Grace Townsend
I have been fortunate to travel to some amazing places in my lifetime already – including family holidays to Greece and Dubai, inter-railing through Europe, and 4 months travelling South-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. I have a love for exploring all that our amazing world has to offer, from the beautiful nature and wildlife, through to the fun cities and ski slopes.
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I love active holidays where I can go skiing, hiking, scuba diving, as well as ones where I can lie on a beach with my book and relax in the sun.
When I was younger I spent a lot of family holidays on the Greek island of Crete. Since then I have also explored Mykonos and Corfu – I love the Greek food and culture and their amazing beaches!
I went on my first ski holiday at the age of 8 and have tried to go every year since. I grew up skiing in North Hampshire on the US East Coast, and have explored the European mountains in more recent years – including Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens, Tignes, Val d’Isère, and Alpe d’Huez in France, Bardonecchia and La Tuile in Italy, Grandvalira in Andorra, as well as resorts in Austria.
I have also inter-railed through Europe ticking off most of the major cities, including Berlin, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Krakow, Zagreb, Lake Bled, Venice and Paris. And I have backpacked through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Bali, Australia, and New Zealand. It was the trip of a lifetime being able to truly explore Asia – an area of the world so culturally different from the West. I would recommend that everybody experiences Asia at some point in their lifetime as they have amazing culture, lovely people, fantastic food, and amazing beaches and landscapes. Coming back from this trip was when I decided I wanted to work in travel!
Favourite places I've been
What my guests have said
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We had a lovely holiday, the accommodation and resort were fabulous. One of our party had a minor accident during skiing and Grace was great in helping to arrange an early flight and transfer home although we didn’t end up taking the early option as we were having such a good time regardless of the man down! Thank you so much.
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Just a quick note to thank you for all your help arranging our trip last week. We had a great time and loved celebrating Caroline’s birthday in Courchevel. Thank you also for the fantastic champagne!
My hot picks
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Daios Cove, Crete, Greece
Such a lovely hotel in Crete with amazing food and service. Great for families (fab Scott Dunn Explorers Kids Club!) or couples, with a lovely atmosphere, calm beach, and great pools. -
The Chedi Andermatt, Andermatt, Switzerland
An amazing destination hotel in the Swiss Alps. They’ve mixed an Asian feel with an Alpine decor which is so unique, and offer amazing 5* luxury.
My top tips
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Take the time to stop for long lunches when skiing – the food and wine in the mountains is amazing (especially in the Italian Dolomites), make sure to soak it all in and appreciate the mountain air!
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Always try something new when travelling – whether that be food or an activity. I pushed my boundaries and went sky diving in New Zealand and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done!
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I always recommend trying to see or do something cultural wherever you visit – I think one of the best things about travel is seeing how differently people live across the world.