Not Just Travel homeworkers have visited Mauritius, Antigua, Barbados, Ibiza, Rome and Peru in recent weeks as part of the company’s training and developmental programme.
There were five overseas trips in September, giving almost 200 consultants the chance to network and attend workshops to help them boost their businesses.
Paul Harrison, NJT co-founder, said: “Not only are our agents experiencing record bookings but we’ve also stepped up our overseas training and developmental trips.”
The franchise’s Elite Package – the most popular option, chosen by more than 96% of its travel consultants – entitles agents to at least two overseas mentorship retreats.
In September, there were two Elite Experiences – one with 32 consultants and Harrison in several luxury Beachcomber Resorts in Mauritius, while the other saw 28 franchisees explore luxury Sandals Resorts in Antigua and Barbados with co-founder Steve Witt (pictured).
Harrison added: “Our Elite Experiences are seen as game-changers for many of our consultants. We get them away from the day-to-day running of their businesses so they can access and analyse how it’s truly performing and plan how they can grow it further.
“These trips are also once-in-a-lifetime experiences when they get to travel in style.”
The long-haul trips followed the Platinum Get-Together in early September when 130 agents sailed on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady for a week in the Mediterranean, along with 20 key trade partners. The cruise was a round-trip from Barcelona, calling at Rome and Ibiza.
Furthermore, 10 agents visited Mauritius for an Elite Experience golf trip, and 21 homeworkers and head office staff headed to Peru for a charity trek to Machu Picchu, raising funds for the Pink Ribbon Foundation.
The company has several other trips to Crete and Florida lined up this year and plans even more trips – including a ski trip to the Alps for 2025.
For the Elite Experience trip to Barbados and Antigua, agents were joined by three hosts from Unique Caribbean Holidays Ltd (UCHL) – Sandals’ tour operator in the UK – plus five corporate team members from NJT.
The event showcased Sandals Grande Antigua, Sandals Barbados and Sandals Royal Barbados, and was supported by the tourist boards of Antigua and Barbados.
Witt said: “Sandals Resorts and Unique Caribbean Holidays Ltd pulled out all the stops. The entire team across every resort was incredible – welcoming, engaging, and always going the extra mile to make us feel special. We were treated like royalty.
Faye Read, the business development manager representing Sandals Resorts, added: “This is the first year that we’ve been one of Not Just Travel’s key trade partners and we’ve seen a significant increase in sales since we kicked off the initiative.
“One consultant even made a Sandals Resorts booking whilst they were still in Barbados, and another made a booking straight after we got back, which goes to show how beneficial first-hand experience really is.”
Diane Sullivan-Kaplan, a Not Just Travel consultant on the trip, added: “I feel so fortunate to have been part of this trip. The itinerary was thoughtful and inspiring, offering not just amazing experiences but also practical takeaways to share with clients and apply to our business.”
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