about the co-operative travel
Welcome to The Co-operative Travel website.
The Co-operative Travel is part of the Europe’s largest consumer co-operative. We operate over 400 high street travel agencies, a business travel operation, call centres, a specialist cruise operation and in excess of 600 travel homeworkers. Our business has grown considerably over recent years to become a diverse multi-channel operation and we now take care of the travel arrangements for over three million passengers every year.
As the UK’s largest independent travel agency, our independence means that we are not tied to one particular tour operator, which allows us to offer the very best deals around at the lowest prices guaranteed. We are totally committed to providing open, honest and responsible advice to help holidaymakers make an informed choice on holidays that they book directly through us.
As a holidaymaker you can choose to book your whole holiday with us or just the bits that suit you best from a wide range of holidays including package holidays in the sun, tailor-made holidays, UK breaks, European city breaks, cruises, ski and coach holidays. What’s more you can choose to book holiday extras with us too and make big savings on car hire, airport parking, airport lounges, resort excursions, travel money, insurance and attraction passes.
The Co-operative Travel really can help you discover a world full of holidays
Financial protection
We are full members of ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) and are also ATOL protected (Air Travel Organisers Licence) so you can rest assured that your travel arrangements will be secure with us. Click here to find out more.
Award winning team
At The Co-operative Travel, our knowledge and expertise is second to none. Our award winning travel advisors are highly trained and always on hand to offer practical support and advice about the holidays and destinations we offer. In 2008, 21 of our team of advisers won a number of prestigious industry awards, click here to find out more about our awards.
What’s more our extensive retail branch network means that you’re never far from one of our travel advisers, click here to find your nearest branch.
Ethical travel provider
In July 2008, The Co-operative Travel launched its new Ethical Strategy to underpin its core social and ethical goals. We were the first major UK high street travel agent to offer customers the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions in our retail branches and virtually all our outlets are powered by renewable electricity. As part of this strategy we also announced our intention not to support the development of a third runway at Heathrow and in principle, all other new runways in the UK.
Additional elements of our ethical strategy include:
-Free carbon offset for customers who book a holiday through us and are members of The Co-operative Group membership scheme
-The option for all customers who book a holiday with us to make a small payment to help fund carbon offset projects in the developing world
-The option for every customer to make a £1 voluntary donation to the Travel Foundation, a charity that supports sustainable tourism projects in holiday destinations worldwide
-The provision of funding for two research projects with the charity, Forum for the Future, to support research into greener tourism
-The provision of funding for solar panels at a school in each of our 18 trading areas in the coming year as part of the Green Energy for Schools campaign, operated by our parent organisation, The Co-operative Group
Click here for full details of our travel ethical strategy.
Membership
As a Co-operative, we feel it’s important to give something back to our members so that they know their hard earned cash is being used honestly with a share of the profits going to themselves and to their wider community. In 2008, we paid out £38 million of our profits back to our members.
Anyone can become a member as long as they believe in what we stand for and shop with at least one of our businesses. If you join our membership scheme you’ll receive a whole host of benefits including members’ share of profits as well as a range of exclusive members offers, discounts and benefits across our family of businesses. You’ll earn points on everything you purchase and these points will turn into cash twice a year.
Just ask your travel advisor for details on how to join or click here to find out more.
About The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group is a business democratically run by its members and our profits are reinvested into our businesses and the communities in which we serve. We currently have over 3 million active members, making us Europe’s largest consumer co-operative. In 2007, it had a Group annual turnover of £9.4bn and our 85,000 employees served around 10 million customers every week throughout our family of businesses including food, pharmacy, travel, funeralcare and financial services. Click here to find out more about The Co-operative Group.
Facts and Figures
-The Co-operative was voted the most ethical brand for the second year running (GFK NOP Ethical Brand Survey 2007 and 2008), ahead of The Body Shop. Marks & Spencer and Green & Black’s.
-The Co-operative was recognised for its leading edge, sustainability initiatives in 2007 and awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category.
-This year The Co-operative was named winner of the prestigious Business in the Community International Climate Change Award
Our Awards
Springboard Awards for Excellence – November 2008
- Best employer – Travel and Tourism
Travel Weekly Agent Excellent Awards (South East) – November 2008
- Best homeworker – Karen Dos Remedios, Future Travel
- Best manager, large agency 25+ shops – Ruth Spooner, The Co-operative Travel, Brackley
- Best sales team, large agency 25+ shops – The Co-operative Travel, Gravesend
TTG Awards
- Agent of the Year – David Hoyle, Future Travel
- Young Agent of the Year – Fallon Scott, The Co-operative Travel
Travel Weekly Agent Excellent Awards (North) – September 2008
· Best cruise agency – Cumbria Cruises
· Best business travel manager – Michael Crotty, Manchester (Co-operative Travel Management)
· Best business travel team – Co-operative Travel Management, Manchester
· Best homeworker – David Hoyle, Future Travel
· Best call centre sales consultant – Tim Styles, Apollo Travel
· Best manager small agency – Phil Nuttall, Holiday Village, Poulton (a Freedom Travel member)
· Best manager, large agency 25+ shops – Susan Hall, The Co-operative Travel, Sunderland
· Best sales team, large agency 25+ shops – The Co-operative Travel, Kingston Park, Newcastle
Travel Weekly Agent Excellent Awards (Wales & South West) – July 2008
- Best Business Travel Team – Co-operative Travel Management (Wrexham)
Travel Weekly Agent Excellent Awards (Midlands) – May 2008
- Best Manager (large agency) – Suzanne Thorpe, The Co-operative Travel, Nuneaton
- Best Homeworking Agent – Neil Smith, Future Travel
- Best Cruise Agency – Instant Cruise Holidays
- Best Sales Team (small agency) – Holiday Lounge (Freedom member)
Agent Achievement Awards 2008 – April 2008
- Leisure High Street Manager of the Year – Keeley Johnson, The Co-operative Travel, Oldham
- Homeworker of the Year – Gill Walker, Future Travel
- Regional Agent of the Year Award for North West England and North Wales – The Co-operative Travel