Lucy Rollason at Limitless Travel told Jennie Carr about her job, and the tours that their guests enjoy.
What’s your role at Limitless Travel and how long have you worked there?
I’m very lucky to have a split role at Limitless which is both Tour Manager and Sales Consultant, when I’m not on tour I’m back in the office giving information and recommendations from my very own first-hand experiences. This is a great way to match up the right tour to the right customer and make sure all their needs and requirements will be met so they will have the best possible time. I have been in this role now for just over 3 months!
Can you describe your typical day?
My days vary when we’re touring but my priority is always making sure our guests are happy and the tour is running smoothly. I organise everything from what time we meet for breakfast, to what time we’re leaving for an exciting excursion exploring our destination. I’m there to give handy hints, tips and personal recommendations and ensure our guests get the most from their time away with us. My role is not only to manage the tour but also to be certain everyone is supported with their different needs whether that be helping someone carry their luggage to their room or plate up their meal from the buffet: they can rely on me to be there for additional assistance.
What special ’extras’ does Limitless Travel offer that make a real difference to travellers needing additional support?
Having a Tour Manager like me on tour, as well as a fully qualified care team, really does make the difference on each of our tours, it really helps our customers feel that little bit reassured that they can go and enjoy a holiday knowing someone is going to be there throughout to support them. We include at least 3 fantastic excursions in each of our tours and this really adds value to our holidays. We have visited each of our destinations to make sure that the accommodation is accessible, and so are the days out we are offering.
Tell me a little about your UK coach tours, how are the excursions managed and are the hotels truly accessible?
Our UK coach tours are very unique, as we provide that full support from a qualified care team throughout. We have some fantastic destinations across the UK on offer and each of them have been pre vetted by our staff, some of whom are wheelchair users themselves, to make sure that everywhere we go is going to be fully accessible. Our company was set up purposefully with the aim to make holidays Limitless for our customers, which is why it is important to us that everywhere we go has already been checked out and we know there is going to be suitable facilities for our customers. We chose our hotels very carefully and there is a long list of criteria that a hotel must reach to become one of our chosen hotels. Our hotels vary from fully accessible to partially, which is reflected in our ‘accessibility matrix,’ that allows us to match the customer with the most appropriate tour.
What about in Europe? There’s a good range of trips, are they suitable for absolutely everyone?
We like to be transparent with all our tours and understand some of our clients are going to have completely different mobility requirements, which is why we have set up an ‘accessibility matrix’ which is going to be rolled out onto our website soon. We use this to work out the level of accessibility and suitability for each customer. Some destinations may be a little more adventurous than others and we know this isn’t going to be suitable for everyone, so we will always make sure we are recommending the right tours for each individual.
And I noticed a safari in South Africa, wow! You must be excited about this one.
South Africa is very exciting for us all! It’s without doubt one of our more adventurous tours but the fact we can provide specially adapted accommodation, transport and even equipment hire out there is really thrilling for us all! A lot of hard work and research as gone into this tour and we can’t wait to take our first group out in October 2020!
Your holidays with care, is this where a guest would pay for an individual carer, dedicated to them? How does this work if the two people are total strangers?
Yes exactly, we have different levels of care packages available and once we have got a full understanding of a guest’s care requirements, we would match them up to a care package, this would then get qualified by our care coordinator who would determine if we had chosen the correct level of care and would validate the booking. The two people are likely to be strangers if it is their first tour with us, however we have many things we can put into place if the guest is apprehensive, such as setting up a pre tour phone call or meeting with the carer. We will always do our best to match personalities and each of our carers have been carefully selected for their welcoming, warm characteristics as well as their care experience.
If there are single travellers with disabilities, how do they get along in your groups?
A high percentage of our guests are usually single travellers and this is something that we are proud of. When you come away on a Limitless holiday you are no longer a single traveller as on all our tours we travel as a group. We eat breakfast together, spend the day exploring somewhere exciting together and then, tour dependent, have an evening of music and dancing together. By the end of our tours you really feel a part of the Limitless family.
Do you have a favourite memory of one of your trips?
There are many favourite memories but my number one memory is my first ever tour with Limitless to Tenerife. We had a great mixture of travellers and everyone got on so well! Here are some pictures from our first morning, waking up in the sunshine ready to start our exciting tour! Watching our customers for the first time, first hand, go into the pool and in the sea, things they thought they would never be able to achieve, that was really special for me.
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