The single parent travel specialist turning solo adventures into shared memories.
Catherine Thorpe is a JLT agent based in Leeds, trading as Aurora Dream Travels. She joined JLT in August 2024 and specialises in single parent travel, Lapland, and Disney. To date, Catherine has built £1.3 million in bookings.
Catherine’s journey into travel started with her own children. Helping her kids explore the world sparked a desire to build a career that worked around family life. Within JLT, she found the flexibility and support to do exactly that.
Travel Niche & Personal Touch
Catherine brings lived experience to her work. As a single parent herself, she understands the unique challenges solo travellers face when booking family holidays. The logistics. The anxieties. The questions that keep parents up at night.
Her expertise extends to travelling with neurodiverse children, helping families plan trips that work for everyone. This understanding shapes every recommendation she makes, from resort selection to activity planning.
Her Lapland knowledge stands out. Catherine knows the difference between southern resorts in September and the January magic of Ruka. She understands that not every family wants the same Santa experience. Some want stepping-out-of-the-wardrobe-into-Narnia vibes. Others want all-singing-all-dancing elves. Catherine matches the right experience to each family.
This year, she sent three families to Ruka in January. Each one experienced the snow coaster, snow racing, and Santa’s Secret Cottage. These are unique experiences they would not have found in other resorts.
The JLT Journey So Far
Catherine joined JLT in August 2024 with a clear goal: build a business that fits around family life while helping other parents.
Her standout achievement so far is creating a new concept for single parent travel.
In December, Catherine took over a dormant solo and single parents travel group. She started posting regularly, sharing the struggles of single parent travel, and listening. One theme kept emerging: parents found the idea of travelling alone daunting.
So Catherine created a shared holiday model. Not a group holiday. Everyone books separately and stays in control of their own trip, but they know other families will be there too. Connection without pressure.
She put together a Tenerife package for August 2026. Interest was immediate. Five families have now secured bookings. Before they have even travelled, they have built a community. Play dates. Shared WhatsApp groups. Discussions about their children’s interests.
Catherine is now setting up two more shared holidays, one for each school holiday period.
Words of Wisdom
Catherine’s advice to fellow agents: know your audience. One holiday does not fit all. Getting it right for each individual is what sets good agents apart.
For those considering JLT, she says go for it. Building a travel business takes work, but the JLT family could not be more supportive. The WhatsApp groups mean someone is always there to help, no matter the time of day or night.
Looking Ahead
Next on Catherine’s radar is Orlando. With her Disney expertise and family-first approach, it is a natural next step.
Catherine has built £1.3m in bookings, created a new travel concept for single parent families, and established herself as a Lapland specialist within her first 18 months.
Well done, Catherine!
