Based in George

Angela Symons

Looking for help with your business travel? Find out how I can help here

It's Nice To Meet You

Welcome to my web page.

Travel has been my passion from the moment I boarded the plane to the UK where I lived, worked and travelled for 2 years. That was 25 years ago.

I have had the privilege to travel to Victoria Falls, Mozambique, Mauritius, Dubai, The Seychelles, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bali, all over the UK and Scotland, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Canary Islands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand, in the USA - Alaska, Caribbean, New York, Miami, Washington, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and in South America I have been to Brazil including the Amazon jungle, Peru and Argentina. I especially enjoy cruising and have cruised to Mozambique, Mauritius, Western Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska and under the Northern lights in Norway.

Local is also lekker and I am always proud to showcase our beautiful country but there is still so much that I need to see and explore.
Recently, I have relocated to the beautiful city of George on the Garden Route and I can't wait to get to know this part of our country so that I can share it with you when you visit and offer first hand advice.

After I completed my studies in Travel I started my career working in prestigious hotels both locally and in London. This experience helped define my service excellence skills. When I returned back home to SA, I worked and managed travel retail stores for 6 years before moving into wholesale travel including product management.

After taking a year off to start my beautiful family I made the bold move to start my own travel business.
I am proud to have aligned my business with Travel Counsellors, an international home-based travel business. It allows flexibility, so I can meet at your convenience 24/7 in the event of an emergency. I have access to over 700,000 hotels worldwide, discounted airfare deals, car rental, tours and packages. I can alleviate the stress of arranging visas.

Another advantage to booking with me is our Financial Protection Plan. In the event of supplier insolvencies, be rest assured that your monies are protected through our Financial Protection Plan. My work and travel experience equips me to service your travel needs and to exceed your expectations.

I look forward to sharing travel stories with you and assisting to make your dreams become reality!
Stick with me and I will take you places :-)

Angela

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Contact Me

Whatever your holiday needs I'm here to help you, so simply give me a call or send me an email with your contact details on and I can get things started for you:

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My Blog

I absolutely live and breathe travel and I love to write about my experiences! Please take a look through my posts - you might find your own holiday inspiration.

Clifftop Exclusive Hideaway - 5 OUT OF 5

14 March 2019

I've just returned from a very special birthday spoil weekend away at Clifftop Exclusive Hideaway with my husband Des. It took us just over 3 hours to get there, and is located in the Welgevonden Game Reserve in the malaria free Waterberg area. At the Welgevonden gates we were met by our friendly game ranger Jean who drove us up a steep ridge which eventually revealed the breathtaking views of Clifftop. The warm and friendly staff greeted us with wet towels and a refreshing drink. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of steak, halloumi and salad whilst taking in the views. The tables are spread out so that you can dine privately. It feels like you are the only people there and in those quiet moments all you can hear are the birds singing and the river gushing below you. There are only 8 luxury suites, each with their own splash pool, huge bed - bigger than a king sized bed, big bath, inside and outdoor shower, lounge area, minibar with complimentary beverages and lovely oversized amenities. Every suite has their own butler and I proceeded to order a glass of bubbles which my butler brought to me whilst I was taking a dip in our private splash pool to cool down before our game drive which started at 4pm. We enjoyed 2 games drives daily - early morning at 4pm. They lasted for about 3 hours. There were refreshments served during a break, which was outstanding. We got to enjoy homemade treats, coffee in the morning, gin and tonic and biltong and other yummy goodies at sunset. The game sightings where spectacular and the game rangers where very knowledgeable. Des and I love going to Game Lodges, so far this is the most impressive. Jean was very knowledgeable, and we loved his quirky facts. On our very first game drive I spotted a leopard in a tree literally an arm’s length away from me - pun intended! She jumped out the tree before I could capture a photo of her - my hands were trembling and I was actually in shock at this incredible sighting - she let us follow her for a few minutes as she walked behind the bushes and then peeked out at us every few steps so that we could capture her beauty. The Waterberg derived its name from all the water, and it is lovely seeing all the full rivers and waterholes. There is lots of water and due to all the rain, the grass is quite long, yet we still managed to spot a lot of other game - the cute little "pumbas" - warthogs - who run with their tails straight up in the air, lots of zebra including babies, lots of impala aka McDonalds as there are so many of them. I was so delighted to see a lot of Rhino too. They have anti-poachers which have ensured no poaching for the last 3 years – I hope that this track record will remain. We saw lions a few times, there are 2 male lions - Thembi and Dinokeng. We watched them have a "stare off" as they were imploding close to each other’s territory. We also saw a few female lions with very nervous antelope close by. On the second mornings drive we drove past one of the plains, which was packed with game the night before but had no game at all in the morning, which was strange. Only to find out that it was because there was a cheetah chilling there who had scared off all the game. We missed seeing her on our drive past, as it was dark but luckily, we went back to enjoy her. We only came across 1 bull elephant, but I was relieved about after our last thrilling encounter with elephants at Entabeni. On our final game drive, we had a very special encounter with a lone Rhino bull. He looked so happy to see us, and it was almost as if he needed company. He rubbed himself up against our vehicle and upon close inspection we noticed that he was bleeding slightly. Our game ranger explained to us that he was probably kicked out by his mom, who most likely had another baby to rear. She has to do this otherwise the sibling could harm the infant whilst seeking attention or non-intentionally whilst playing. I could go on and on about the quality of game that we saw, the quality of our room and fantastic dining also added to the 5-star experience. The food was delicious - a 3 course meal served every night accompanied by good wine served in huge oversized wine glasses! Clifftop is all inclusive - including a selection of drinks so I ended off dinner with Amarula every night - as one does in the bush. Our rooms were turned down every night and the beds were so comfy. After our morning game drives, we were treated to a full 2 course breakfast. Thereafter we cooled down in our splash pool - it was 36 degrees and very hot. I don't know how but we found space for lunch too and then chilled again. They have a good selection of books - before ending the day on another exciting game drive followed by a private dinner. On my birthday they made a big fuss and sang to me and served me a birthday cake made just for me. Crème Brule is my favourite dessert, so I indulged in both! I got back to my room to find a bottle of bubbles as a gift from the manager who also needs a special mention. Tania was super cool, warm and friendly and met us after each game drive and during each meal to check up on us. We weren't ready to leave after 2 nights, I recommend a minimum of 3 nights. If you would like to experience of all this, then please get in touch with me.

How to avoid excessive data roaming charges

12 December 2014

It’s that time of year again when the work grinds to a halt as the masses head out on holiday. However, for those heading oversees, data roaming charges are a genuine concern. Before boarding that plane, take a look at what software expert Opera Software’s top ten tips for saving on data roaming charges. 1. Before you leave, check with your regular mobile operator to see if they offer international roaming packages, which can give you huge savings on data. 2. Switch to a browser that shrinks down webpages. If you load fewer megabytes, you'll save money, plus browse faster when you have poor reception. 3. When you touch down at your holiday destination, read in detail the welcome SMS from the mobile operator whose network you’ve roamed on to. It will outline the costs for calls, SMS and web data during your stay. 4. Many networks will send you updates on your data spending throughout your trip to help you keep track. So, pay attention to any operator messages. 5. Activate data roaming when you need to check something online and toggle it off when you finish your browsing tasks. Turn off notifications and close down non-essential apps to avoid them consuming large amounts of data in the background. 6. Skip the data-roaming drama by browsing via WiFi, typically available in hotels, airports and cafés. Apps like WiFi Finder can locate your nearest hotspot. Browsers that shrink data are also handy in slow, crowded WiFi zones. 7. Download a compression app like Opera Max that can shrink data, images and videos across most apps on your phone. Opera Max reminds you when you’re roaming, and even lets you block particular apps from using mobile data and restricts them to using WiFi only. Opera Max is currently available to most Samsung subscribers. 8. Rethink your getaway browsing priorities. Holiday roaming is not the best time for streaming videos, downloading files or adding new apps to your collection. Save this surfing for when you're browsing with compression or WiFi. 9. You already prepare your music playlists and movies for your travels, so why not pre-load your webpages? Some browsers, like Opera Mini, have a feature that enables you to save an Internet page for offline use so that you can read it later without activating roaming or having to enable WiFi. 10. If you’ve set up Dropbox, Facebook or Google Drive to automatically upload the photos taken on your phone, disable the syncing of these apps in the settings to curb data consumption. Alternatively, adjust your settings so that your holiday snaps upload only when you are connected to WiFi. (Thank you to the eTNW who have allowed me to republish this article)

My customer stories

Sent by Debby Wait

Angela was prompt and satisfied our families travel needs, for our holiday. Thank you for all your efforts Angela! You're a pleasure to deal with.

Sent by Susanna DuPlooy

Angela, what an absolute pleasure to work with you. I got your details from Neville who referred you. Being in the service industry myself I know how important it is for a client to feel special and you did that. I was so pleased to see how you care for us during the planning of our trip and really appreciate the patience you had with us. Your guidance and advice was amazing. In future all our travel plans will be done with you.

Sent by Damian McKenzie

Angela has attended to every need prior to this holiday. This holiday has been very easy. I have dealt with many travel agents and Angela has been the best by far!

Sent by Nicolette Van Bebber

Fantastic service! Efficient, friendly, professional! Highly recommended!

Sent by Meaghan Lennox

Angela has been so fantastic in helping me with all my travel arrangements.Thank you for always helping me out and for the fantastic assistance and support. I have recommended her to my friends and family. Keep up the fantastic work Angela, Thank you so much xoxoxo

Sent by Ilana Baragwanath

Angela was fantastic and went above and beyond to make sure all my travel needs were met. Thank you for the wonderful service. I would definitely recommend Angela and will be personally contacting her again for my future travel needs.

Sent by Callum Pitout

Thanks for the amazing personal service. Above and beyond! Amazing

Sent by Tracey Urquhart

Best service, best lady, best holidays.

Sent by Joey Clifford

Could not have asked for better service Angela is the best.

Sent by Gareth Balia

Angela is always a delight to deal with. She is always available no matter the time and provides value adding advice .

Sent by Andre Strydom

Best travel service ever from anyone.

Sent by Jade Dos Santos

Best Customer Service - Beyond Accommodating to every need - Thank You.

Sent by Sharon Findlay

Angela is just the best Travel Consultant ever. Nothing is too much for her and she always goes out of her way to book something to suit our needs. I would recommend Angela in a heartbeat. Thanks Ang, my mind is always at ease when I book with you.

Sent by Tanya Jacobs

I would just like to thank you a million times over for making this trip possible for us. You responded to my requesting a quotation within 24 hours. Your quotation was available within a heart beat. Your amendments to the quote to meet our needs were dealt with in a professional and friendly manner. Your quote was THE BEST! Nothing was too much for you to sort out! Our requirements were met a thousand times better than what I could ever imagined! Thank you for all your advise and checking up and in on us. Our trip was really without stress just because of all your love and care and excellent service! The hotel stays were magnificent and everything that we needed as a family. Thank you for also arranging our boarding passes on both legs of our journeys which made that process at the airports painless too. We would gladly recommend your services to family and friends wanting to travel. We will also make use of your excellent service in the future. You are now part of the Jacobs family and their travelling plans! Apologies for taking so long to thank you properly for all you have done. We appreciate everything and will need another holiday soon being back in this hectic world called “life.”

Sent by Natalie McElvenny

Angela, thank you for always going the extra mile when organizing our holiday trips. x x x

Sent by Sharon Findlay

Angela is an absolute 5 star travel agent. Nothing is ever too much for her. She is organised and knows the business backwards. Angela always gets us good deals that suit our family. I am never anxious when I have booked a trip with her as everything falls perfectly into place, she doesn't miss a thing. Thank you Angela for all your enthusiasm and great attitude towards your work. You make travelling a breeze!!

Sent by Carol Lewis

The service we received from you Angela was phenomenal. You followed up, came back and kept us up to date with everything from the time we booked until we left and even after that, while we were away, you kept in touch. All in all it was probably one of the best trips we have ever been on and I would never use anyone else but you Angela to do our bookings. Thank you so very much.

Sent by Cheryll Sanders

I have just arrived back from an amazing holiday.. Thank you to Angela Symons from Travel Counsellors for arranging the cruise. .flights..accommodation.. excursions etc. Even down to checking in our baggage when we were overseas. You are a super star Angela.. I highly recommend Angela for all of your travel needs.

Sent by Lisa Slooten

If you're looking for someone who is professional, helpful and 100% committed to making a dream trip a reality- then look no further than engaging with Angela Symons! Brad & Josh are now on 'countdown' for their Contiki Tour in July. Angela- thank you for all you have done!

Sent by Chantel Neveling

Hi Angela, They are back, and they haven't stop talking about the trip! They were very impressed with the excellence service they received - everything was perfect! But............ the trip was too short and they wanted to stay another two weeks :-) Your service and assistance was the key to making this dream come true for them. Thank you very much for everything. We would gladly refer people to you! Blessed evening, Chantel

Sent by Kenneth Francis

Just a note to say thank you for the outstanding organisation with regards to my recent trip to Africa. Everything went off without a hitch and I really value your professionalism and kind, friendly approach. The elephant sanctuary was great. I am now safely back in Australia and happily reunited with my Harley. Kind regards Ken

Sent by Carol Lewis

I have just been so impressed with your service, your professionalism and your thoroughness. You keep coming back to us, advising us of more information, of things we need to look out for, of what is available and different options. It has been an absolute pleasure dealing with you thus far. Thank you

Sent by Bruce Lennox

We were very happy with the service received from start to finish on our December 2015 holiday to Thailand / Singapore. It ran smoothly with no hitches at all. We have no problem in recommending Angela and have already booked our 1st trip of 2016 through her.

Sent by Glenn Bradford

June 2015 Having had a good experience with Travel Counsellers previously from a West Rand consultant, it was automatic that we should make use of the organisation again. Living in Bedfordview we chose to use a local agent for the sake of convenience. We therefore contacted Angela Symons for a proposal to assemble a 6 week complicated trip to the USA. From day one we were “blown away” by her enthusiasm, knowledge and good advice. Needless to say we booked the trip through her and are very impressed with her service and attention to detail. Without hesitation I do recommend her to anyone requiring travel arrangements booked locally or abroad. Glenn Bradford (082 880 3000)

Sent by Amanda Doherty

Thank you for booking Mauritius for us, the trip was amazing. You did a brilliant job. Hopefully we will book again soon! I look forward to dealing with you again in the future. Keep up the good work.

Sent by Carlene Brink

I would like to take this opportunity to “Thank You” for going the extra mile with my Holiday to Australia, for bearing with me through all the changes, your willingness to help, your invaluable advise and for taking care of my visa application.