Trailfinders

National Awards

Trailfinders has won most of the major national awards voted for by the press and travelling public.

The Guardian - Most Trusted 2016 and Best Package Holiday Operator 2016

The Times, The Sunday Times & The Sunday Times Travel Magazine Travel Awards - UK's Best Tour Operator 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013

The Telegraph Travel Awards - Best Tour Operator 2014, 2012, 2011, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001

Which? Awards - Best Travel Company 2015

Which? Consumer Travel Survey - Best Holiday Company 2014, 2013

CLIA UK & Ireland Cruise Excellence Awards - High Street Travel Agent of the year 2015, 2014

Trailfinders is considered a very reliable company and has built up a good reputation in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

History

Trailfinders was founded in 1970 by former SAS-officer Mike Gooley CBE with a staff of four. The company remains privately owned but today has a staff of over 1000 and has made travel arrangements for over 15 million clients.

1970

October »Trailfinders formed by Mike Gooley with a staff of four as an overland tour operator

1971

May »First edition of the Trailfinder Magazine published

1972

October »Developed the sourcing and marketing of discount air tickets to the public who began to benefit from affordable worldwide jet travel. Became the first flight consolidator/travel organiser and advertised discounted air tickets in the national press, emerging as the field leaders. 1977

June »Record first profit

1979

May »Became the first travel organiser to be IATA licensed

Became the first travel organiser to be connected directly into the Airline Computer Reservation System

Became the first travel organiser to be granted an ATOL licence by the CAA

1980

January »Admitted to ABTA and become the first fully licensed travel organisers conforming to the standards of all three regulatory bodies

1989

May »Kensington Flagship Travel Centre opens, state of the art one stop travel shop and the largest in the UK at 8,000 sq ft

1991

June »Open first regional Travel Centre in Manchester

1992

July »Books one-millionth passenger

1993 December »Bristol Travel Centre Opens

June »Set up the Clients Trust Account, protecting all client funds paid to Trailfinders

May »Glasgow Travel Centre Opens

1994

May »Open first Australian Travel Centre in Cairns

June »Ranked fourth largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK, outranking Thomas Cook, Lunn Poly and AT Mays

1995

October »Set up the Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity with a £1 million donation

March »Birmingham Travel Centre Opens

May »Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards - reader voted

Authorised to start issuing Australian visas on the spot from our Visa and Passport department in Kensington

1996

August »London Southside opens - the largest retail travel outlet in the UK at 11,500 sq ft

May »Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for second time - reader voted

February »Book two-millionth passenger

Volunteer to the CAA on an official basis to be responsible for the refund or repatriation of any clients suffering as a result of an airline failure

1997

October »Trailfinders Sports Club opens

March »Dublin Travel Centre opens

1998

June »Trailfinders 'duty office' role implemented providing 24 hour, 365 day cover for clients

September »Trailfinders Website goes live

October »Newcastle Travel Centre opens

July »Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for third time - reader voted Book three-millionth passenger

March »Sydney Travel Centre opens

May »Trailfinders logo rebranded and launched

1999

March »London City Travel Centre opens at No1 Threadneedle Street

Book four-millionth passenger

December »Mike Gooley is awarded 'National Entrepreneur of the Year - Consumer Products & Services'

2000

June »Dedicated First & Business Class departments launch in Birmingham and Bristol

May »Cambridge Travel Centre opens

October »Book five-millionth passenger

March »Melbourne and Perth Travel Centres open

2001

June »Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for fourth time - reader voted

October »Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards - reader voted Voted Best Travel Agent by Wanderlust readers

March »Belfast Travel Centre opens as a concession in Waterstones

2002

November »Leeds Travel Centre Opens

October »Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for second time - reader voted Piccadilly Travel Centre opens as a concession in Waterstones - the largest bookshop in Europe

July »The Trailfinder Magazine surpasses one million print run and a mail out over 550,000

March »Book six-millionth passenger

2003

April »Oxford Travel Centre Opens

The Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity passes £10 million in donations

The Sunday Times Rich List names Mike Gooley as the fourteenth most generous giver to charity

December »Belfast Travel Centre Opens in its own right

May »Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for fifth time - reader voted

Ranked eleventh largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK

July »Book seven-millionth passenger

October »Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for third time - reader voted

2004

October »Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for fourth time - reader voted

August »Covent Garden Travel Centre opens as a concession in Stanfords Maps and Books

September »Named a Cool BrandLeader for 2004 by Super Brands

December »Nottingham Travel Centre opens

Book eight-millionth passenger

May »Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for sixth time - reader voted

Ranked twelfth largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK

2005

June »Norwich Travel Centre opens

March »100th Edition of Trailfinder Magazine published

July »Ranked tenth largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK

September »Named a Superbrand by the Superbrands Council 2005

Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for seventh time - reader voted

August »Cardiff Travel Centre opens

October »Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for fifth time and only company to win their award every year since their inception - reader voted

2006

May »Canary Wharf Travel Centre Opens

Trailfinders sponsors the Gold Medal winning garden - 'Fleming's Nurseries Australian Garden presented by Trailfinders' at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

October »Cork Travel Centre Opens

September »Voted CoolBrand for the 3rd year

April »Brighton Travel Centre Opens

Booked 9 millionth passenger

December »Mike Gooley is awarded CBE for his services to the Travel Industry and to charity.

February »Winner No. 1 Retail Operator to New Zealand at New Zealand Travel Awards with Air New Zealand

August »Trailfinders Knightsbridge Opens in Harrods

March »Winner UK Leisure Air Seat Retailer of the Year at The 2006 Agent Achievement Awards

June »Canterbury Travel Centre Opens

Mike Gooley awarded prestigious 'Chairmans Award for Most Important Contribution to Australian Tourism by an Individual' by Tourism Australia

2007

July »Launch of Trailfinders dedicated Worldwide Cruising Team

May »Tristan Gooley, Trailfinders Vice-Chairman, successfully completes a Solo Transatlantic flight covering 2,751 miles from Goose Bay, Canada to Oxford, England

The £6 million Olympic Pavilion at Trailfinders Sports Club is officially opened by Steve Pound MP on 4 May

Trailfinders Australian Garden wins Silver-Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Aberdeen Travel Centre opens

November »Booked 10 millionth client

Voted Best Specialist Travel Organiser 2007 by Telegraph readers

February »Trailfinders at Selfridges, Oxford Street London opens

April »Edinburgh Travel Centre opens

October »Voted Best Large Tour Operator 2007 by readers of The Observer & Guardian

2008

December »Bournemouth travel centre opens

June »A winner in the Best Longhaul Tour Operator category in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine reader awards

October »Voted Best Tour Operator 2008 by readers of The Observer & Guardian

November »Voted Best Specialist Independent Operator 2008 by readers in The Telegraph travel awards

Trailfinders launches new Adventure Touring & Expedition Cruising brochure in partnership with G.A.P Adventures

May »Demise of the all-Business Class airlines – Trailfinders ensures none of its clients suffer any financial loss, rebooking and reprotecting all its clients or offering full refunds when Oasis Airlines, Maxjet, EOS & Silverjet all cease operations

Trailfinders Australia Garden wins a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Trailfinders Specialist Round the World & Tailormade Private Touring departments are created

January »Tristan Gooley, Trailfinders Vice-Chairman successfully completes a solo Transatlantic sail from Lanzarote to St Lucia, making him the only living person to have both flown and sailed across the Atlantic.

2009

June »Booked 11 millionth travel client

October »For the third consecutive year and tenth separate occasion, Trailfinders awarded Best Tour Operator 2009 in the Guardian, Observer and Guardian Unlimited Travel Awards.

2010

January »Trailfinders voted 'Best Tour Operator' 2010 by Wanderlust readers. 627 companies were nominated in the category

September »Exeter travel centre opens

2011

October »Voted Favourite Specialist Independent Tour Operator by readers in The Telegraph Travel Awards 2011

March »Conduit Street travel centre opens in London’s West End

May »Which? magazine readers vote Trailfinders number 1 in the UK Top Travel Companies survey Trailfinders Australian Garden wins a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

2012

April »Chester Travel Centre opens

May »Trailfinders comes top of the Which? consumer group Travel Survey 2012, scoring 97%

Trailfinders Australia Garden wins a Silver Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

June »Liverpool Travel Centre opens, Trailfinders 26th travel centre in the UK & Ireland

2013

July »Trailfinders wins Best Value Tour Operator in The Sunday Times Travel Magazine VFM 2013 Awards

May »Trailfinders Australia Garden wins a Gold Medal and awarded Best in Show at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show

October »Voted the UK's Best Tour Operator by readers of The Times, The Sunday Times & The Sunday Times Travel Magazine in their inaugural travel awards ceremony

June »Trailfinders comes top of the Which? consumer group Travel Survey 2013, scoring an impressive 92%

2014

October »Voted the UK's Best Tour Operator by readers of The Times, The Sunday Times & The Sunday Times Travel Magazine

March »Saint Albans Travel Centre opens

December »Trailfinders named High Street Travel Agent of the year at the annual awards of the prestigious Cruise Line International Association, the world’s largest cruise trade industry association. Trailfinders voted 'Best Tour Operator' by readers of The Telegraph

June »Trailfinders comes top of the Which? consumer group Travel Survey 2014

Guildford travel centre opens

2015

October »Richmond travel centre opens

June »Trailfinders named 'Best Travel Company' at the Which? Awards 2015 - Awarded maximum five stars for customer service

2016

September »For the fourth consecutive year and since the inception of the awards, Trailfinders voted 'Best Tour Operator' by readers of The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sunday Times Travel Magazine.

March »Reading travel centre opens

Trailfinders wins 'Most Trusted Travel Brand' and 'Best Package Holiday Operator' at the Guardian & Observer Travel Awards.

Trailfinders wins 'Keep Exploring' award. Trailfinders was recognised by Destination Canada, Canada's Official Tourist Board, as a UK market leader for our innovative and inspiring Canada programme.

December »Booked 15 millionth travel client

Mike Gooley also owns Bloomfield Lodge, a boutique lodge set between the Daintree Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef in Far North Queensland, Australia.

Mike Gooley, founder of Trailfinders, was the biggest private donor to the UK Conservative party in October to December 2014. He donated £500,000 (BBC News 19/2/2015).

Since 1995, The Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity has donated over £40 million to charity, the majority of which has been for the benefit of medical research.