Your Holiday Booking agent Gill Preston helped an elderly customer who is not internet-savvy to navigate complex travel and testing rules – and shopped for him while he isolated.
The homeworker said the client was aged 77 and doesn’t use apps – yet she managed to support him with a recent 15-night holiday to Tenerife, flying with Jet2 from Leeds Bradford.
A regular customer, he used to visit the Labranda Reverón Plaza in Los Cristianos twice a year – until the pandemic struck.
“He last went in February 2020 but hasn’t been able to go until now,” she said.
“Before he travelled in November, I helped him with the Spanish locator form.
“The hotel was brilliant and helped with printouts of my emails for his PLF [passenger locator form] and boarding cards for his return.”
However, while he was on holiday, the travel rules changed amid concerns about the Omicron variant – which meant that he needed a day-two PCR test for his arrival back in England.
“I ordered and pre-paid for his test so it was waiting for him when he got home,” said Preston.
She rang him at home after his return and found he was “in a tizz” about registering and taking the test, so she visited him – taking supplies of fresh food to help him while he isolated.
“He was thankful for the help, as he no idea what to do and was getting quite worried,” she said.
“He is a 20-minute drive from me and lives on his own, and was facing self-isolation for two days.
“After explaining what he needed to do and registering the test for him, I dropped it off at the nearest drop-off box.
“He got his negative result 22 hours later and was chuffed – he went to the pub a very happy customer.”
Preston said he has booked to go again in February and hopes to visit next November as soon as the holiday is available to book.
She said the testing rules mean that many older clients are just not booking holidays and some of those that have booked for the festive season have cancelled.
“It is such a shame – they have the income and want to travel,” she said.
“Booking with a travel agent is so much better than direct.
“This demonstrates what lengths homeworking agents go to for their customers.”