It’s been a rollercoaster decade for Swords Travel.
The London travel agency launched in 2016, operating out of an industrial unit before making its high street debut in downtown Wimbledon in 2019.
In 2024, it upgraded to a larger premises in the area’s affluent village – a move that saw sales almost double in less than six months.
But this path to success hasn’t been linear.
Speaking at their 10th anniversary party on Friday, Mark and Stuart reflected on the early days of Swords Travel – and the risks that made it the award-winning agency it is today.
“It was quite tough at first, because I was leaving a steady income at MSC Cruises to launch the business,” Mark told TTG. “It was a really big leap of faith.”
The Nottingham native was supported by husband Stuart, who still worked full-time as a leisure centre manager to ensure they still had money coming in.
After a year of helping Mark with Swords Travel in the evenings, Stuart too decided to quit his day job in pursuit of building the agency.
“We were both scared,” Mark admitted. “But I just think, in this life, you've got to take a risk. If it doesn’t work out, you can always get another job. And that’s the way I see it now.”
Stuart and Mark celebrated the 10th anniversary of Swords Travel last week
Proud to be Northern
It wasn’t just finances holding them back though.
The couple admit that, early on, they struggled with self-belief. Though both had experience working in tourism, the reality of running a luxury travel business was a whole other ballgame.
“You worry about your status, who and what you should be,” Mark said. “We tried to keep up with the Joneses for a while, but not anymore.”
Both Mark and Stuart now completely embrace their Northern roots – and even believe it gives them the edge.
“Clients sometimes come into the store and they're like, "What is a travel agent from Nottingham doing here?"” Mark joked. “But I think people like that you own who you are. As long as you can provide that knowledge and that sincerity, people will respect you.”
Stuart and Mark believe embracing their Northern roots has only helped their business
Mixing business and pleasure
The real payoff of Swords Travel’s risk, however, doesn’t lie in the financial success of the company.
For Mark and Stuart, co-managing a business has brought them even closer as life partners – with the “ups and downs” only cementing their bond.
“Of course we step on each other’s toes sometimes,” admitted Stuart, before noting they both have very different strengths and weaknesses.
For the most part, however, these differences have worked to their advantage.
“I am more the sales side of things and Stu is the creative one, so we really complement each other,” said Mark. “I know it sounds cheesy, but it's like working with your best friend. Before we got married, I’d work overseas or travel with work a lot. And I didn’t want to do it anymore. I wanted to spend my time with him.”
US and Australia plans
For a long time, Mark and Stuart have dreamt of expanding Swords Travel to the US and Australia.
“We've been discussing it for ages,” Stuart said. “If we have the US and Australia, we'll have a 24-hour business.”
It would also expose the business to a whole new pool of high-net-worth clients: “The spend potential is massive in the US, and we’ve got such an amazing team of Europe experts whom they’ll love. We know we can hit the ground running straight away.”
Securing a visa for Australia has proven harder, but Mark and Stuart are determined to achieve it. With family and friends living in Brisbane and Perth, the pair already have a social network waiting for them down under.
“We also have a purely selfish reason for expanding to Australia – we want to live six months in Sydney and six months in London. We love the UK, but we don’t love the weather!”
