Travel Planning

Back to all

When people think about us launching Football TravelHER, they probably picture us scouting stadiums in Barcelona, frequent day trips to London to visit  Arsenal, Spurs, LCL, or rubbing shoulders with WSL managers.


What they don’t picture is Heather and me staring blankly at a spreadsheet at 11:00 PM, covered in a cold sweat, muttering words like “professional indemnity,” “public liability,” and the ultimate travel-industry jumpscare: ATOL.


Because let’s be honest: wanting to take fans on the ultimate women's football road trip is the fun part. Figuring out how the hell to legally manage finances, track booking workflows, build a CRM, and handle flights without ending up in a corporate prison? Absolutely terrifying.


Here is the chaotic behind-the-scenes story of how we tackled the "un-fun" business stuff, and the superhero that saved our sanity.


The Panic Phase: Insurance, Regulators, and Financial Doom


Turns out, the travel industry is classified as "high risk"—and for good reason. If a flight gets cancelled or an volcano erupts over Europe, we are the ones responsible for getting fans home safely.


We started looking into what we actually needed to get our game on for the pilot season. The list was a laundry list of logistical nightmares:
1. The Insurance Minefield: Finding specialised insurers who would grant public liability and professional indemnity cover to a brand-new tour operator. (Most brokers heard "sports travel" and immediately put us on hold forever).
2. The Booking Black Hole: Trying to figure out how to build a CRM and booking workflow from scratch so we didn't lose track of who was going where.
3. The Supplier Cold Shoulder: Trying to get "good deals" with global suppliers when we were a self-funded startup.
4. The Big Boss: ATOL protection. The regulatory mountain of flight-inclusive packages.


We were drowning in compliance jargon. We needed a lifeline.


Enter PTS (Protected Trust Services)


Just when we were about to wrap ourselves in six layers of clothing and hide, we found PTS.


For a travel startup, PTS is basically the equivalent of signing prime Aitana Bonmatí. They do everything. Package travel regulations? Covered. Trust accounts for consumer financial protection? Handled. ATOL and flight solutions? They can sort them. Access to an entire ecosystem of vetted trade suppliers and built-in CRM/booking software? Yes, please.


But we didn't just sign up blindly. Oh no. We made them earn their money.


Making Poor PTS Work for Their Money


In February 2026, we initiated what can only be described as a virtual meeting marathon. We held multiple video calls. We had questions galore. We had spreadsheets of doubts."But what if a fan misses the train in France?"
"How does the merchant gateway process a deposit for a Liverpool trip?"
"Can we double-check the trust account compliance laws for the seventeenth time?"


The team at PTS deserves a medal for patience. Every time they thought they were done with us, another invite hit their inbox. We definitely made them work for their membership fees, but by the end of it, we realised something monumental: Other than our actual website and club ticketing partnerships, this was the other critical element of our entire business.


Without a secure, legal financial backbone, we were just two fans with a pipedream. With PTS, we were an official, iron-clad tour operator. So, we bit the bullet, signed the paperwork, and officially joined.


Pre-Season Training: Navigating the Tech


It's been total pre-season mode for us. We’ve been deep-diving into the PTS user interface, setting up our booking workflows, and familiarising ourselves with the supplier network to lock in those premium ticket-and-travel deals.


Everything is building toward our official public launch this July 2026! The legal stuff is locked down, the finances are protected, and the systems are ready.


We’ve officially got our game on. European football, we are legally, financially, and logistically ready for you.