An agent who wants to offer luxury holidays at affordable prices has opened her first shop.
Élevé Luxury Travel founder Laura Siedlecki held a soft opening for the branch in Ossett, West Yorkshire on February 18, followed by an official opening with suppliers and industry colleagues three days later.
“I’m extremely passionate about it,” she said. “This shop is something that I’ve waited a long time to be able to do, so I’m putting my absolute heart and soul into it.”
Siedlecki wants to offer “out of the box” trips to local customers and is “passionate” about offering options to those who may think they cannot afford to go on holiday.
She added: “Luxury for me is not just about the budget, it’s about the experience.
“As a single mum-of-three, there was a time when my children were younger when I couldn’t afford to take them on holiday, so I had to get really creative.”
Some examples of holidays Siedlecki has taken include a stay at a family-owned lodge in Greece she found through Instagram and safari camps in Italy.
Siedlecki has worked in travel for 15 years, starting out at Midlands-based coach tours operator Harry Shaw before stepping away for a few years to raise her three sons.
She returned to travel four years ago as a business development manager for One World Travel in Wakefield before moving to Travel Safe in Horbury.
She made the move to launch her business in her local village after noticing that a bridal shop was relocating to a bigger space.
Siedlecki said it was “too good an opportunity to pass up” as it was the “perfect” size and location.
She added: “I always used to say that when my children were more grown up, it would be time for me to find my career again, rather than just a job. My passion for travel has never gone away.”
The shop, a member of Protected Trust Services, will be open from Tuesday to Saturday, with Siedlecki hoping to hire more staff in future.
Pictured left to right: Emma Collis – PTS, Laura Siedlecki – Élevé Luxury Travel, Lucy Clarke – Travology Travel and Sally Murphy – Major Travel at the official opening in Ossett.