A former nurse who became a travel agent earlier this year after illness forced her to give up her job is now planning to expand her business.
Sara McCready launched Gnome and Away Travel in February with her husband Kevin.
Becoming a Hays Travel Explorer franchisee meant she could work from home after being diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a muscle-wasting neuropathy which forced her to leave her former nursing job.
She was also diagnosed with thrombosis on the brain, from which she has since recovered, but now lives with a condition called Intracranial Hypertension, which causes severe headaches.
“After leaving school I had my sights set on working in travel but ended up working in nursing, which I did for many years until I fell ill,” said Sara, who lives in Uffculme, Devon.
“When Gnome and Away started, I was totally new to travel, but the support we have received from Explorer Franchise and the opportunity to work from home to accommodate to my health conditions has been fantastic.
“Regarding booking and customer numbers, the business has exceeded our expectations in the first nine months.
“We are building a base of regular customers, some of who are on their third or fourth booking and are actively recommending Gnome and Away Travel, which is a testament to our customer service.
“We are on track to continue expanding our reach, and by the end of 2025 we hope to have integrated our son, Sam, more into the business, who already helps out with social media.
“We would like to remain a family business at heart, but who knows? We are very excited for the future.”
Sara and Kevin also hope to raise their profile locally with pop-up travel events, Comic Cons and charity work.
Steven Reilly, head of Explorer Franchise, said: “It is brilliant to see how much Gnome and Away Travel has grown from strength to strength in the space of just nine months.
“It is also great to see how much Sara is thriving in her new role, which is a testament to how valuable Explorer’s flexibility is for our franchisees.”
