Our blog
Posted by Adele Youngs
17 May 2016
Mothers, businesses and our gift to you
Our theme in May is all about mothers - if you receive our monthly wallpapers, you will have received images related to some of the greatest matriarchs of European history.
In my blog post this month, I wanted to talk about a more personal matter related to being a mother. Both Kate, my fellow co-founder, and I are mothers, and setting up a company, as many of you will know, is very much like having a baby. In the early days, there are the sleepless nights (what have we done??!), the constant calls for attention from Baby Business (set up my website NOW!), and the very many teething troubles (best forgotten actually...).
Then come the toddler stages - the business that realises it can walk but that, every now and again, falls flat on its behind as it tries to reach something that it is just not yet ready for.
Our business is now rapidly approaching the age of eight years old - no longer a young baby, but not quite yet a stroppy teenager, thank goodness!
One thing I have realised, however, is that, unlike with real children, as the "parent" of a business you can do the following things that you can NEVER do with a child, even though you might try...:
1) You can set its culture, a motto to guide it and choose to have it support the things that are important to you
2) You can choose your business's "friends" (ie clients, suppliers and staff) in a way that we can't with our real children (although we may occasionally try!)
3) You can choose what it focuses on and if you think something will be a "bad influence", you can do your best to avoid it!
At the same time, a business does have a life of its own - for example, all the people that have worked with us and travelled with us have their own impressions of our "child". As our baby grows, we will do our best to guide it in the direction we think it should take but, ultimately, it will also make its own path in the world.....
Normally on Mother's Day, you get a gift from your child. To be fair, we all get gifts from our children every day, even those children that are our businesses.
However, in honour of mums around the world, and in honour of the parents of businesses who work just as hard, here is a gift for you. As we would tell our kids in the school playground, standing up to the bigger kids is sometimes hard.
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Posted by Adele Youngs
22 April 2016
Nervous groups and the Ireland paradox
Have you planned your next vacation yet? Now that Easter is over, summer is just around the corner in Europe and I must have been asked three times in the last week where I am going on holiday.
This year, we took a decision to try somewhere completely new to us - Estonia. This is an area I've never been to before and I am really looking forward to it: somewhere off the beaten track, a little different and (hopefully!) a bit quieter than some of the major European destinations can be!
This got me thinking. As we are fairly unique as a receptive operator in the fact that we offer tours across the whole of Europe and not just one or two countries, we see some very interesting trends. Have you had a group go to Ireland this year? The chances are that you have. You and everyone else, it seems! Ireland is one of our favourite destinations, but this year it has gone crazy. For the first time, we are seeing hotels reaching saturation levels.
So, all the groups that have been to Ireland this year will soon be coming home and looking for their next adventure somewhere safe, cost-effective and culturally rich - just like Ireland.
There are also groups that are looking to travel to Europe but are nervous about travelling to large cities, for reasons we can all understand.
So, what destinations will you suggest to the returning groups? Where may nervous groups feel a little more comfortable about travelling to?
Our list below outlines our top five countries that offer stunning destinations for groups whilst being a little quieter and perhaps a bit different.
1) Portugal - often shoehorned into an itinerary with Spain, Portugal itself offers amazing scenery, culturally-rich towns and cities (such as Lisbon and Sintra), great performance locations and fabulous prices. Wine and culinary tours are a great way to explore this country for adult groups, whilst student groups can learn about Portugal maritime history and exploration of the Americas from cities like Lisbon and Porto.
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Lisbon, Portugal's beautiful capital city |
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The wine region of the Douro |
2) Croatia - perhaps not so quiet as it used to be, Croatia is still a relatively new destination for many. Its stunning scenery is its main draw, along with incredible historic towns like Dubrovnik (as featured in Game of Thrones) and Pula, with its spectacular Roman ruins.
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Dubrovnik - one of Croatia's most stunning towns |
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The Plitvice Lakes National Park in central Croatia |
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No, not Rome, but Pula! |
3) Switzerland - perhaps best known for its mountains and (in our office, at least) its chocolate, we've seen Switzerland become increasingly popular. Its picture-perfect towns offer huge amounts of history, and its churches offer some of the best musical performance locations in Europe.
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Bern - the Swiss capital, dates back to the 12th century |
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Lucerne - located on Lake Lucerne amidst snow-capped mountains... |
4) Denmark - literally the bridge between northern Europe and Scandinavia, Denmark has a wealth of history and stunning locations. Perhaps its most famous son is Hans Christian Andersen, and the iconic statue of the Little Mermaid is one of the most visited attractions in Copenhagen. However, there is much more than just fairy tales in this friendly country!
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Copenhagen - the Danish capital and home to its royal palaces |
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Egeskov Castle - Europe's best preserved Renaissance moated castle |
5) Hungary - this Eastern European country has increased in popularity recently, in part due to the rise of the river cruise. The districts of Buda and Pest make up Hungary's capital city, and highlights include the Old Town, the Fisherman's Bastion and the 13th Century Matthias Church.
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Budapest and the Danube |
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The Hungarian Parliament building, Budapest |
As for Estonia, I'll let you know when I get back!
Posted 23 March 2016
by Adele Youngs
The Hidden Gems of Northern England
Many countries have cultural and (mostly!) friendly rivalries between different areas. In England, it happens to be between the North and the South. I was born and brought up in the North meaning that, for me, London and the south of England were places that seemed almost foreign at times - in the way people spoke, in the things that they did and even in the food that they ate.
However, when I was 18 I moved away from home to study at a southern university and then, as happens to so many, London called me and I've been there (or thereabouts) ever since.
From a tourism point of view, London is by far the biggest draw to England and it's easy to see why. It is one of the world's top cities however you choose to measure that, and probably the biggest jewel in the UK's crown.
Add to that the Southern gems that are Canterbury, Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford and even Stratford-upon-Avon, and it's easy to see why many who visit England think that that is all there is to see. Those that have ventured north usually do so to Scotland, with a hop and a skip past, perhaps, York or Liverpool and the English Lake District before they cross the Scottish border.
However, this last week I was honoured to be invited on a travel trade visit to North England to see some of the gems that are equally worthy of our attention. Given that our theme this month is "growth", it seemed a perfect opportunity to tell you about some of them and to highlight the tourism growth that this stunning region is seeing. After all, it's our job to spot trends and pass them on to you, and this is certainly one worth looking at!
 The rolling hills of Nidderdale - VisitEngland/Diana Jarvis / VisitEngland |
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We began our visit in Manchester, home to two of the most famous football (soccer) teams in the world - Manchester United and Manchester City. We were lucky enough to have a tour of the latter's stadium with one of the legendary players from the 1970's - Tommy Booth, a winner of both English and European titles. A stadium tour is always fascinating, especially of a club with such a history as Manchester City, and this is no exception.
Recently, the BBC moved many of its operations to Manchester, and the tours of their facilities are fascinating for any group. With a focus on radio, sport and the Breakfast news programme, tours cover all elements of journalism, the media and technology.
Me at the BBC - the forecast is bright for Northern England!
We moved on east from Manchester to some of the hidden gems of Yorkshire, a county with stunning scenery, more breweries than London, and a clutch of Michelin-starred restaurants - these are people who love their food and drink (and I was born in Yorkshire, so I should know)!
Harewood House is a stunning 17th Century stately home, and the current Earl has made the house incredibly accessible to visitors. We had the opportunity to meet him, and hear about how he manages to balance the historical integrity of one of England's great houses with the fact that it is an ever-changing family home. Special group access is available to this house and its stunning gardens, with exclusive group tours "behind the scenes". Indeed, for those Downton Abbey fans, the kitchen in the TV show was recreated in a studio, but based on the kitchen at Harewood House. In fact, as we were leaving, we were privileged to see the kitchen set up for the filming of a new TV historical drama, Victoria - coming soon!
Terrace Garden at Harewood House - VisitEngland/Thomas Heaton / VisitEngland
Ripley Castle has been in the same family for 700 years - an almost unique feat and one which has resulted in a historic house which is still a family home, but complete with armour, a priest hole (from the time of Henry VIII), Tudor wood pannelling and at least one ghost... This visit is perfect for young groups as a huge amount of history can be covered in one location, along with many hands-on exhibits.
Finally, the Black Sheep Brewery is relatively new, founded in the early 1990s. However, it prides itself on brewing in a traditional Yorkshire way and tours of the brewery show visitors just how they have developed some unique beers. A tasting afterwards certainly adds to the tour! I carefully researched a good number, just to make sure they would be good for our groups, and I can confirm that they are!
Where I stayed:
The Lowry Hotel, Manchester - www.thelowryhotel.com
The Yorke Arms, Ramsgill (with Michelin-starred restaurant) - http://www.yorke-arms.co.uk/
The village of Ramsgill, Nidderdale - VisitEngland/Diana Jarvis / VisitEngland
Where I ate:
The French at the Midland Hotel - http://www.the-french.co.uk/
The Yorke Arms (as above)
For more information, just drop me an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or you can visit www.yorkshire.com, www.marketingcheshire.co.uk and www.marketingmanchester.com