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Seaside Travel’s Richard Lowrey-Heywood tells Andrew McQuarrie about being blown away by Montenegro’s beauty – and its thriving culinary scene
Q. Why did you enter the Cover Stars competition?
I turned 40 during lockdown, so didn’t really celebrate it as much as I would have otherwise. I was at home with my husband and my children, but didn’t see friends or family. I always thought working through Covid was hard and thought, if we get through this, I’m not going to say no to challenges – I’m going to put myself out there. I saw the Cover Stars competition on Travel Weekly’s Facebook page, then recorded the video in one take and sent it. When I got picked for the final 12, I couldn’t believe it.
Q. What were your fellow Cover Stars like?
We were from all over the country and different ages and experiences, but we all got on and loved it. The WhatsApp group was set up before we went and it’s still going now. It’s such a lovely little group we’ve created.
Q. What was the highlight of the trip for you?
I’d never been to Montenegro before and it was a fantastic country. I was blown away by how beautiful it is. On one of the excursions, we went right up into the mountains and were about 700ft above sea level. The view was breathtaking. We also experienced great hotels and meals. But the highlight for me was Budva and the harbour going into the old town, where I had my photoshoot – I fell in love with it. You go past the walls and through the gates into the narrow streets of the old town, walk down an alleyway and you’re on a beach. It was just fantastic.
Q. Have you made Montenegro bookings since your trip?
Absolutely. I’ve made five or six bookings with Jet2holidays, including my sister’s upcoming trip with her boyfriend in October. Now I can confidently sell Montenegro, it’s a destination I regularly check for customers. It can be for anybody – a couple, a family or a solo traveller. I would love to go back with my husband, because I would appreciate the food scene and just have a relaxing stay. The hotel we stayed at, the Iberostar Slavija, was such a perfect mix of a resort hotel and a city break hotel. It was a great location – 15 minutes’ walk from the old town and five minutes from the beach.
People were walking past thinking, ‘What’s going on? Who’s he?’ It was a VIP moment I will never forget
Q. What did you think about the food and drink?
It was absolutely on point. The first day we got there, we went for lunch at the harbour in Budva and they brought out this amazing seafood – there was sea bass, prawns and calamari. It was brilliant. Even in the hotels, there was so much choice of food. A hotel we went to on the last night, the Chedi Luštica Bay, had an à la carte menu and it was really phenomenal.
Q. How did your photoshoot go?
It was so much fun. We had just arrived at the Iberostar Slavija and I had about an hour in the hotel and then we went to the harbour in Budva. I said to Steve [Dunlop], the photographer: ‘However you want me to pose, I’ll do it.’ People were walking past thinking, ‘What’s going on? Who’s he?’ It was a VIP moment I will never forget.
We went to Travel Weekly’s Globe Travel Awards, which was a phenomenal night. We had the best seats in the house and we got to go backstage and meet pop star Ella Eyre
Q. What was the rest of the VIP treatment like?
We had fast track and lounge access at Manchester airport and were given goodie bags by the Jet2holidays team, which was a great start to the trip. In Montenegro we had the most amazing experiences with food and hotels – all our rooms at the Iberostar Slavija were upgraded to suites, which were enormous and overlooked the sea.
The Jet2holidays team was fantastic because they were with us from start to finish and they felt like family. They planned all our excursions and guided us through the destination. It was great to see them embracing the new product – they made sure we experienced as much as we could, which has helped us sell to our clients. Then in January, we went to Travel Weekly’s Globe Travel Awards, which was a phenomenal night. We had the best seats in the house and we got to go backstage and meet pop star Ella Eyre.
Richard’s career
I started in travel when I left school, working for AT Mays in Workington, Cumbria, and then different agencies. In 2005, I did a summer season as a rep in Pefkos, on Rhodes, which was my heaven on Earth. I got offered a job while I was on holiday there, so I flew home, packed a case and went away for the summer of my life. I was 25, so one of the oldest reps, but it was great getting to know the culture and the people.
I came back and worked for Marks & Spencer for quite a while, but travel is an addiction, so I went to Thomas Cook. When they went bust in 2019, I worked from home for Jet2 and then joined Seaside Travel. I’m home-based in Scotland and the rest of the staff are in the northeast of England, but I’m part of the family. We’re all about customer service – it’s a real old-fashioned travel agency – and customers love it.
Want to be a Travel Weekly Cover Star? Entries are open for the 2025 competition, visit coverstars2025.com
