Too cheap n’ cheerful for words (in a good way); too good to last
There’ve been some memorable brands disappear over the last decade or so. Even names like Blockbuster, BHS and even the mighty Phones 4U weren’t big enough to turn the tide of 21st-century trends. Travel companies have taken a hit over this time, with Thomas Cook spontaneously combusting in 2019 and leaving holidaymakers stranded.
At least the latter can’t be said of another travel agent that also went the way of the dodo around this time, although if anyone could find you the most likely destination to see a dodo, it’d be the one and only STA Travel.
Okay, even they wouldn’t have promised you that, but they sure would’ve done their damnedest to find you the next best thing, which is something only they’d be able to pull off, such was their boundlessly enthusiastic and, quite frankly, scarily good travel knowledge. Kuoni? Trailfinders? Nowhere.
The second you sat down, you knew you were in the safest of hands, and if you had any reservations about making reservations, they quickly disappeared. For a generation of gapyear students, graduates, or just under-30s looking for adventure, there was no better place to start the ball rolling. That’s not to say that older backpackers were ruled out, just that they didn’t enjoy quite the same privileges in terms of discounted flights, etc.
The Student Travel Association was fully committed towards the student and youth demographic, specialising in adventure travel. Again, if you were, say, a forty-five year old looking for two weeks in Rio you were most welcome, but their bread-and-butter was set in stone. Work experience and volunteering abroad were also a large part of the remit (if that was your thing). However, STA’s fortunes were built mainly around the classic route of Thailand-Australia-New Zealand-Fiji-LA. With this you weren’t just guaranteed the cheapest prices, but also the best advice, personalised itineraries, and small, local companies that would take you to places that others didn’t even know about. STA didn’t just send you abroad; it placed you in the heart of the action.
That’s mainly because they’d been there and done it themselves – the streetwise travel agent, if you like. For many, this was their first proper job, but it never seemed like they were working, just having a bloody good time doing it. Your escapades had started once you were the other side of the desk, and you could listen to them talking about rickshaws in India, safaris in South Africa or the Australian outback all day long. You were being transported to such exotica during a rainy day in Nottingham or Newport, and you can’t get a better sales technique than that.Alas, COVID restrictions were the final straw, and so after over forty years, in August 2020, STA filed for insolvency. Its 52 shops were closed, which meant that youngsters from Aberdeen to Ashford – some whose own parents had lived the STA dream themselves – had hopes of a unique travel experience shattered. What STA Travel possessed in know-how they lacked in financial muscle, as luxury travel just wasn’t their bag.
Alas, COVID restrictions were the final straw, and so after over forty years, in August 2020, STA filed for insolvency. Its 52 shops were closed, which meant that youngsters from Aberdeen to Ashford – some whose own parents had lived the STA dream themselves – had hopes of a unique travel experience shattered. What STA Travel possessed in know-how they lacked in financial muscle, as luxury travel just wasn’t their bag.
Which is ironic, really, when you consider that Mauritius – a high-end destination if ever there was one – is where you’d be most likely to find any remaining dodos. STA were the punk rockers of their field. Maybe they just didn’t belong in today’s market, which is just another reason to salute them.
The Early Whistle 