Experience Holidays

Our mission statement is quite simply to help you to have the best possible holiday, not only to meet your expectations, but to exceed them.  To find the best itinerary for you, to act at all times with honesty and integrity and to send you on a holiday that we are proud to have arranged.

We can and will –

• Answer the phone promptly and efficiently – usually within a couple of rings.  If for any reason we are not able to answer the phone, a short answerphone message will cut in, inviting you to leave your name and number.  We will call you back quickly
• Find the best flight price available and offer you alternatives
• Book airport lounges for each and every customer all over the world – if you’d like that little added extra luxury
• Offer holiday insurance either for a single trip or for an annual policy (we’ll need to know your age to offer the best option for you)

Responsible Travelling/Eco Tourism

This is very much a topic that is high on some people’s agenda, and not just with those going on holiday. We are seeing more and more of our suppliers rightly and proudly making us aware of their contribution in limiting the damage to their environment. Indeed, they are very aware of the benefits that good tourism can bring to their communities, which in turn helps everyone appreciate the need to protect the land, flora and fauna in which they live.

We do not pretend that all our suppliers have gone green over night, but it is a fact that more are making the change to a greater or lesser degree. This applies to the individual B&B as well as the bigger tour operators.

Nor does taking the environment in to account necessarily mean that it will cost the traveller more. By buying local produce or employing local staff, costs have been cut allowing this to be passed on.

If you would like this to be taken into account when booking your holiday with us, just let us know and we will do our best to offer you a ”green” holiday. 

Peter and Jackie Appleton 

Peter and Jackie are the owners of Experience Holidays, both were born and bred in Sussex, and continue to live on our family dairy farm in heart of the Sussex countryside.  Jackie’s career has been in the travel industry from school, apart from a break to have a family – their three children are now adult (well almost in the case of the youngest).  Her passion for travel originally grew from the wonderful stories told by her favourite Uncle – who followed a career with the original Peninsular and Orient Steam Navigation Company (P&O)!  Peter runs the family dairy business, but is an active Director and background management guru for Experience Holidays.  Peter’s passion for travel stems from two years away from home in his late teens, travelling the world on a shoestring.  He worked in both New Zealand and Australia before returning home overland via South East Asia, the Himalayas, India, Afghanistan and Iran.  

Heather Evis

Heather joined Experience Holidays in 2003.  During her time with the Company she has travelled extensively in Canada, America, New Zealand and Australia.  Her passion for travel started when she was 18 and travelled independently across America from coast to coast - having run out of money she returned to the U.K and has been in the travel industry for the 12 years since.  She has been a reservations agent for British Airways, an overseas holiday representative and an air hostess, so she is able to offer advice from all angles of your holiday!  Her travelling shoes are currently hung up, she has just given birth to her first baby, Isaac!  Hopefully junior will be a keen traveller too as she has big plans for the family - Namibia and Las Vegas are next on the list!

Gill Kemp

Gill Kemp has been with the company since March 2005, rejoining the travel industry after a break of 17 years, having previously worked for Cosmos Air Holidays when she lived in Bromley, Kent. Before joining Experience Holidays her travels were confined to within Europe – but after a long break the travel bug has woken up with a vengeance, and she has now developed a taste for long haul travel – enjoying trips to Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, joining an ‘Oceania’ cruise from Funchal to Barcelona, as well as a recent working trip to Wyoming and Idaho. Away from the office she enjoys listening to classical music, dabbling in a bit of gardening and cooking (but not both at the same time!), and regaling her family and friends with tales of her travels in the hope that she can persuade them to come and see the world with her!   She has just celebrated one of those ‘significant’ birthdays, and has just started to put some ideas together to mark the occasion...

Denise Horscraft

Our resident wildlife fanatic – although her official title within the Company is Accounts Manager – or keeper of the privy purse.  There is little Denise does not know about the migration routes of whale pods, the hibernation habits of the grizzly bear or the dancing lizards of the Namib desert!  And if we should spring a question on her that she does not know the answer to, you can bet she will do by tomorrow morning!  She is not exempt from the travelling bug, and travels the world at any opportunity to explore the wonders on offer.  Her latest trip to Namibia has been a dream come true – the big game of Etosha and the wilds of Damaraland have provided inspiration for several Newsletter articles to come!!

Peter made his career with one of the major High Street banks, but changed course a little later in life to join us at Experience Holidays.  He was born and raised in Africa, and has a passion and knowledge that is second to none for East and Southern Africa.  He is widely travelled through the Southern parts of Africa, in fact, if he’s not in the office, he’ll usually be found searching out a new route through the depths of Namibia – his particular favourite. 

Helen Wibley