tour through the incredible journey the Fab Four went on from teenage hopefuls to the Rock ‘n’ Roll legends they became. After a cuppa and a bite to eat it was off on an open top bus tour of the city (hats and gloves required!), which conveniently dropped us at the end of Matthew Street, home to the famous Cavern Club. As we headed down the steps of the bar that will be forever synonymous with The Beatles, the live band (there’s live music all day and night), were belting out ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, as we revelled in the atmosphere and were transported back to the early 1960’s. It was a brilliant day and with a head full of music and memories, we walked back to our hotel in the knowledge that Colin had a few more things ticked off his bucket list.
After another overly indulgent breakfast, on Sunday morning we made our way to Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club.
With a 2pm kick off, we allowed ourselves plenty of time to visit the Liverpool F.C. Museum at the Kop end of the ground, which is an absolute must for fans of The Reds. The gigantic club shop enabled Colin to purchase the must-have LFC bobble hat, which was followed by us grabbing the opportunity to take a few photos of the famous old stadium.
Our match day tickets included pre-match hospitality, so it was to the Anfield Road end of the ground for us, where we enjoyed some light bites and entertainment, plus we met a couple of former players before taking our seats in time for the players to enter the pitch. As “You’ll Never Walk Alone” bellowed out of the speakers, it was then I believe that Colin fully realised his dream had come true and he was about to watch his favourite team for the very first time.
A great game, saw Liverpool win 2-1 v Wolves, which made the day even more special for Colin. Returning to our hospitality afterwards, we chatted away to fellow supporters whilst waiting for the main crowd to disperse. We then made our way back to the city centre and the more relaxed surroundings of our hotel. What a day!
And then before we knew it, it was Monday morning and we were back on the train heading home. Yes, Liverpool had served up a real treat, leaving us with smiles a-plenty, a promise to return one day and memories that both of us will keep for many years to come.
We hope this has given you all an insight as to how our Travel Buddy scheme operates and the attention to detail we go to, ensuring that expectations are not only met but hopefully exceeded! We have other Travel Buddy’s booked in for 2025 already, including a trip to Amsterdam and a big tour around several states in America. Everyone has a dream holiday in mind… what’s yours?
