Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Customised Pre and Post Cruise Extensions in England
By Paull Tickner

Following in the footsteps of Prince William and Kate Middleton; On Location at Downton Abbey; Tea and Cakes in privately owned gardens; Choral Evensong in Canterbury Cathedral... Welcome to the exciting and profitable world of customised pre and post cruise extensions through Southampton, Dover and Harwich.

For many of your clients, especially those on their first or even second UK visit, the cruise lines’ add-ons do the trick.  However, there will be many others who will be much more interested in something that’s been carefully customised to meet their time frame, interests and budget.  Some examples (which can be run in reverse order) include:

·    A three night tour (available from May onwards) that takes in the royal connections in Windsor (including Sunday morning worship in St Georges Chapel INSIDE Windsor Castle) and Eton College where Prince William and Prince Harry both went to school.  The itinerary features a tour of the English countryside to see places associated with Prince William and Kate Middleton and then takes an interesting castles, stately homes and gardens route to the port of departure.

·    In August, the royal houses of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House (the home of The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall) can be added along with a day trip to Althorp, the childhood home and final resting place of Diana, Princess of Wales.

·    If like me, you’re a fan of Downton Abbey, an ‘On Location’ visit to Highclere Castle can be tied into visits to Jane Austen’s former home at Chawton and the spectacular Winchester Cathedral where they’ve created a fascinating selection of tours. 

For Dover arrivals and before going to Canterbury for a tour of its magnificent cathedral where choral evensong comes strongly recommended,  you really should include Dover Castle and a wander through the WWII tunnels that penetrate deep into the famous White Cliffs.  You can then add some time in the medieval hill top town of Rye, a close encounter with Foyle’s War in Hastings Old Town and a leisurely late afternoon stroll through the beautiful gardens at Sissinghurst Castle.  Subject to its opening hours, a few hours at Sir Winston Churchill’s former home at Chartwell might go down very well.

On the face of it, Stratford upon Avon might not appear to be an obvious pre or post cruise destination but if you look at the map, it is easily accessible from London Heathrow.  The journey from Stratford to Southampton is also an easy one and it can include Stonehenge and a pub lunch in Salisbury on the way.  More than that, those theatre loving clients of yours will be thrilled to bits with a programme based in Shakespeare Country because they will be able to go backstage and take in at least one performance at the totally refurbished Royal Shakespeare Theatre which reopens this month on 23^rd February.  Add the Shakespeare Houses, Warwick Castle and a visit to the stunning, countryside art gallery at Compton Verney and you’ve created a great programme for those often high spending, culture-loving customers.

With some creative thinking, you can also bring together the three great cities of  Salisbury, Bath and Oxford where over a three to four day period we  can blend together Arthurian legends, Jane Austen and Georgian England, Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis, Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter.

By all means, take the cruise line’s options but for those special clients who enjoy real ales (served at the correct temperature!), classic English Afternoon Teas served in archetypal English Tea Rooms, Brit-watching in privately owned gardens that rarely open for the general public, antique shopping and then more pubs and tea rooms, send me your client’s ‘wish list’.  Then, let me apply some creative thinking to a tour solution which will be memorable for them and a nice little extra commission earner for you!