About Us

Cockermouth Travel is proud to be of the largest independent travel agents in the UK. Since opening in 1980 we have built up an excellent reputation with our team of 13 having over 255 years of collective experience within the travel industry.

Renowned for our exceptional service, professional advice and attention to detail, no enquiry is too big or too small for our experienced team who, through first-hand and specialist knowledge will go the extra mile to ensure that your holiday is completely tailored to you. From a spontaneous theatre break in London to a custom-made round the world itinerary – we will craft a memorable and bespoke experience totally created to suit your individual needs.

Plus with the financial security of our ABTA membership, this means that your holiday with us is 100% financially protected, giving you peace of mind at all times!

A few years ago we were asked to join the travel agents section of AITO, a network of the best independent travel agents in the UK! Joining is by invitation only and we are pleased to be often listed in the top 3 agents in the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and repeatedly in the top 10 for the whole of the UK!

Our 24-hour service

With our out-of-hours emergency contact number, we are on hand 24/7 if any unexpected circumstances arise and you require our assistance from anywhere in the world. In times of crisis, like the 2010 ash cloud and the recent collapse of Thomas Cook, we have always been just a phone call away.

For example when the it became clear that Thomas Cook’s future was not looking good, our team were already at their desks at 7.30 am Sunday morning implementing our (by now well used) disaster recovery plan, ready to call customers who were about to travel, letting them know what the plan of action would be if the worst happened. Once the collapse had been announced, the team then spent the rest of the week rebooking  holidays with minimal disruption to our customers and offering support to people stranded all over the world whilst starting the process of making ATOL claims for all affected. The team did an amazing job in very difficult circumstances!

Fast Facts

We are one of the largest independent travel agencies in the UK

We first opened our doors on the 1st June 1980

Our staff have collectively over 255 years travel agency experience! (The average multiple agency has between 40 and 50 years)

We have been members of ABTA since 1980

We were nominated as the Best Small Independent Agency United Kingdom and Best Independent Agency North of England at the Travel Agents Achievements Awards – for 7 consecutive years!

 We are on-call 24/7 365 days a year 

Our expertise is vast as we have specialist knowledge in many areas of travel, including hundreds of destinations worldwide such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, South Africa and many more – just ask!

We continually invest in sending our team on overseas educational visits to experience destinations and hotels first hand – Check out our travel blog for latest destinations we have visited!

Awards

We are so grateful to have received many awards and recognitions over the years, which are now displayed proudly in our office!

In 2017, we were awarded the “Overcoming Adversity Award” from the Advantage Travel Centres at their ceremony in London. This was awarded to us in recognition of our fast and efficient turnaround after the devastating flood that hit Cockermouth in 2015. After the destruction of our office from this event, in the space of just six weeks, we were back up and running, fully functioning in a beautifully revamped office.

Click here to read more about our 2009 and 2015 flood stories. Plus, how we managed to re-open to full operation in as little as four days in 2009!