Personal Travel Expert - Southampton

Audley Travel; Southampton; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life insurance

Healthshield health cash plan

Holiday 25 days rising to 30

Birthday day off

Wellhub wellbeing platform

Staff travel discounts

Job summary

Audley Travel is expanding into UK Retail stores and seeks a Personal Travel Expert in London (Sloane Square) to own the client relationship from first interaction through post-trip planning.

You will combine proactive sales, relationship management and travel expertise to design and sell tailor-made holidays, collaborating with Country Specialists to deliver premium, personalised experiences while guiding clients from enquiry to booking.

Qualifications

• Experience in a sales-driven, client-facing role in travel or premium service.
• Strong consultative selling skills and ability to convert opportunities.
• Ability to build long-term client relationships and deliver high levels of service.

Responsibilities

• Proactively engage retail customers and convert footfall into high-quality opportunities.
• Generate demand and build a forward-looking sales pipeline.
• Design and sell holidays, taking ownership of pace, follow-up and booking confidence.
• Collaborate with Country Specialists to deliver premium, personalised experiences.
• Own the end-to-end client relationship from first interaction through post-trip engagement.

Skills

Consultative selling

Relationship-building

Retail experience

Sales

Tools

Office 365 (Word/Excel/SharePoint/Outlook)

Job description

As Audley Travel celebrates 30 years of creating extraordinary journeys, we’re opening a brand-new chapter as we expand into UK Retail stores. We’d love you to be part of this exciting journey, helping shape this milestone retail experience from the very beginning.

Your Journey Starts with Us

For over 30 years, we’ve been crafting tailor‑made travel experiences that reflect each client’s unique perspective of the world, helping them create truly unforgettable memories. Behind every exceptional trip is a team of passionate experts, and this is your opportunity to be part of it.

When you join Audley Travel, you become part of a supportive, collaborative community that’s invested in your success. We empower our people to thrive through meaningful development opportunities, a culture that celebrates individuality, and an environment where your ideas are heard, valued, and make a real impact.

The Opportunity

As a Personal Travel Expert, you will be the owner of the client relationship within an Audley Travel retail store, delivering a seamless end‑to‑end experience from first interaction through to post‑trip engagement and future travel planning.

You will combine proactive sales, relationship management, and travel expertise to convert retail footfall into long‑term client relationships, while working collaboratively with Country Specialists to deliver a premium, personalised travel experience.

Key responsibilities include:

• Proactively engage retail customers and convert footfall into high‑quality opportunities
• Generate demand and build a strong forward‑looking pipeline
• Design and sell holidays, taking ownership of pace, follow‑up and booking confidence

Client Experience

• Own the end‑to‑end client relationship from first interaction through to post‑trip engagement
• Deliver a seamless client journey aligned to the Audley Way
• Design and sell fully transactable holidays independently within defined product areas (e.g. cruise, beach and selected short‑haul journeys), taking ownership of pace, confidence and booking completion
• Collaborate on tailor‑made Audley holidays that require Country Specialist expertise, co‑creating more complex itineraries while retaining full ownership of the client relationship
• Use sound judgement to determine when to lead independently versus when to involve specialist expertise, ensuring the right approach for each client
• Build long‑term client relationships to drive repeat business and future travel planning
• Resolve client issues and ensure consistently high standards of service at all stages
• Work in partnership with Country Specialists to co‑create itineraries where required
• Retain ownership of the client relationship while collaborating to deliver destination expertise
• Contribute to a one team environment, supporting colleagues to maintain continuity for clients

Retail Experience & Brand

• Create engaging, personalised interactions with all store visitors
• Inspire travel through effective storytelling and questioning
• Act as a brand ambassador within the retail environment
• Support in‑store events and client engagement activity

We offer both full‑time and part‑time opportunities with flexible shift patterns across the week.

• Full‑Time: 37 hours per week, worked across 5 days out of 7, with a base salary of £29,000 plus commission.
• Part‑Time: Minimum 22 hours per week, worked across 3 days out of 7, with a pro‑rata salary based on contracted hours.
• Both roles include evening and weekend shifts as part of a rota, and colleagues will typically enjoy one full weekend off each month

Store opening hours:

Monday-Friday: 10:00am-8:00pm | Saturday: 9:00am-7:00pm | Sunday: 10:30am-5:00pm

What You’ll Bring to the Team

You’ll bring experience in a sales‑driven, client‑facing role, specifically within travel or a premium service environment - alongside strong consultative selling skills, you’ll have the ability to convert opportunities and build meaningful relationships with clients.

Additional experience required:

• Ability to manage end‑to‑end client relationships and deliver high levels of service
• Commercial awareness with a focus on both immediate results and long‑term client value
• Confident working in a fast‑paced retail environment and engaging customers proactively
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Passion for delivering exceptional, personalised client experiences
• Good understanding of Office 365 including MS Word, Excel, SharePoint and Outlook
• Embodies the Audley values of being positive, being the difference, being one team and being passionate about travel

Why Audley Travel

Alongside competitive salaries and benefits that support your well‑being, you’ll find a role that inspires you, challenges you, and connects you to something bigger. If you’re passionate about travel and seeking a career that excites, rewards, and grows with you, Audley Travel is where your journey begins.

There’s more:

• This role is located in London (Sloane Square)
• Salary of £29,000 (full time) + commission
• Life insurance & Healthshield health cash plan - money back for costs associated with everyday healthcare (including optical, dental, medical, prescriptions, physio), and access to medical and wellbeing resources such as a GP service, employee assistance programme and counselling
• Holiday - 25 days rising to 30 days with length of service
• A day off for your birthday
• A day off for volunteering to support a charity, local support group or community work of your choice
• Wellhub – a wellbeing platform that gives you unlimited, discounted access to top gyms, studios, and wellbeing apps
• Benefits Platform – a reward scheme that gives you discounts and cashback with hundreds of retailers
• Enhanced family leave & pension scheme
• Discounted Audley trips (for you and your friends & family) and exclusive access to staff travel discount websites
• Long service awards & sabbatical leave

We welcome you to speak to our recruitment team at any point during your hiring process, if you have any specific questions before this please contact us on [e-mail].

We believe it’s our people that make the difference and who build Audley into the success it is today. We pride ourselves on enabling people to reach their full potential through promoting and celebrating a diverse and inclusive working environment and encourage you to let us know if there's anything we can do to make your application process easier for you for any reason to help you shine!