Our Travel Specialists’ Insider Experiences

Feeling adventurous? A South African safari is guaranteed to be special. But for something extraordinary, experience what it’s like to sleep safely out under the stars in the heart of the bush. A male lion’s roar starts with deep grunts and builds to a crescendo. It all feels so close as you slip into bed and gaze up at the African night sky.

- Meg Shepro, Africa Travel Specialist, US Office

Want to get away from it all? Nestled in the Sri Lankan jungle is an eco-hotel where time slows down. Singing cicadas, rainforest showers and flickering oil lamps. True paradise for nature lovers.

- Rikki Poynton, Asia Travel Specialist, UK Office

Something for the whole family? Italy has it all. Learn about Arlecchino as you add gold leaf to your Venetian masks, blow glass beads with one of Murano’s top artisans and watch your little ones shape pasta with a master pastaio. Take home even more than memories.

- Hannah Ingle, Europe Travel Specialist, UK Office

Your daughter wants to become a marine biologist? The Maldives are nature’s underwater playgrounds. Coral in every colour of the rainbow, tiny stripey fish, great olive-skinned Loggerhead turtles and sweeping rays. Turn your holiday into the most exciting family field trip. 

- Ying Ying Koo, Travel Specialist, Singapore office

For budding photographers, nothing beats a personal tour of the backstreets of Harajuku with an up-and-coming Japanese photographer. It’s the only way to capture Tokyo’s true magic. Another top tip – on the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto, you must book a seat on the right-hand side for epic views of Mount Fuji in all its glory.

- Rikki Poynton, Asia Travel Specialist, UK Office

Are you a wildlife enthusiast? My favourite species to spot in the Galapagos is the giant tortoise. Living for over a hundred years, they slowly roam the islands in great numbers, without batting an eyelid at the human visitors a few feet away. This feels like the closest thing to walking with dinosaurs that you could possibly experience.

- Simon Hunt, Latin America Team Leader, UK Office

For thrill-seekers, if Antarctica isn’t on your bucket list then it should be! Wait with bated breath as a humpback whale splashes its huge tail through the surface of the water mere meters away from your small Zodiac boat.

- Renata Da Silva, Polar and Latin America Travel Specialist, US Office

Fascinated by big cats? The Namiri Plains in the Serengeti National Park is big cat country, where cheetahs, lions and wild cats prowl. After a busy day of game drives in search of these feline predators, nothing beats coming home to soak in a bubble bath on your private deck.

- Matt Shock, Africa Senior Travel Specialist, UK Office

Longing for the open road? The breathtaking scenery of the US Southwest will blow you away. The sheer scale of the Grand Canyon would give anyone goosebumps, especially when taken in from the serenity of an astonishing helicopter ride. From hiking dramatic canyons to rafting spectacular rivers, this larger than life part of the world has it all.

- Rich Black, North America Travel Specialist, UK Office