TRAILFINDERS MILESTONES
Click on the years below to explore some important events in Trailfinders history since its founding in October 1970 through to the present date.
| November 2007 - | Voted Best Specialist Travel Organiser 2007 in The Telegraph travel awards - reader voted |
| October 2007 - | Voted Best Tour Operator in The Guardian/Observer 2007 Travel Awards - reader voted |
| July 2007 - | Trailfinders Specialist Cruise Department launched |
| May 2007 - | Aberdeen Travel Centre opens |
| April 2007 - | Edinburgh Travel Centre opens |
| March 2007 - | Trailfinders awarded Best Retail Operator to New Zealand 2007 at the annual UK New Zealand Tourism Awards in London |
| February 2007 - | Trailfinders Oxford Street opens in Selfridges |
| December 2006 - | Mike Gooley is awarded CBE for his services to the Travel Industry and to charity. |
| October 2006 - | Cork Travel Centre Opens |
| September 2006 - | Voted CoolBrand for the 3rd year |
| August 2006 - | Trailfinders Knightsbridge Opens in Harrods |
| June 2006 - | Canterbury Travel Centre Opens Mike Gooley awarded prestigious 'Chairmans Award for Most Important Contribution to Australian Tourism by an Individual' by Tourism Australia |
| May 2006 - | Canary Wharf Travel Centre Opens Trailfinders sponsors the Gold Medal winning garden - 'Fleming's Nurseries Australian Garden presented by Trailfinders' at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show |
| April 2006 - | Brighton Travel Centre Opens Booked our 9 millionth passenger |
| March 2006 - | Winner UK Leisure Air Seat Retailer of the Year at The 2006 Agent Achievement Awards Launched 'Hotels with a Difference' brochure |
| February 2006 - | Winner No. 1 Retail Operator to New Zealand at New Zealand Travel Awards with Air New Zealand |
| October 2005 - | Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for fifth time and only company to win their award every year since their inception - reader voted |
| September 2005 - | Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for seventh time - reader voted |
| September 2005 - | Named a Superbrand by the Superbrands Council 2005 |
| August 2005 - | Cardiff Travel Centre opens |
| July 2005 - | Ranked tenth largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK |
| June 2005 - | Norwich Travel Centre opens |
| March 2005 - | 100th Edition of Trailfinder Magazine published |
| December 2004 - | Nottingham Travel Centre opens Book our eight-millionth passenger |
| October 2004 - | Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for fourth time - reader voted |
| September 2004 - | Named a Cool BrandLeader for 2004 by Super Brands |
| August 2004 - | Covent Garden Travel Centre opens as a concession in Stanfords Maps and Books |
| May 2004 - | Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for sixth time - reader voted Ranked twelfth largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK |
| December 2003 - | Belfast Travel Centre Opens in its own right London Longhaul and Transatlantic Travel Centres merge forming Kensington 'United', one stop travel shop. European Department remains independent. |
| October 2003 - | Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for third time - reader voted |
| July 2003 - | Book our seven-millionth passenger |
| May 2003 - | Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for fifth time - reader voted Ranked eleventh largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK |
| April 2003 - | Oxford Travel Centre Opens The Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity passes £10 million in donations The Sunday Times Rich List names Mike Gooley as the fourteenth most generous giver to charity |
| November 2002 - | Leeds Travel Centre Opens |
| October 2002 - | Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards for second time - reader voted Piccadilly Travel Centre opens as a concession in Waterstones - the largest bookshop in Europe |
| July 2002 - | The Trailfinder Magazine surpasses one million print run and a mail out over 550,000 |
| March 2002 - | Book our six-millionth passenger |
| October 2001 - | Voted Best Independent Travel Specialist in The Telegraph Travel Awards - reader voted Voted Best Travel Agent by Wanderlust readers |
| June 2001 - | Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for fourth time - reader voted |
| March 2001 - | Belfast Travel Centre opens as a concession in Waterstones |
| October 2000 - | Book our five-millionth passenger |
| June 2000 - | Dedicated First & Business Class departments launch in Birmingham and Bristol |
| May 2000 - | Cambridge Travel Centre opens |
| March 2000 - | Melbourne and Perth Travel Centres open |
| December 1999 - | Mike Gooley is awarded 'National Entrepreneur of the Year - Consumer Products & Services' |
| March 1999 - | London City Travel Centre opens at No1 Threadneedle Street Book our four-millionth passenger |
| October 1998 - | Newcastle Travel Centre opens |
| September 1998 - | Trailfinders Website goes live |
| July 1998 - | Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for third time - reader voted Book our three-millionth passenger |
| June 1998 - | Trailfinders 'duty office' role implemented providing 24 hour, 365 day cover for our clients |
| May 1998 - | Trailfinders logo rebranded and launched |
| March 1998 - | Sydney Travel Centre opens |
| October 1997 - | Trailfinders Sports Club opens |
| March 1997 - | Dublin Travel Centre opens |
| August 1996 - | London Southside opens - the largest retail travel outlet in the UK at 11,500 sq ft |
| May 1996 - | Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards for second time - reader voted |
| February 1996 - | Book our two-millionth passenger Volunteer to the CAA on an official basis to be responsible for the refund or repatriation of any of our clients suffering as a result of an airline failure |
| Oct 1995 - | Set up the Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity with a £1 million donation |
| May 1995 - | Voted Best Travel Agent in The Guardian/Observer awards - reader voted |
| March 1995 - | Birmingham Travel Centre Opens |
| May 1994 - | Open our first Australian Travel Centre in Cairns |
| June 1994 - | Ranked fourth largest producer of scheduled airline business in the UK, outranking Thomas Cook, Lunn Poly and AT Mays |
| December 1993 - | Bristol Travel Centre Opens |
| June 1993 - | Set up the Clients Trust Account, protecting all client funds paid to Trailfinders |
| May 1993 - | Glasgow Travel Centre Opens |
| July 1992 - | Book our one-millionth passenger |
| June 1991 - | Open our first regional Travel Centre in Manchester |
| May 1989 - | Kensington Flagship Travel Centre opens, state of the art one stop travel shop and the largest in the UK at 8,000 sq ft |
| January 1980 - | Admitted to ABTA and become the first fully licensed travel organisers conforming to the standards of all three regulatory bodies |
| May 1979 - | Became the first travel organiser to be IATA licensed Became the first travel organiser to be connected directly into the Airline Computer Reservation System Became the first travel organiser to be granted an ATOL licence by the CAA |
| June 1977 - | Record our first profit |
| October 1972 - | Developed the sourcing and marketing of discount air tickets to the public who began to benefit from affordable worldwide jet travel. We became the first flight consolidator/travel organiser and advertised discounted air tickets in the national press, emerging as the field leaders. |
| May 1971 - | First edition of the Trailfinder Magazine published |
| October 1970 - | Trailfinders formed by Mike Gooley with a staff of four as an overland tour operator |