Merrill Holst - Travel Professional

I have had over 20 exciting years in the travel industry.

Exciting, because I love helping people achieve their desired holiday experiences, plus with every consultation I learn so much about people and destinations.

I have travelled a lot myself and I love to explore different destinations and have “adventures in food”. I have travelled solo, with family of all ages, with friends, groups and on cruises.

My list of destinations already crossed off include the Pacific Islands, Australia, Asia, Dubai, Paris for eight wonderful days, Italy, parts of the UK and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Alaska, Canada, Disneyland and more!

If I had to choose a favourite place, it would be Paris! But walking on the Great Wall in China, having a fantastic meal in a most magical Balinese setting or Gallipoli are all amazing memories.

In May 2009 I am going on a 10 day Walking Tour of Tuscany & the Portofino Peninsular. See the itinerary here.

I look forward to the opportunity of helping you create amazing memories too.

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Testimonials:

Hi Merrill

It was a thrill on when our friend rang to say our tickets were in her hands, it makes our holiday seem quite real and certainly looming up fast.

We have to tell you, you have been a star over the past months with the service you have provided and your friendly correspondence, I almost feel like we have a new friend.
Thank you sincerely. When we return we will be in contact with you, in meantime keep warm & safe.

Kind regards, Gwenda & Bruce
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Hi there Merrill,

Sorry if I haven't got back to you. I feel like I haven't but now I am thinking that I did. Just want to say again, how much we enjoyed our trip and that all bookings everything went over with ease. There were no complications whatsoever, and our accommodation in LA was awesome. It was in walking distance to Disneyland. Awesome. We will surely deal with you again in our future travels, some are coming up. Thanks heaps. Esther and the rest.

Thank you for the little nick naks in our tickets etc. Thanks again.

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Dear Merrill,

Dealing with you and your Company has been like finding water in the Sahara.
Now we can confidently let people know when we will arrive in the UK and give those who wish to do so time to flee the country!

Many thanks,

John

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Hi Merrill,

Thank you for your message, and it reminded me that we really should report back on our cruise on the Norwegian Jade from Istanbul to Athens way back in October.

It was great – we came back firm believers in NCL and the freestyle concept which suited us very well. The negatives we had heard about such as queuing for the restaurants just did not happen – we mainly went with the free choices, but had no problems. Also the organisation of offshore excursions (such as the very crowded pyramid day) went like clockwork. It was quite a full ship (2,400 passengers) but it never felt crowded. I also found the décor, which looked somewhat garish in photos, was much better in "real life."

The crew were unbelievably obliging. The cabin was very comfortable, with a wonderful bed. Entertainment was top class, and I also liked the fact that the entertainers dined in the same areas as us, so we could have a word or two.

We had a great run with weather, and you would only know the ship was moving for half a day in the 13 – the rest of the time you could not tell if the ship was in port or not.

Since we have come back we have heard some horror stories on other lines, and have been recommending NCL with some sincerity. It suited us very well.

Thank you for you help on this one. If we survive the credit crunch, you may hear from us again!

Kind regards. John and Lois

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Evening Merrill,

Morning here Our last morning in Cairo after our Avalon tour . Which was great , very well organised and professionally run . We have seen all the highlights of Egypt and now onto Turkey today . Many thanks for rearranging our flights, hotels and transfers etc All much appreciated and trust me it was a lot easier to have you sort it in NZ with the kids via email rather than me trying here in Egypt.

Having a memorable trip Thanks for all your assistance
Martyn @ Joanne

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Hi Merrill,

Thought I would tell you I went to Flight centre Expo here in Wgtn . It was bloody awful , It did nothing for their brand other than portray it as down and dirty low cost operator . Pricing seemed the same , Cairo is a cheaper destination to depart from as you signalled . With the pricing everything seemed about equal other than the service provided in helping clients sort there travel, there is no difference and that's where you win hands down .

Its a credit to you . I appreciate the service
Regards

Martyn

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Hi Merrill,

Thanks so much for your message of thanks yesterday.
It was nice of you to do that and it’s nice to be thanked .
I know we have many more questions and requirements than a lot of other travellers and we are grateful for the time and effort you put into this, especially when we often go with a completely different option in the end!
So thanks for the thanks, and thanks!
Jo

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Hi Merrill,

We are just back from our o’seas trip and found your kind note waiting for us in a mountain of mail.

The trip on the Norwegian Epic was absolutely fabulous! The organisation and service was 5 star plus. There was not one thing we could say could have been done better by the staff or any of the shore organisations. The ship itself is an absolute eye-opener. Our balcony cabin was just amazing – beautiful king sized bed, settee, coffee percolator, shower which was big enough for a big man, toilet, big hand basin, safe. The balcony was big enough for two loungers and a coffee table.

The ships stability was amazing, you did not know you were on board a liner in the middle of the Mediterranean.

There were 14 restaurants on board – only two required payment – the rest came with the package. We must have tried them all, ranging from British, German, Chinese, Japanese, Texan, Indian etc, etc. All of them  had food of a very high standard, and service which was faultless. To give you an idea of the service, you could order a bottle of wine at one restaurant, and if you did not finish it at that sitting, the staff would store it for you and you could then visit any other restaurant on the ship and ask for your bottle of wine, and it would be on your table in a few minutes. The restaurants were not even on the same decks! Now that is “organisation”!

Many thanks Merrill for your work on our behalf. It all went without a hitch and helped to make our trip a very enjoyable experience.

We will certainly come back to you for our next trip away.

Kind Regards, Bryan