Interviews Archives - Page 2 of 6 - A Luxury Travel Blog : A Luxury Travel Blog

Interview with Alison Scott, Commercial Director of Simpson Travel

By Paul Johnson on Dec 19, 2013 in Accommodation, Africa, Asia, Europe, Food and Drink, Going Out, Greece, Hotels, India, Interviews, Middle East, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, South Africa, Travel Miscellany, United Arab Emirates, Western Europe

Alison Scott joined Simpson Travel as the Commercial Director in June this year. However she is more than familiar with the Simpson Travel group having worked in Product and Operations for Simply Travel (a very successful tour operation run and owned by Graham Simpson for over 20 years and sold in the late 1990s) for over

Interview with Nick Van Gruisen, Managing Director of The Ultimate Travel Company

By Paul Johnson on Dec 08, 2013 in Accommodation, Africa, Asia, Botswana, Brazil, Hotels, Indonesia, Interviews, Regions, Resorts, South America, Travel Miscellany

Nick Van Gruisen’s travel career started as a professional guide running camps and leading safaris in Botswana and South Africa. He then joined Lindblad Safaris, pioneers at the time of private plane safaris through Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. In the 1980s he set up the UK office of the Tiger Mountain Group on the main

Interview with Bennett Stevens, Director of Luminous Journeys

By Paul Johnson on Nov 19, 2013 in Asia, Bars, California, Food and Drink, Going Out, Interviews, Myanmar, North America, Regions, Restaurants, Thailand, Travel Miscellany, USA

Born and raised in California where his family ran a charter yacht business for more than 20 years, Bennett Stevens was stricken with an incurable case of wanderlust in 1996 and took to the road. He “serpentined” his way around the world and wound up in southeast Asia where he managed to survive as a

Interview with Andre Ramayadi, Owner of Bali Home Paradise

By Paul Johnson on Sep 13, 2013 in Accommodation, Asia, Food and Drink, Indonesia, Interviews, Maldives, Regions, Travel Miscellany, Vacation Rentals

Andre Ramayadi was born in Denpasar, Bali, and began his career in a very young age. He is now 35 years old with a son, and is a managing director as well as the owner of Bali Home Paradise, one of the top luxury villa sites for rent providers in Bali. Helping guests to find

Interview with Lorne Blythe, Owner of Flavours Holidays

By Paul Johnson on Sep 11, 2013 in Accommodation, Africa, California, Celebrities, Europe, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, Italy, North America, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, South Africa, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, USA, Vacation Rentals, Western Europe

Lorne Blythe born in Edinburgh now divides her time between Italy and Edinburgh. She is the owner of Flavours Holidays which organises getaways for people who want a cooking holiday, a painting vacation or a week practising Pilates in Italy. Flavours is a specialised niche market tour operator, and has been offering luxury holidays since

Interview with Bridget King, Owner of Lilylola

By Paul Johnson on Aug 17, 2013 in Clothing, Czech Republic, Eastern Europe, Europe, France, Interviews, Italy, Regions, Travel Equipment, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

Married with three grown children, four cats and a dog, Bridget King is owner of Lilylola and has always had an insatiable passion for fabric, textures and fashion, combined with a deep appreciation of the human form and sculpture. Her career started in advertising and progressed predictably into fashion and retail. She is highly motivated

Interview with Sarah Lee, Founder of LiveShareTravel and Author of The Luxury Traveller’s Handbook

By Paul Johnson on Jun 21, 2013 in Accommodation, Asia, Books, Canada, Caribbean, Celebrities, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, Mexico, Middle East, North America, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Saint Lucia, Thailand, Travel Equipment, Travel Literature, Travel Miscellany, United Arab Emirates

A journalist and editor, Sarah Lee started Maia Communications, a marketing communications company, with her husband Terry, in 2009. She has a PR diploma, 17 years’ experience on newspapers, magazines and corporate publications. Sarah also founded luxury travel and lifestyle magazine LiveShareTravel in 2010. What is it that you do exactly? We’ve taken our hobby and made it

Interview with Paola Fiocchi Van den Brande, Founder and Director of Passepartout Homes

By Paul Johnson on Jun 19, 2013 in Accommodation, Asia, Caribbean, Celebrities, Europe, Food and Drink, France, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, Italy, Maldives, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Thailand, Travel Miscellany, Turks and Caicos, United Kingdom, Vacation Rentals, Western Europe

Paola Fiocchi Van den Brande, originally from Italy, moved to London in 2000, after working in Belgium and Germany. After 13 years as Direct Marketing Manager for international publishing and news companies, most recently for Bloomberg LP, Paola decided to launch Passepartout Homes in 2011. This is her first experience as an entrepreneur. Paola graduated from the Catholic University

Interview with Paul Joseph, Co-Founder of Health and Fitness Travel

By Paul Johnson on Apr 25, 2013 in Accommodation, Asia, Caribbean, Celebrities, Europe, Food and Drink, Going Out, Health & Safety, Hotels, India, Interviews, Portugal, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Saint Lucia, Thailand, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

Paul Joseph is Co-founder of Health and Fitness Travel, experts in tailor-made healthy holidays worldwide. He searches for the rare and hidden gems around the world and puts together exclusive and trend-setting holidays for those who would like to improve or maintain their health and fitness whilst on holiday. As well as a love of

Interview with Ana Silva O'Reilly of mrsoaroundtheworld.com

By Paul Johnson on Mar 11, 2013 in Accommodation, Asia, Celebrities, China, Europe, Going Out, Greece, Hotels, Interviews, Netherlands, Oceania, Pacific Islands, Portugal, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Spain, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe

With a degree in Business Studies and a Henley Business School MBA, Ana Silva O’Reilly developed her career in strategic marketing management as Marketing Director for Portugal, Spain and Turkey with global commercial real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield. She is also a New York University alumni (NYU), having graduated from its Social Media Strategy

Interview with Nicola Pearson, Marketing Director and Co-owner of Bridgewater Travel

By Paul Johnson on Mar 06, 2013 in Accommodation, Caribbean, Celebrities, Europe, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, Italy, Regions, Restaurants, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

Nicola Pearsonwas born in London but now lives with her family in Manchester. She is 34 years old with 2 daughters and is the Marketing Director and Co-owner of her family’s luxury travel company, Bridgewater Travel. Bridgewater Travel is a family owned and managed Italian villa rental company. Nicola’s parents first started offering villas in Pietrasanta and

Interview with Jamie Loizou, Director of Sales & Marketing at Mundy Cruising

By Paul Johnson on Feb 06, 2013 in Antarctic, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Caribbean, Celebrities, Cruises & Boat Travel, Going Out, Interviews, Oceania, Polar Regions, Regions, Restaurants, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany

After graduating and spending a year backpacking, I decided to combine my love of travel and the opportunity to have a meaningful career and so embarked upon a life within the travel industry. For the last nine years I have been working for luxury cruise specialist Mundy Cruising, which specialises in deluxe ocean and river

Interview with Owen Coleman, CEO of The Coleman Group Worldwide LLC

By Paul Johnson on Nov 30, 2012 in Accommodation, Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Celebrities, Cruises & Boat Travel, Europe, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, Italy, Japan, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Saint Lucia, Speciality Travel, Switzerland, Tanzania, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

Owen Coleman is an entrepreneur and world class designer who has created and built many strategy and branding firms since his first design firm in 1966. After 30 years, he became partners with the Interpublic Group, forming the Coleman Worldwide Partnership, comprised of the finest brand design firms in 18 countries. His friendship and mentorship with those partners endures today.

Interview with Dave Thompson, Founder of Dave's Travel Corner

By Paul Johnson on Nov 17, 2012 in Accommodation, Africa, Asia, Botswana, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, Maldives, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Thailand, Travel Miscellany

Dave is a travel writer who founded Dave’s Travel Corner, an international travel community, in 1996. California born and raised, he co-founded a collegiate solar racing team which designed and built a solar car from scratch. He runs a website promoting currently undefeated WBA World Super Middleweight boxing champion, Andre Ward, is a member of the Traveler’s Century Club and is a partner

Interview with Michael Frye, Founder of British Heritage Chauffeur Tours

By Paul Johnson on Nov 06, 2012 in Accommodation, Attractions, Celebrities, Europe, Food and Drink, France, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, Middle East, Nevada, North America, Regions, Restaurants, Travel Miscellany, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Western Europe

Michael Frye, founder of British Heritage Chauffeur Tours, is one of those lucky people who has been able to enjoy two vastly different professions. For twenty years he was one of the principals of the London Symphony Orchestra, where he had the honour of meeting Stravinsky, and performing with musicians as diverse as Herbert Von

Interview with Richard Szkiler, Founder and Videographer of The View South

By Paul Johnson on Oct 24, 2012 in Accommodation, Argentina, Asia, Canada, China, Europe, Going Out, Hotels, Interviews, North America, Regions, Restaurants, South America, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe

Richard Szkiler is the Founder of The View South which produces, stocks and distributes videos specifically for the travel and leisure industry. Prior to establishing the business in Buenos Aires, Richard filmed and directed for various charities, companies and philanthropic organisations in Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom. Following this, Richard traveled to Argentina where he

Category: Interviews