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Your Stories: How we support clients with accessible travel needs
Not Just Travel consultant duo Dimple and her daughter Sonali Lakhani speak to Samantha Mayling
Q. What is your background?
[Dimple] I used to work as a bursar/business manager for a primary school. Sonali fell ill in 2010, aged 14, and the following year I become her full-time carer. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, became unable to eat and had to be fed by tube. At times her health deteriorated so much that doctors asked us to prepare for the worst. She fought with courage and overcame everything to be with us today. She is our warrior.
Q. How did you start in travel?
We live in Guildford, not far from Gatwick and Heathrow. Sonali’s dream was to work at an airport because she loved seeing people excited to be jetting off on holiday. This was not possible [because of her health], so we became travel agents, booking their holidays instead. Sonali studied travel and tourism at college and we looked at different homeworking companies. We liked Not Just Travel and attended one of their sessions, but Sonali’s health deteriorated and then Covid happened. So we started in May 2021.
Q. How did your business take off?
Initially we sold to friends and family and marketed on social media. People were confused about [Covid travel] rules, so we said we could advise them. Most clients are regulars; they keep coming back and will recommend us. My previous career at school helped me with the finance side, VAT returns and accounts – and making connections with people.
Q. How is Sonali now?
She is tube-fed, uses a walking stick and has chronic pain and fatigue, but helps when she can. She handles social media and holiday searches for clients, among other things. I handle the client service and admin. We’re a dream team. Sonali loves it when clients give us good feedback – it has given her a purpose, a new lease of life. Even in hospital, she takes her laptop so she can work from her hospital bed. With NJT, we can work anywhere.
Q. How is business?
We’ve just had our best year in terms of bookings – it’s been non-stop – and we love the travel opportunities of being an NJT consultant. Most sales are regular bookings. We are busiest with bespoke tours that people want us to tailor-make, such as Thailand but visiting different places – so we go through our suppliers to see who would be able to help us put it together. The NJT support team are always helpful, and we have training, webinars and company updates. There is so much on their hub that we can use on social media. We did an NJT trip to Cyprus with Constantinou Bros Hotels and there is an NJT summer party near us that we can attend. Because Sonali gets chronic fatigue, homeworking and webinars are ideal.
Q. How can you help clients with special and medical needs?
We know what the airlines and hotels offer – and we do research. We contact hotels to ask what they can provide for clients, and look at the location to make sure it’s not on a hill. Some clients have allergies or certain foods they can’t eat, and they come back [to us] all the time. We have Jain clients going to Mauritius who are very strict vegans and don’t eat onions or garlic either. We contacted the hotel, then showed the client the emails and they were happy. One new client has a husband with chronic fatigue, so we can’t send him to a hotel with too many steps or in a hilly location.
Q. How about clients with mobility issues?
Some elderly clients have mobility issues and need a wheelchair. We had clients who went to Vegas for a wedding but also wanted to explore, so we contacted the tours to explain how they needed help. We also had three ladies in their 70s who went to Sri Lanka for 15 days. One couldn’t walk very far and used a wheelchair, so we arranged a suitable car with a driver and made sure each hotel was suitable. They thoroughly enjoyed the trip and are planning another one.
Q. What is travelling like for you both?
Because Sonali is tube-fed, we make arrangements for the airport, flights and hotels. We often go to Dubai and Abu Dhabi as hygiene is so good there. We’ve also travelled to Turkey, Marrakech, Valencia and New York. Heat and warm water help Sonali’s condition and offer relief. It’s like a military operation, with lists of things we need. For anything medical, you can have free luggage. In February, we went to India and got two [allowances] of 23kg free for medical items.
We had to show doctors’ letters – we can tell clients what paperwork they need and evidence for prescriptions. If they’re going to Dubai, they need a licence for a controlled drug, like strong painkillers. We’ve had issues with items missing and broken, so we pack suitcases labelled ‘fragile’, ‘handle with care’ and ‘medical’. We buy stickers online and use AirTags, and suggest clients do too – it’s about making sure everything goes smoothly and stress is taken away. Despite being Sonali’s carer and spending so much time together, we love each other’s company.
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