A Not Just Travel homeworking couple, the Travel Chaps, will open their first bricks-and-mortar store later this year.
Ashley, right, and Matt Phillips, left, launched Travel Chaps in January 2022, having previously owned restaurants in Cumbria, and now the married business partners say they are taking an ‘exciting step into the high street’.
“We’ve built such an amazing client base, and more and more people have been asking to meet us in person,” said Ashley.
“They’re asking for that more traditional travel agent experience, somewhere to come in and spend time with us in person.”
The Lincoln store is due to open in July, with Ashley and Matt employing two additional travel agents. “We’ve got two lovely ladies with a huge wealth of experience who are going to be starting with us,” Ashley added.
“One of our new agents is going to be focusing on the family market, while the other will specialise in the adventure market in Asia, China and Japan, with a more sort of bespoke, custom-built itineraries.”
Ashley and Matt are also recruiting an apprentice. “Curating the future of the industry is something that’s really important to us, so we are recruiting for one apprentice right now,” said Ashley, who has previously worked in HR and marketing management. “We’d really like to help the next generation travel agents come through.”
Renovation work inside the new retail shop is to start next week. “It’s going to look so cool,” Ashley added. “The shop fit is going to take about two weeks, then we’re doing a soft launch for training before our grand opening in July.”
Anyone interested in applying for the apprenticeship position can visit here.
