Founder Story: How to Arrive Fresh - not Frazzled - and Ready to Deliver! Better Business Travel with Ingrid Sanderson from Principal Travel
Wed Feb 04 2026
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Calling all High Performing Business Travellers! What if travel didn’t drain your energy but amplified your performance? That question sits at the heart of our conversation with Founder Ingrid Sanderson of Principal Travel, a boutique, independent firm built to help professionals arrive fresh, not frazzled. We dig into how her team blends concierge-level care with smart digital tools to protect a traveller’s most precious assets: time, money, and wellbeing.
Ingrid shares the origin story behind a 27-year journey through ash clouds, strikes, airport outages, Brexit, and a once-in-a-century pandemic. The constant theme is trust. From rapid responses to proactive fixes, her team creates calm where there could be panic, so clients stay focused on keynotes, boardrooms, and big moments. We talk about why independence from airlines and hotel chains matters, how invoicing adapts to a client’s finance stack, and why a hybrid model—human expertise plus online booking—is the sweet spot for global time zones and fast decisions.
We also explore culture and leadership: a long-tenured, highly trained team; the role of mentors and “Nigel’s 90 minutes” to protect strategy time; and the personal influences that shape a female-led business. You’ll meet Casey the Briefcase, plus avatars Bella Businesswoman and Max Mileage, who bring travel tips to life through playful storytelling. And you’ll hear blunt, useful advice for anyone still DIY-ing complex itineraries: know your worth and delegate outside your genius. The hidden costs of fatigue, rework, and missteps are real; a dedicated travel partner prevents them.
If you travel multiple times a year and care about performance, this is your playbook for stress-free, high-impact trips. Subscribe, share with a colleague who spends too many hours on airline sites, and leave a review to tell us your biggest travel pain—what should we solve next?
Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.
Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk Twitter thatchrisgrimes LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/ FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860 Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :)
Thanks for listening!
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Send us a text Calling all High Performing Business Travellers! What if travel didn’t drain your energy but amplified your performance? That question sits at the heart of our conversation with Founder Ingrid Sanderson of Principal Travel, a boutique, independent firm built to help professionals arrive fresh, not frazzled. We dig into how her team blends concierge-level care with smart digital tools to protect a traveller’s most precious assets: time, money, and wellbeing. Ingrid shares the origin story behind a 27-year journey through ash clouds, strikes, airport outages, Brexit, and a once-in-a-century pandemic. The constant theme is trust. From rapid responses to proactive fixes, her team creates calm where there could be panic, so clients stay focused on keynotes, boardrooms, and big moments. We talk about why independence from airlines and hotel chains matters, how invoicing adapts to a client’s finance stack, and why a hybrid model—human expertise plus online booking—is the sweet spot for global time zones and fast decisions. We also explore culture and leadership: a long-tenured, highly trained team; the role of mentors and “Nigel’s 90 minutes” to protect strategy time; and the personal influences that shape a female-led business. You’ll meet Casey the Briefcase, plus avatars Bella Businesswoman and Max Mileage, who bring travel tips to life through playful storytelling. And you’ll hear blunt, useful advice for anyone still DIY-ing complex itineraries: know your worth and delegate outside your genius. The hidden costs of fatigue, rework, and missteps are real; a dedicated travel partner prevents them. If you travel multiple times a year and care about performance, this is your playbook for stress-free, high-impact trips. Subscribe, share with a colleague who spends too many hours on airline sites, and leave a review to tell us your biggest travel pain—what should we solve next? Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website. Show Website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com You can email me about the Show: chris@secondcurve.uk Twitter thatchrisgrimes LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-grimes-actor-broadcaster-facilitator-coach/ FaceBook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/842056403204860 Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW wherever you get your Podcasts :) Thanks for listening!