Gail Bateman
Director & Founder
Travel Experience: I have worked in the travel industry since 1981 travelling all over the world. I started cruising in 1980 which has been my passion ever since, I think cruising runs in my blood, this has been passed down from my mother who does a World Cruise every year and her mother before her. The cruising bug has also now been passed down to my daughter Jess, our Operations Manager, who has cruised from being 6 months old. Travel Advisors UK Ltd (trading as Chatsworth Travel) was born from my dining room in 1999 and I am proud to say has gone from strength to strength based on personal service and experience.
My favourite destination: St Lucia
My favourite cruise ship: P&O Cruises – Aurora
Jess Bateman
Operations Manager
Travel Experience: My passion has been, and always will be, cruising (and going on different holidays in general of course!) Having cruised since I was 6 months old and having done my work experience throughout my school days at Chatsworth Travel I knew that this was the path for me! After completing all my qualifications, I decided to join Chatsworth Travel in 2013. My job here is to do all our advertising, running our social media, to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s and generally run the office on a day to day basis (and the odd cruise booking!) I am proud to work alongside my mum and our fabulous very experienced team and keep building this amazing business from strength to strength! We’re like one big family!
My favourite destination: There’s too many to choose from but it definitely has to be Aruba!
My favourite cruise ship: P&O Cruises – Britannia
Joanne Hallett
Travel Consultant & Solo Travellers Co-Ordinator
Travel Experience: I started in travel in 1984 aged 17 – in fact I was trained by Gail! My travel career has lead me to work for independent & high street agencies over the years. I was branch manager of ‘Going Places’, part of the Thomas Cook group, for 17 years. During my time there, I had many highs & lows – being awarded Managers Manager in 1999, shop of the year in 2000 and 2001, but sadly, also seeing the demise of a few travel companies over the years too. I have witnessed many changes in the travel sector, but nothing takes away from good old-fashioned personal service!
My favourite destination: During my time in travel, I have been lucky enough to visit many places – my favourites are California, we honeymooned in Mexico, & really enjoyed Barbados. I was lucky enough to fly First class to and from Nairobi for a luxury safari in the Masai Mara & Tsavo game reserves and see giraffes, elephants & antelope in their natural habitat, which was awesome – the safari was amazing but the champagne on the flights was amazing too! Over the past few years, me & my husband have enjoyed cruising more and more. I had my 50th birthday onboard Emerald Princess which was stunning, and I can highly recommend Princess service as second to none. This year we took my teenage son onto P&O Cruises Azura and saw cruising from a family perspective – this was a real eye opener, as there is so much for children of all ages to do, the facilities & entertainment for kids is top notch and my son really enjoyed himself with other teenagers. I can highly recommend family cruising and am happy to make recommendations or discuss this further.
It is an absolute pleasure & joy to be reunited with Gail – our lives may have gone down different pathways, but its lovely to be working together again and sharing the fun and laughter after all these years. I absolutely love being a travel consultant at Chatsworth Travel, making my customers dreams and wishes a reality into 2018 and beyond!
Louise Hunt
Travel Consultant & Tailor-Made Cruise Specialist
Travel Experience: I started my career in travel over 21 years ago! I began working at Lunn Poly (formerly Thomson Holidays) in 1996 and held various roles within the company. I started as a travel advisor, became a store manager and also a regional trainer helping new staff begin their journey within the travel industry. In 2013 I was awarded the Thomson Holiday Travel Advisor of the Year award, given as a result of excellent customer service, an award that I am extremely proud of.
A few places I have visited: I have been lucky enough to travel and experience a wide variety of destinations, including Florida, Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal, various cruises and UK breaks.
My favourite destination: It has to be Barbados. I love the laid-back feel of the Island and the glorious sandy beaches coupled together with the great shopping at Bridgetown!
I pride myself on providing a friendly and professional service, placing my customer’s needs at the heart of everything.
Amy Webster
Speciality Travel Consultant & Marketing Assistant
Travel Experience: I started my journey in the travel industry as a 16 year old apprentice with Thomas Cook back in 2007. It’s now 11 years since I stepped into the industry, and I couldn’t be happier to be part of the Chatsworth Travel family!
I am lucky enough to have family abroad, so I have spent a lot of time in Greece as well as many other beautiful destinations across the world!
My favourite types of holidays to book for my clients are cruises, tailor-made and general worldwide holidays! – I love learning about different destinations and places around the world, and adding lots more destinations to my bucket-list for when my two small children are grown up!
In June 2018 I started a Special Interest group, for our clients who enjoy the ‘weird & wonderful’ type of holiday, and those who enjoy turning their hobbies into holidays! Whether you’d like a yoga, golf, tennis, motorsport, art, horse-riding or motorhome holiday, I’m your go-to consultant! (Don’t forget to ‘Like’ my page on Facebook – Chatsworth Speciality Travel, and follow me on Instagram – @ChatsworthSpecialInterest for all things Special Interest!
