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Travel à la carte Tony Wells Tony, the managing director of Travel a la carte, has been involved in the company since the early 90s. At that time, the company was run by his wife Mary while Tony, a linguist, worked for the BBC World Service. As the business began to expand, he found himself helping Mary out more and more, with the result that in 1997 he took early retirement from the BBC and joined Travel à la carte full time. It was only shortly after he made the move that Mary was diagnosed with cancer. Tony had to take over the running of the company and when, to the great sadness of family, friends and customers, Mary died in 2003, it fell to Tony to guide the company through some of the most tumultuous years in the industry. The advent of those two great engines of change, the internet and budget airlines, obliged all holiday companies to “adapt or perish” and to examine all aspects of their operations to see which could ensure their survival and success in the new era. Now, after a period of major change, Tony believes Travel à la carte is better equipped than many of its rivals to take advantage of the opportunities the new market presents. Under Tony’s leadership, Travel à la carte focuses on what he considers the three most important qualities of a successful holiday business in the 21st century: flexibility, expertise and excellent customer care. As these profiles make plain, Travel à la carte’s staff are distinguished by the depth of their experience and knowledge of our destinations. They have been picked for their responsibility, adaptability, friendliness and know-how and Tony is very proud to have such a team working for the company. You can rest assured that, from the moment you first contact us to the time you step on the boat or plane at the end of your holiday, you will be in the very best hands.Sue Ridgeway Sue Ridgeway manages the Newbury office, where she is responsible for the administration of all our bookings and accounts. Although Sue first worked for Travel à la carte in the mid 1990s, returning in 2000 after a short break elsewhere, her connections with Greece and the company go back to her earliest days. She first fell in love with the country as a young girl reading Gerald Durrell’s book ‘My Family and other Animals’ about his childhood on Corfu, and first went on holiday to Greece in the late 1960s. Since then she has visited many of the islands and the mainland, including all the company’s Greek destinations. In the 1970s she lived and worked on Corfu, first working in an office for a holiday company and then with a Greek owned car hire company. She can still speak some Greek, if it’s absolutely required! It was on returning to the UK from Corfu that she first made contact with the company, then called Corfu a la carte, after seeing an advert in the local paper. As a result, she took her Mum and other friends on holiday with them in the early 1980, to a village house in Aghios Gordis on Corfu’s west coast. So Sue’s connections with Greece and the company go back many years, giving her experience and knowledge which are of constant benefit in her relations with clients and the Greek staff.
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