Bridge and Wickers World of Travel are one of the best New Zealand and Australian tailor-made holiday specialists in the UK. All their travel consultants are passionate about travel and have been many times to the destinations they cover. The team are very happy to share their expertise in designing individual holidays that will suit most travellers’ individual needs and budgets. They are prepared to go that extra mile to ensure you have the finest holiday at a most attractive price without compromising on the experience.
Bridge and Wickers merge with The Ultimate Travel Company
Bridge and Wickers have more recently merged with worldwide specialists The Ultimate Travel Company based in Fulham, London. The Bridge & Wickers brand may be less obvious now but the staff and level of service remains the same. Bridge & Wickers are still one of the top UK luxury tailor made companies to deal with for holidays to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Jerry Bridge and David Wickers live – answering your questions
Looking back at the early days, in 2004, there were the usual set up costs any new company would have but finding the right business partner for Jerry Bridge, not to mention a unique marketing angle were two of the most important challenges.
Fortunately, David Wickers was able and willing to ‘cross the line’ from chief travel correspondent at the Sunday Times Travel desk to Director & business partner in the very different world of tour operating. David’s knowledgeable and trustworthy ‘journalistic insight’ into travel and his creative writing skills were both innovative and refreshingly different – the partnership was a perfect fit!
Jerry Bridge & David Wickers also believed their ‘experience led’ approach to selling tailor made holidays to Australia, New Zealand and Canada helped Bridge and Wickers quickly become one of the UK’s most respected luxury travel brands.
Bridge & Wickers was sold to the ‘Ultimate Travel Company’ in March 2012 after Jerry Bridge decided he wanted to marry a Kiwi alive in New Zealand.
A new Bridge brand is launched
The real David Wickers….note the spelling! As seen in the Telegraph & Sunday Times newspaper adverts. Learn more about David’s travel knowledge & experience as seen through the eyes of one of the UK’s most respected journalists… |
Now this is Alan Whicker, BBC broadcaster (remember ‘Whickers World?’) just friends of Bridge & Wickers that’s all, we go back a long way – Bridge the World days in fact… |
Would you buy a tailormade holiday to Australia or to New Zealand from these two? ‘travel with experience’ – that’s our strapline because between the two of us we have over 50 years worth of travel experience and because our tailormade holidays are all about the amazing experiences you’re going to have when you get to your destination |
Brochures, Marketing and Awards
Jerry Bridge and David Wickers doing the recordings for the marketing campaign – ‘Our Australia’ talking about some of our experiences at some of Australia’s most luxurious & authentic hotels & boutique lodges – don’t we look the part eh?! |
One of our first major awards – we were well pleased with this as in the following year we actually won the top ‘best international/worldwide brochure’ award too |
Receiving the award from Tourism Australia’s Amy Sullivan & radio DJ ‘Jono’ Coleman for the individual who has contributed most to the promotion of Australia was indeed a very happy & proud moment in 2004 |
Well done Andrew, Rachel & David, what a team! Winning the overall best UK tour operator award was a special achievement for us all and really established Bridge & Wickers as the UK’s leading tailormade holiday & luxury travel company |
Best brochure for New Zealand in the UK 2008/9 awarded by Tourism NZ – wow…we’ve done the ‘double!’ |
Best brochure for Australia in the UK 2000/10 awarded by Tourism Australia…well done all at B&W! |
The best of Bridge & Wickers’ brochures – a selection of some of the most creative holiday ideas & suggested itineraries for tailormade holidays to Australia , New Zealand, Canada, Indo China and Africa. Why not email me for a copy of one of them? I can put you in direct touch with one of Bidge & Wickers’s travel specialists straight away… |
I feel special mention must be made to this man (Roger Diski) who joined Bridge & Wickers in 2010 and who with his wife Judith, set up our Africa programme. Sadly, he died in an accident in Zanzibar just after the launch of the brochure… |
The Bridge & Wickers Africa product is arranged alphabetically. Roger chose to break away from the normal country-by-country brochure style & instead present Africa as a range of activities & key destinations to stimulate your imagination…now this product can all be booked with UTC
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Bridge and Wickers Industry Events
All good friends at Tourism Australia’s annual ‘Australian Tourism Exchange’ (ATC) Todd Parker & Michael Healy – both legends in their fields & I mean ‘living legends!’ |
Head of Tourism Australia UK & Europe, Rodney Harrex who I’ve had the pleasure of doing business with for over a decade… |
Neal Saunders & Odette Smith – discussing plans for 2010 with South Australia’s UK representatives after a ‘big night out’…where’s the coffee?! |
Catching up with head of Tourism Victoria’s Melanie D’Souza – she’s an inspiration and has been completely supportive of Bridge & Wickers from day 1…and her sense of humour is awesome! |
Bridge & Wickers team, Andrew Chapman (marketing guru!!) Rachel & I talking serious business with Northern Territory’s top representatives… |
Geoff Buckley (MD of Tourism Australia) & I discussing passenger arrival figures, average holiday spend, currency / exchange rate issues amongst other things at the very successful ATE 2009 |
My good (& funny) friend Geff McGeary…owner of Australia’s largest coach touring company – Australia Pacific Touring (APT) – what a man – he sure knows how to live life to the full! |
Well it’s not all hard work, you gotta have some fun a long the way, thank you Dennis, Inga & Stuart – Australian Touring Services (ATS) your ATC night out is always the most fun as this picture shows! |
There’s always one…good old (less of the old do I hear you say?!) Ronnie Livingston! How’s the golf mate? |
Michael Healy, hard of sales for Quicksilver Cruises……….’my Ozzie brother’ quote ”Strength & Honour” what a character! |
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Melanie & my good friend Monsiuer Rhett Lego (love the specs!) It was he who recommended to Tourism Australia’s board I said the ‘thank you’s’ to all the 2,000 suppliers attending ATE a few years back, provided of course I recited my Ayers Rock poem……..!!! What a classic, memorable moment for me and everyone in the room that was… |
Ahhh yes my good friend Mr Rhett Lego, icon and character of the Australian travel industry… |
Business would not be business without a spot of golf eh? Here we are in far north Queensland enjoying a round or two with our dear Ozzie friends… |
Our tour leader on Kangaroo Island – ‘G’day sport!’ |
Owner of APT, Geoff is someone I love & admire very much indeed…cheers to many more nights out & jaunts on your boat… |
Sharing a beer and a joke with Air New Zealand’s Dave Simmons & very good friend, Costas Vitouras |
Bruce Hodge MD GoWay Travel….forever our friend and gentleman from Canada… |
Bridge and Wickers Team
Meet some of the dedicated travel sales team at Bridge & Wickers during the early days from 2005-8. Averaging at least one trip a year to either Australia, New Zealand and Canada, their level of service and product knowledge goes way beyond what you will find in a normal high street agency.
Rachel, Annette & David preparing our winning Ozcars boards for Tourism Australia…resulting in Bridge & Wickers being awarded the much coveted ‘Tour Operator of the Year’ award… |
I’m glad we secured that one – the 2 Jeremy’s at Bridge & Wickers |
Happy days at Bridge & Wickers – what a great team… |
Catherine & Matt – the annual Bridge & Wickers Christmas party – I think it was a good joke! |
Indeed, what would we do without the lovely & most talented David Marriott at Bridge & Wickers?! |
Friday night down the pub after a busy week – Jo, David & Rachel |
Matt’s birthday celebration…never mind the tea & cake, where’s the bubbly?! |
Rachel (product director) with Andrew from Australia’s ‘Wayout Tours’ enjoying a break at our local, ‘The Engineer’ after a days intensive training with the Bridge & Wickers staff… |
Annette (sales & operations director for Bridge & Wickers) taking staff pictures for the website & blogg.. what would we do without her?! |
David Marriotte in Indo China, looking every bit the tour leader! A new part of the world for Bridge & Wickers to promote & sell |
Matt – enjoying the ‘remarkable’ mountain range in New Zealand’s South Island – where Bridge & Wickers send many people each year |
Ajanta just can’t get enough of those beautiful Canadian husky dogs! (one of my favourite photos) |