I want to show you what you didn’t know was there

Most people start looking for a holiday in roughly the same way.

They open Google, head to one of the big holiday websites, put in their dates and airport, and start scrolling.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But you’re only seeing what that particular search chooses to show you.

There is a much bigger world of travel out there.

That’s the part I want to show you

One of the biggest advantages I have as an independent travel agent is the number and variety of suppliers I can work with.

Some specialise in particular destinations. Some have access to independent and boutique hotels. Others specialise in villas, rail travel, touring, cruise, sport, wellness, Lapland or experiences that you might never come across in a standard package holiday search.

There are hotels and properties available through travel trade suppliers that aren't always available through the usual consumer websites.

There can be different room types, different flight combinations and different ways of putting a holiday together.

And sometimes, the best option isn't the destination you originally had in mind at all.

The obvious answer isn't always the most interesting one

Tell me you want a Greek island holiday and I'm not automatically going to stop at the islands everybody already knows.

Tell me you'd like to go away for Christmas and I'm going to look beyond the first few Christmas markets that appear on Google.

Tell me somebody loves Formula 1, football, tennis or rugby and suddenly we're not just talking about buying a ticket. We can look at making a holiday out of it.

The same applies to honeymoons, milestone birthdays, family holidays, cruises, wellness breaks and those big trips you've been saying you'll do "one day".

This is where I usually start:

What else is available?

Is there somewhere worth considering that you haven't heard of?

Is there a better flight?

A hotel in a better location?

A room type that makes more sense?

Could we do something differently?

You don't need an enormous budget

Finding something different doesn't automatically mean spending more.

Luxury travel is part of what I do, but so are family holidays, European breaks, cruises, sports trips and straightforward weeks in the sunshine.

The important part is knowing where to look.

If you've got £1,500 to spend, I want to use that £1,500 carefully.

If you've got £15,000 to spend on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, I want to use that carefully too.

Because it's your money and, even more importantly, it's your time.

This is what being independent allows me to do

I'm not tied to one tour operator.

I can look across different suppliers and specialists depending on what you're asking me for.

That can include flights, hotels, villas, cruises, touring, rail, transfers, experiences, sports packages and more.

It means I don't have to start with:

"Which package holiday should I sell you?"

I can start with:

"What could we do?"

And that's a much more interesting question.

I want to show you what you didn't know was there

That's going to become a much bigger part of Costello Travel.

Places worth knowing about.

Hotels you might not have come across.

Different ways of doing familiar destinations.

Sport and wellness experiences.

Independent suppliers.

And ideas that might make you completely rethink where you go next.

You don't need to know exactly what you want before you contact me.

Tell me what you're considering, your dates, who's travelling and roughly what you want to spend.

I'll take it from there.

If you're thinking about your next holiday, I can price this up for you — and show you what you didn't know was there.