HOLIDAY specialists are keen to encourage people to relax and unwind with a break.

An independent travel agent in Middlewich is offering to help residents who may still feel anxious about going away.

Jo Lightfoot and Lynsey Bills and Andrea Jones opened the Travel Lounge when Co-op Travel closed across the road.

The trio had been working together for 10 years and wanted to continue to offer customers 'a good, friendly and professional service which often gets lost in bigger companies'.

Their business in Wheelock Street celebrates its eighth birthday in September and the girls are keen to continue serving their loyal customers.

Many local residents return to book their holidays year after year.

But, following the pandemic, most of their clients have transferred their trips to 2021 whilst others have been given refunds.

The girls want to remind the local community that it is now safe to get away, now or in the coming months.

"We are still here," said Jo. "We need people to know that it is safe to travel. All the tour operators have Covid-19 precautions in place and hotels are following Government guidelines. Safety is a priority."

To ensure social distancing, customers must book an appointment as only two members of the public can be in the shop at any time.

Hand sanitisers are available and sneeze screens have been installed at the desks.

"We want to encourage people to book holidays for next year," said Jo. "We're here to help and guide them. Greece and Turkey are already very popular.

"If people want to see what a place is like we can offer city breaks to beautiful cities like Prague and Budapest.

"We can even do UK holidays to lodges, caravan parks and coach holidays."

READ > Customers 'delighted' by stunning transformation of The Big Lock

Booking in person, she said, has lots of advantages.

"We can check passengers in, do all the boarding cards and print everything off," said Jo. "We offer price parity with companies like Tui and Jet 2 so it is no cheaper for people to book online and they are getting a personal service with us.

"People can book for next year with a small deposit and free child places are available.

"We think that holiday prices will keep increasing as tour operators try to claw back all the money they have lost. Now is the best time to book next year."

To book an appointment visit travelmiddlewich.co.uk or message The Travel Lounge on Facebook.