Following a 6-month trip around the world in 1993, Mick freelanced before joining the press office team at Heathrow Airport where he remained for two years. Having decided that travel PR would be more fun than promoting cans of fizzy drinks or postage stamps, Mick joined a start-up, specialist agency where he spent eight years, being instrumental in helping to grow the business.
He created and managed successful campaigns for companies including Eurocamp, Explore Worldwide, Esprit Ski, Somak Holidays, Sunvil Holidays, Belle France and AITO (the Association of Independent Tour Operators).
A 6-year partnership with a business acquaintance followed, with Mick creating and implementing campaigns for various organisations including The New Forest Tourism Association, Fleewinter, Families Worldwide and Trek America, to name just some.
Upon reaching a landmark age, Mick began to think about running his own business, in his own ‘dogged’ style, and in June 2012 Travel Dog PR was born and, in just a few months, the client list was growing healthily, largely due to referrals.
Dogs are reliable, hard-working, loyal, fun loving and man’s best friend; these are attributes that Mick likes to think of as an analogy for the Travel Dog PR approach to business and how he likes to work with clients.
10 Little Known Facts About Mick Thompson
Mick’s eldest brother James has Downs Syndrome and through his father’s involvement with the Mencap charity, the family were the subject of a BBC award-winning documentary (the equivalent of a BAFTA today) ‘James is our brother’ in the 1970s
He won a national writing competition when he was 10 years old
His maternal grandfather served in the Imperial Camel Corp in Egypt, rubbing shoulders with T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) during the first-world-war
Mick arranged for the first-ever UK-based interview of Yasser Arafat for Jon Snow of Channel 4 News at Heathrow Airport (Snow arrived on a Virgin Taxi Motorbike)
Mick greeted Nelson Mandela when he arrived in the UK for his first ever visit as President of the Republic of South Africa
Whilst working at Heathrow, Mick headed the media campaign for the airport’s 50th anniversary which won a prestigious PR Week industry award
Mick was responsible for launching convicted Marijuana drug dealer Howard Marks’ travel writing career with a trip to Brazil for The Observer and they remain friends
Mick has cycled between London and Paris three times raising almost £10,000 for various charities
International gymnast Suzanne Dando once took her clothes off in front of him
Lord ‘Paddy’ Ashdown once took his clothes off in front of him