A 77-year-old travel agent who started selling holidays before the moon landing has helped customers book hundreds of thousands of getaways over six decades at TUI and still has no plans to retire.
Ellen Davey, from TUI’s Stevenage store, is Britain’s longest serving travel agent after she first started selling holidays in July 1966, when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, England won the World Cup at Wembley and Britain still used pounds, shillings and pence.

Six decades on, she is still working four days a week, helping customers plan everything from family beach breaks in Spain to Caribbean cruises, and has witnessed the complete transformation of the British holiday.
When Ellen started out, a pint of milk cost just a few old pennies, credit cards were years away from becoming an everyday way to pay, holiday tickets were paper, and customers chose their next break from printed brochures rather than phones, apps or emails.
“People often ask me when I’m going to retire, but I genuinely don’t want to. I think work keeps me young. I’ve made wonderful friends through TUI, I’ve met incredible customers and I still get excited helping someone book a holiday. I absolutely love my job” said Ellen.
“Some people count down the days until retirement. I’m counting down the days until my next holiday”.

Over six decades, Ellen has built relationships with customers that span generations, with many families returning to her year after year for travel advice as children, parents and now grandparents.
“I’ve helped couples book honeymoon trips, then family holidays with their children and now holidays with their grandchildren. Being part of those memories over the years is incredibly special” said Ellen.
One of those customers is Steve Grimsley, whose family has been booking holidays with Ellen for more than 40 years.
“My parents in law booked with Ellen for more than 20 years and I’ve personally been booking with her for over 20 years too. She has helped create so many happy memories for our family over the four decades. She isn’t just our travel agent, she’s someone we trust completely. The fact she has spent 60 years helping hundreds of thousands of people create precious memories with their loved ones is an incredible achievement,” said Steve.
Her career has followed the changing face of British travel and British life, from the days of pre-decimal prices, handwritten reservations and paper brochures to credit card payments, e-tickets, emails, online bookings, cruise holidays, long haul escapes and multi generational family trips.

Ellen joined Mahony’s Travel in Luton on 1 July 1966 as a secretary to the Managing Director before being drawn to the exciting world of travel bookings.
“When I started, there were no computers, no internet, no emails, no e-tickets and no online booking systems. If a customer wanted a holiday, we’d spend hours on the phone speaking to airlines and hotels to check availability and make reservations,” said Ellen.
“Customers would spend hours flicking through brochures and planning a holiday. For many families, it would be the only overseas trip they’d take for several years. Today, customers can look at hundreds of destinations on their phone in minutes, travel more often and ask for everything from cruise advice to once-in-a-lifetime long haul trips. It’s amazing how much has changed.”
She saw Mahony’s Travel become part of Lunn Poly in 1979 before eventually becoming Thomson and then TUI, progressing from ticketing and reservations to Counter Supervisor and later Store Manager, where she led her team to a Shop of the Year award.

Despite the rise of online booking and AI, Ellen says many customers still value speaking to someone who knows them, understands what makes a good holiday and can help turn a dream trip into a real plan.
Long standing customers Josie and Chris Yeoman have been booking holidays with Ellen for 17 years and travel abroad up to four times a year.
“Ellen has recommended some amazing destinations over the years, including places we’d never have thought about ourselves. She always takes the time to understand exactly what we’re looking for and somehow manages to find the perfect holiday every time, we’ve never had a bad one” said Chris Yeoman.
Among those celebrating Ellen’s milestone was TUI Stevenage Store Manager Sharon Wood, who has worked alongside Ellen for an incredible 33 years.
“After 33 years we’ve become like sisters. We’ve shared so much together over the years and Ellen has become a huge part of my life. I’ve never known anyone who lives and breathes travel like Ellen. Customers walk into the store specifically asking for her because they know she’ll care about their holiday as much as they do. Her knowledge is extraordinary, but it’s the relationships she’s built that make her so special. So many customers see her as part of their family” said Sharon.

Managing Director TUI UK & Ireland, Neil Swanson said: “It’s not every day you get to celebrate someone who started selling holidays in the same month England won the World Cup, before decimalisation, emails, e-tickets and the internet, and is still inspiring customers and colleagues 60 years later.”
“Ellen is quite simply one of a kind. Her knowledge of travel is phenomenal, but what makes her truly special is the care she puts into every customer interaction. Generations of families have trusted Ellen to help them create some of their happiest memories and that says everything about the person she is”.
“Everyone at TUI is incredibly proud to call Ellen a colleague. She’s seen our business and our industry transform over six decades, yet her passion for helping people discover the world hasn’t changed one bit.”
For Ellen, the secret to six decades in travel is simple.

“People ask me what the secret is to 60 years in the same job. The answer is simple. I still love it as much today as I did on my first day in 1966.”