A Note from Hannah Howe, People Director
As I approach my first anniversary with Enchanting Travels, I’ve been reflecting on what an incredible journey the past year has been. Joining this business has been both inspiring and energising in ways that are hard to put into words.
From my very first week, it was clear that Enchanting Travels is a truly special place, a business with a culture unlike any I’ve worked in before. Our people are genuinely passionate about what they do, deeply connected to our purpose, and proud of the impact they make. As a People Director, that kind of engagement is the dream. It means that even when we face challenges, we’re already starting from a place of positivity and trust, and that makes all the difference.
There’s no denying that this past year has been a challenging one for the travel market and for our business. Like many others, we’ve felt the effects of a softer trading environment and external factors beyond our control. But through it all, what’s stood out to me is the resilience, creativity, and teamwork that define Enchanting Travels. The way our people continue to support each other, stay focused on our guests, and keep driving forward is truly inspiring.
As we move into the next chapter of ET 3.0, I’m excited about what lies ahead. This new phase brings with it fresh opportunities to evolve, grow, and strengthen the foundations that make Enchanting so distinctive, our people, our culture, and our passion for creating unforgettable journeys.
On a personal note, I’ve felt incredibly welcomed, and it honestly feels like I’ve been part of the ET family far longer than my (almost) 12 months here. Speaking of family, we’re about to experience Enchanting Travels for ourselves with our first ET journey to Japan. Our Travel Consultant, Andy Finlay, has created an amazing five-city itinerary that I know will be unforgettable. Japan has been on my husband Joni’s bucket list for years, and now that the children are a little older, we’re finally making it happen. I can’t wait to experience our product through our guests’ eyes, and I’m sure it will give me an even deeper appreciation of what makes this brand so special.
As we look ahead to FY26, there’s a lot to be proud of and a lot to look forward to. We’re entering a new phase with renewed focus, ambition, and confidence, and I feel incredibly grateful to be on this journey with such talented and committed people.
Thank you all for the warmth, creativity, and energy you bring to Enchanting Travels every day. Here’s to another year of learning, growing, and doing extraordinary things together.
Warm regards,
Hannah
Marketing Team Meet in London, Mark Harrison
At the end of August, the senior Marketing team finally existed in three dimensions. Spread across the US and Europe, most of our collaboration happens via screens – so meeting in person at our Surbiton office felt like seeing familiar characters step out of the screen and into real life. It was also Melanie’s first visit to the UK office, adding to the excitement.
The week blended strategy and planning with genuine connection. Over coffees, dinners, and (see pic!) a boat on the Thames, we discovered the humans behind the job titles. Andrew, our heroic “Captain”, steered us with eyes mostly open, while in the conversation, laughter, and honesty flowed as freely as the wine.
Competition inevitably kicked in when the Sales team appeared nearby. Whether we technically won the race is up for debate, but the team spirit was undeniable. By the week’s end, we’d done more than align on strategy: we’d bonded, laughed, and shared stories – reminding us why in-person time, though sometimes rare, is also so valuable.
San Francisco Guest Event, Emalee Crosser
As Parik mentioned in the Enchanters Slack channel, we recently had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful guest event in San Francisco, California!
Parik, Peter, Derek, Heather, and I hosted the evening at Uccello Lounge, a chic space within the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The venue was recommended by one of Heather’s amazing guests, and it was a hit – the live pianist in the lounge set the perfect soundtrack, creating a warm and inviting vibe that carried through the night.
Here are a few of my favorite moments and takeaways from the evening:
- It was such a pleasure to see our talented sales team connect with guests in person, sharing their travel stories and passions. The guests I spoke with were full of praise for our team, which was heartwarming and made me proud to be an Enchanter.
- I had the chance to talk with Alison Love, who has taken 12 trips with us and generously allows us to use her images for marketing. As ET’s social media manager, I already felt like I knew her from her incredible photos, so meeting her in person was surreal – and yes, I was a bit starstruck, as she’s somewhat of an ET celebrity!
- As a remote worker in Kansas City, I treasured the time spent with my colleagues in person. After the event, debriefing and hanging out as a team was such a fun way to strengthen our connections and soak in the evening’s energy.
Overall, the San Francisco guest event was a memorable and meaningful experience – and I’m grateful to have been part of it!
Sales Team Spotlight
Rebecca Alterman
On a bustling summer evening, my husband and I headed to New Terrain, our favorite local brewery. True to form, their patio was packed, and we were hunting for a place to sit. We spotted a large picnic table with just one couple, Annie and Kelly, and their friendly dog, so we asked if we could share the space. They happily welcomed us, and it wasn’t long before we were deep in conversation. Annie is wonderfully chatty, and as we chatted over our beers, the topic naturally drifted to travel and their own upcoming vacation plans.
“As it happens,” I laughed, “I actually work in travel!”
Annie’s eyes lit up. She was so excited to hear about Enchanting Travels and what we do. We talked for a while longer, and as the evening wound down, we exchanged contact info. We thought it was just a lovely, friendly chat, but a couple of weeks later, an email from Annie landed in our inbox. That casual conversation had sparked an idea, and now they were seriously inquiring about a trip to Greece. The best part? This wasn’t just an impersonal email booking. Annie and Kelly were so invested in the connection we’d made that they came right into the office to meet their new official Travel Consultant, Emily Walter, in person. What started as simply trying to find a seat on a crowded patio blossomed into planning a trip of a lifetime. It was a wonderful reminder that connections can happen anywhere, and this fantastic, organically grown booking all began with two couples (and a dog) sharing a table.
Thidara Udomritkul & Akshay Maggu
This is a story all about teamwork amongst the sales team and tuning into the details. It all started when TC Akshay had booked trips to Sri Lanka, Thailand and India for multi-repeat guest, Jeremy Lewis.
During their chat Jeremy let slip a few key details: he was a huge fan of Argentinian red wine and was hugely looking forward to his visit to Mendoza, and that he was about to celebrate his 40th (Ruby) wedding anniversary. That’s when TCs Thidara and Akshay put their heads together. To celebrate their loyal guest’s big milestone, they sent Jeremy a surprise hamper featuring a bottle of fine Argentinian wine. The thank-you note they received back was priceless. It turned out, just as the hamper arrived, Jeremy had pulled his back and was ‘currently lying on the floor feeling sorry for myself.’ He wrote that the surprise ‘has definitely cheered me up and the red wine will undoubtedly ease the pain…!’
While we can’t officially recommend red wine as a cure for back pain, it’s a heartwarming story of how the collaboration of Thidara and Akshay’s thoughtful, personal gesture made a guest’s day in more ways than one!
James Brown
So, when I first started properly using AI at work, my most creative outlet was getting it to generate personalized birthday cards for our travel guests. You know, a nice watercolour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for someone off to Sydney, a beach scene for someone heading to the Great Barrier Reef. Simple, nice stuff. That all changed when I started chatting with Gemma. Gemma was one of our guests, and her birthday was coming up just before a big gorilla-trekking trip to Rwanda I’d helped plan. We were finalising details, and she told me,
“My grandma is my real travel inspiration, she was amazing.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked. “What did she get up to?”
“Well,” Gemma said, “she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in her sixties.”
“Wow,” I replied, “that’s incredible.”
“Wait, it gets better,” she said. “There’s an old photo of her in the local newspaper, standing right at the summit, freezing cold… wearing a Huddersfield Town football shirt.
“I absolutely howled. A Huddersfield Town shirt! At the top of Kilimanjaro! It was just so perfectly, brilliantly random. Without even thinking, I typed back, “Gemma, your grandma has set the bar impossibly high. There’s only one thing for it. You have to come back from Rwanda with a photo of a gorilla in a Town shirt.”
She loved the joke. And right then, my standard ‘Happy Birthday in Rwanda’ card idea went straight in the bin. I knew exactly what I had to get the AI to generate. This is the card I sent her:
Yamuna Bhuchar
Our favourite stories, the kind that really reminds you why this job is so special, is about a couple named the Brauckmanns. They first travelled with us back in 2023 on a trip to Japan, which our specialist, Yamuna, planned for them. She clearly did an amazing job and really “nurtured” them, the perfect blend of seamless planning and genuine care.
A little while later, they came back to us, and specifically to Yamuna, to book their next big trip: India. This one was special. It turned out this was a lifelong dream for Mrs. Brauckmann. She told Yamuna that as a little girl, she’d had a pen pal in India and had dreamed of one day visiting the country she’d only read about in letters. Yamuna was so touched, she poured everything into making it the perfect itinerary.
But here’s the best part. As they were finalising the details, the Brauckmanns made a special request. Their trip included a stop in New Delhi, and they asked, “Is there any chance we could meet Yamuna while we’re there?” It just shows the incredible connection they’d built, all over email and phone calls about Japan! And they did! Yamuna was able to meet her repeat guests one evening in New Delhi. They had an absolutely wonderful time together, finally putting faces to names and sharing stories in person. It’s just so lovely, a relationship that started with a Japan itinerary and turned into a real, personal connection, culminating in a happy meeting on the other side of the world.
Global Community Service Initiatives
Volunteers of America, Denver – Vineeta Laxminarayan
Rebecca Alterman organized a lovely summer afternoon of bonding through weeding, clipping, chopping, sweeping and raking a very untidy yard of a senior citizen who could not do it herself. We learned a lot about each other and about plant care through this experience.
Beach Clean up in Goa, India – Anshu Puri
Our Goa team meet-up this year was truly special — a few unforgettable days filled with laughter, sunshine, and genuine connections. After months of seeing each other only through Google Meet squares, it felt amazing to finally meet the real people behind the screens. There’s something magical about being able to sit together, share a meal, laugh over inside jokes, and discover how much warmth and personality everyone brings beyond work calls.
The highlight for me was how effortlessly work and fun blended together. Whether it was brainstorming guest solutions over breakfast, chatting about ideas during beach walks, or coming up with instant fixes for travel challenges while lounging by the pool — we were learning, connecting, and supporting one another in such a natural, easy way.
Our Beach Clean-Up activity added a deeper layer to the experience. Standing shoulder to shoulder, cleaning the shore under the morning sun, reminded us how small efforts can create meaningful impact. It was humbling, rewarding, and a beautiful reflection of our shared values — teamwork, responsibility, and care. Evenings turned into long beach walks, laughter-filled dinners, and some very lively late-night parties! Those moments of joy, music, and genuine camaraderie made us feel more like a family than just colleagues.
In today’s world of remote work, meeting in person feels like a luxury — and this meet-up reminded us how irreplaceable human connection really is. We returned not just with memories of Goa’s golden sunsets, but with stronger bonds, renewed energy, and gratitude for the incredible team we get to call our own.
Denver Office Team Lunches
For our monthly team lunches in the Denver office, we decided to do a Diwali theme in October and a Thanksgiving theme in November where our teams decided to put their culinary and decor skills on display. We were not disappointed!!!!
Diwali
Thanksgiving
and Congratulations, Mark Larwood!
