Symphony World Travel’s Fetcham office will soon be celebrating 32 years of successful trading in the Surrey village.

Symphony World Travel, owned by brother and sister team Anthony Raffaini and Simonetta Nutt, is very much a family affair – the Fetcham office was opened by Anthony’s wife Lucia in November 1987. “Following the success of our Kingswood office we felt we could do the same in Fetcham, offering the local community an excellent travel service on their doorstep” says Anthony Raffaini. 

All we needed to do was find a shop for rent, which was harder than expected – they really wanted to be in the heart of the village but there were no premises available. Sim, Anthony and Lucia walked up and down the parade of shops, approaching each business until they found the current premises at 220 Cobham Road. The lady who owned the shop, a newsagent and old-fashioned sweetshop, was looking to retire so the match was perfect and a deal was done. 

Coming from an entrepreneurial family, Sim and Anthony were encouraged by their father to combine their expertise and set up on their own. Having gained invaluable experience in separate travel businesses, Symphony World Travel was born – first came the Kingswood branch and the Fetcham branch was opened three years later. 

Since 1997 Symphony World Travel has become very much part of the village community and has continued to provide the best in travel expertise, and Jan and June have been part of the furniture for 14 and 22 years respectively. Between them they have travelled to all four corners of the globe and have many tales tell about their travels.

Always happy to share their knowledge and to suggest and inspire, they welcome familiar and new faces into the Fetcham office for a cup of coffee and to plan your next holiday. 

Things have changed a lot in the past 30 years and the world of travel has seen amazing diversification. The growth of new and exciting destinations as well as the expansion of the worldwide travel network has taken the discerning client away from the package holiday and into more intrepid adventures.

It has been an exciting time and interesting to grow with these changes as a company. Over the years they have built up strong relationships with key travel partners, bolstering their own knowledge and ensuring exceptional value for their clients each time.