JOURNALISTS will tell you that their contacts book is their most prized
possession. Certainly, when I researched my new book, The Times Holiday
Handbook, I picked the brains of hundreds of my contacts in the travel
industry whose insight and knowledge offer something fresh.
Here I’ve picked 50 of the most interesting of my contacts to share with you.
Their work varies widely — from setting up a small tour operator
specialising in Central Asia, or a luggage delivery service, to running one
of Europe’s biggest airlines or a global publishing empire. But all have
created, or achieved, something new and interesting in their specialist
field, and their companies and services are ones that every traveller should
know about.
It was hard to stick to 50 specialists, as there are hundreds more I could
have included. But if you take advice from this bunch, you’ll start your
travels off in the right direction.
Making our lives easier
1. DR RICHARD DAWOOD
Author of Travellers’ Health: How to Stay Healthy Abroad (OUP,
£16.99), an essential reference volume. Dawood, 52, also runs the Fleet
Street Clinic in Central London, offering pre and post-trip consultations.
020-7353 5678, www.travellers-health.info
2. GLEN DONOVAN
Travel agent to the stars, Donovan, 41, launched Earth in 1990 when
he fixed up a holiday for Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant. Now he sells only the
holidays and hotels he thinks earn the description “luxury” to 200
well-heeled clients.
www.earthlondon.com
3. PAUL EVANS
Formerly a senior executive at Airtours and First Choice Holidays,
Evans, 46, set up the Lowcost Holiday Group in 2004, making package holidays
more easily available online. Now has 23 websites covering holidays,
insurance, flights, hotels and transfers.
0870 0660077, www.lowcostholidays.com
4. MIKE GOOLEY
The former SAS soldier launched Trailfinders in 1970; it now has 19
branches countrywide and is staffed by some of the industry’s most
knowledgeable agents. Gooley, 69, refuses to allow online bookings to ensure
the highest standards of customer service.
0845 0585858, www.trailfinders.com
5. TOM GRIFFITHS
Griffiths, 32, co-founded the Gapyear Company in 1998. The website
offers the first, and largest, online community for gap travellers, with
750,000 users. It helps travellers to find projects, hostels, appropriate
insurance and health advice and meet like-minded gappers.
www.gapyear.com
6. JOHN HATT
Author of the seminal guide, The Tropical Traveller, Hatt,
57, set up Cheapflights.co.uk in 1996, the first site to compare air fares
on the web “neutrally” — listing all deals regardless of whether or not the
airline is an advertiser.
www.cheapflights.co.uk
7. GIDEON KASFINER
In 2004 Kasfiner, 50, founded First Luggage, a service that
transports suitcases via cargo plane, enabling us to travel luggage-free.
Current airport security restrictions are boosting business, showing that
it’s an idea whose time has come.
0845 2700670,
www.firstluggage.com
8. DIANA LAMPLUGH
Founded the Suzy Lamplugh Trust in 1986 after the disappearance of
her daughter Suzy. Although Lamplugh, 70, has stepped down, the charity
continues to raise awareness of personal safety for travellers.
020-7091 0014, www.suzylamplugh.org
9. MARTHA LANE FOX
Founder of Lastminute.com in 1998, one of the great survivors of the
dot-com bubble, and the first site to sell “remaindered” holidays at short
notice. Lane Fox, 33, has left the company, which was bought by Travelocity
last year.
www.lastminute.com
10. ANDY PHILLIPPS
Created ActiveHotels, an online hotel booking service, in 1999, one
of the first to feature thousands of independent hotels as well as the
chains. Phillipps, 37, sold it to Priceline in 2004 and now advises
ventures, including TopTable.
www.activehotels.com, www.toptable.co.uk
11. ROZ WEBSTER
Eights years’ experience with luxury tour operators led Webster, 39,
and her partner Sophie Gordon, 33, to set up Cream Travel in 2004. The
travel agency specialises in upscale, bespoke trips, often using small
specialists, and is especially strong on organising honeymoons and sourcing
desirable family villas.
020-7371 0484,
www.cream-travel.co.uk
12. LINCOLN YATES
Yates, 50, started inventing safety gadgets, such as rucksack locks
and door guards, after being robbed on the road. He now runs Catch 22, which
sells travel gear, including his inventions.
01942 511820, www.catch22products.co.uk
Eco-warriors
13. ADAMA BAH
Bah, 54, founded and runs Gambia Tourism Concern, working with local
businesses such as farmers to help to sell products to the tourist industry.
His work is inspiring projects in Ghana, Guinea, Senegal and elsewhere.
www.gambiatourismconcern.com
14. PATRICIA BARNETT
As director of Tourism Concern for 15 years, Barnett has spearheaded
campaigns against inequalities caused by tourism, such as low wages for
staff and rights for porters in trekking destinations.
020-7133 3330, www.tourismconcern.org.uk
15. JUSTIN FRANCIS
Francis, 41, set up an online travel agency, Responsibletravel.com,
in 2001 and now sells trips that give something back to the host community
in more than 150 countries. He aims to make “responsible to travel what
organic is to food”.
0870 0052836, www.responsibletravel.com
16. AMANDA MARKS
Marks, 42, founded Tribes Travel in 1998 to bring the “fair-trade” concept to
holidays, offering trips worldwide that ensure that more money reaches host
communities. Last year Tribes was overall winner in the First Choice
Responsible Tourism Awards, which are sponsored by The Times.
01728 685971, www.tribes.co.uk
17. MIKE MASON
“Eco-entrepreneur” Mason, 53, formed Climate Care in 1997, a company
that enables us to offset our carbon emissions, whether from flying, driving
or heating our homes. The company is growing rapidly and is set to offset
1.2m tonnes a year — about 1.5 per cent of the UK’s emissions reduction
target.
01865 207000, www.climatecare.org
18. PATRICK THORNE
Thorne, 42, a ski journalist, has compiled the world’s first “green
database”, examining how more than 200 resorts are minimising their impact
on the environment.
www.saveoursnow.com, www.snow24.com
Destination specialists
19. JONNY BEALBY
A travel writer who had explored Afghanistan and northern Pakistan,
Bealby, 42, (right) set up Wild Frontiers in 2002 to offer adventurous trips
to the region (and now 20 countries worldwide). He has links with local
NGOs, which put something back into local communities.
020-7736 3968, www.wildfrontiers.co.uk
20. MEHERA DALTON
Dalton, 51, has been the UK-based MD of the India specialists Greaves
Travel since 1992. She has specialist contacts throughout India and can offer
everything from personal shopping in Bombay’s boutiques to dinner with a
maharajah.
0870 8502497, www.greavesindia.com
21. MARY-ANNE DENISON-PENDER
Another India expert, with 20 years of visits behind her,
Denison-Pender, 40, set up MAhout in 2002 to promote small, hidden gems of
hotels across the subcontinent.
01295 758150, www.mahoutuk.com
22-23. LORD CHARLES FITZROY AND EMILY FITZROY
This uncle-and-niece team run, respectively, Fine Art Travel and
Bellini Travel, offering specialist trips to Italy. Charles, 49, oversees
the former, arranging small cultural tours, while Emily, 32, fixes events,
even after-hours admission to the Sistine Chapel.
020-7437 8553, www.finearttravel.co.uk
; 020-7602 7602, www.bellinitravel.com
24. LINDA HEARN
With her husband, Richard, Hearn, 54, set up Inntravel in 1982 to
offer small rural hotels in France. They pioneered individual walking and
cycling trips with luggage carried from hotel to hotel, setting new
standards for quality, mid-priced European breaks. The Hearns sold the
company last year and now run Village Ways, offering walking holidays in the
Indian foothills.
01653 617949, www.inntravel.co.uk
; www.villageways.com
25. WILL JONES
Jones, 34, (right) set up Journeys by Design in 1999 to offer small,
upscale safaris using staff born and raised in Africa. Trips have a strong
ethical dimension, supporting local businesses.
01273 623790, www.journeysbydesign.co.uk
26. NICK LAING
Formerly a farmer and soldier, Laing, 54, drove a Range Rover to Singapore in
1975 and has been travelling ever since. He formed Steppes Travel in 1989 to
offer adventurous trips to Russia and Central Asia; and now operates
worldwide, except Europe. Boasts knowledgeable staff and close involvement
with local communities.
01285 880980, www.steppestravel.co.uk
27. CHRIS McINTYRE
The 40-year-old MD of the safari specialist Expert Africa is hugely
knowledgeable about southern Africa, especially Zambia, Namibia, Botswana
and Zanzibar, about which he has written guidebooks.
020-8232 9777, www.expertafrica.com
28. SIMON MURIE
In 2003 the open-water enthusiast Murie, 35, founded Swimtrek, which offers
trips to places such as Greece and the Isles of Scilly, where you swim from
island to island.
020-8696 6220, www.swimtrek.com
29. ROBIN POPE
Zambian-born Pope, 53, leads walking safaris in South Luangwa, Zambia, where
he is reckoned one of Africa’s most gifted guides. With his wife Jo he runs
one of the continent’s most assured camping operations, plus a support
programme for schools.
00 260 6 246090, www.robinpopesafaris.net
30-31. LAILA RAM AND NIKKI TINTO
The hotel-booking website I-Escape.com was launched in October 2001 after its
founders Ram, 42, and Tinto, 41, (right) were overwhelmed by “the huge
quantity, and poor quality, of information online”. It now offers detailed
reviews of more than 500 personally inspected hotels worldwide.
www.i-escape.com
32. MARTIN RANDALL
Since 1988 Randall, 52, has run art and music tours to Europe (especially
Italy) and the Middle East. His tours set standards (small groups, top
lecturers, comfortable pace, quality hotels and restaurants) that others
imitate. Also organises well-regarded music festivals in Europe.
020-8742 3355, www.martinrandall.com
33. GRAHAM SIMPSON
In 1978 Simpson, now 60, founded Simply Travel, which brought new service
standards (such as using well-paid, older reps) to the traditional Med
holiday. He sold it to package giant Thomson in 1999, and in 2003 launched
the upmarket operator Simpson Travel.
0845 8116500,
www.simpsontravel.com
34. NEIL TAYLOR
Mandarin-speaking Taylor, 58, set up Regent Holidays in 1975 to lead
tours to Eastern Europe and the USSR. It continues to offer expert tours to
a wide variety of communist or former communist states, including China,
Cuba, North Korea, the Baltic states and Albania.
0870 4990911, www.regent-holidays.co.uk
Shaping our view of the world
35. HILARY BRADT
Bradt, 65, founded Bradt Guides in the 1970s with volumes on South American
destinations. The series specialises in countries recovering from civil war
or political upheaval — where visitors’ money can make a real difference.
www.bradtguides.com
36. LYN HUGHES
Editor-in-chief of the travel magazine Wanderlust, which she founded in 1993
with her late husband Paul Morrison. Through the magazine and its website,
Hughes, 46, has created a community of travellers who love to explore remote
corners of the world — regardless of what’s “hip”.
01753 620426, www.wanderlust.co.uk
37. ALASTAIR SAWDAY
The guidebook publisher, 61, has for the past 13 years written about
environmentally friendly places to stay — and finally, we’re catching on.
His Special Places to Stay series has 18 titles, mostly covering the UK and
Europe.
01275 395430, www.sawdays.co.uk
38. TONY WHEELER
Co-founder of the Lonely Planet guidebooks with his wife, Maureen, Wheeler,
59, still contributes to new editions and oversees a 600-plus-title empire.
www.lonelyplanet.com
39. HERBERT YPMA
The Dutch writer and photographer behind the Hip Hotels series has done more
than almost anyone to hunt out the most stylish and well-run hotels
worldwide. Coverage in his books can transform a hotel’s fortunes. Ypma, 45,
will soon publish guides to New York and UK hotels.
www.hiphotels.com
Where we stay
40. ROBERT BURNS
The Regent Hong Kong, which Burns opened in 1980, introduced new standards —
such as lavish bathrooms and personal butlers — which were rapidly imitated
worldwide. Now 76, Burns, one of the world’s great hoteliers, has
beautifully restored his home, Villa Feltrinelli, on the shores of Lake
Garda, Italy, and opened it as one of the world’s loveliest hotels.
00 39 0365 798000, www.villafeltrinelli.net
41. GORDON CAMPBELL GRAY
Owner of One Aldwych, the London hotel which, when it opened in 1998,
broke the mould of the capital’s then-stuffy five-star hotels with its style
and high service standards. Campbell Gray, 55, continues to set the pace
with his five-star Carlisle Bay hotel in Antigua, and projects in Beirut and
Oman on the drawing board.
www.campbellgrayhotels.com
42. ROBIN HUTSON
Founder of the Hotel du Vin group in 1994: this new breed of boutique,
town-centre hotel introduced high service standards, quality bistro food and
superb wine lists at modest prices. Hutson, 49, is now chairman of Soho
House, overseeing new hotels in Chiswick, Shoreditch and Miami.
www.sohohouse.com ; www.hotelduvin.com
43. NIGEL MASSEY
Hotel publicist Massey, 60, invented the marvellous
Kate-Moss-and-Johnny-Depp-in-a-bath-of-champagne story about the Portobello
Hotel, one of more than 70 his PR agency has promoted in the past two
decades. The former advertising man has real flair for spotting stylish
boltholes and publicising them in inimitable fashion.
020-7637 3220, www.massey.co.uk
How we get there
44. DR SWAMINATHAN DANDAPANI
There is little that Dr Dandapani, 86, does not know about India’s
labyrinthine railway network, and through Wembley-based SD Enterprises,
where he still works, he sells 10,000 rail tickets to British visitors to
India each year.
020-8903 3411, www.indiarail.co.uk
45. ROBIN FAWCETT
Filled a gap in the market in 2002 by launching Jeffersons, the only tour
operator whose entire programme uses private jets. The demise of Concorde
and the growth in airport security fears have seen business booming for
Fawcett, 52, previously a founder of the city-break specialists Kirker
Holidays.
0870 8508181, www.jeffersons.com
46. SIR STELIOS HAJI-IOANNOU
The Greek entrepreneur, 39, set up easyJet in 1995 as the first UK airline to
insist that all tickets are booked direct, by phone or online, eschewing the
travel agent — a revolutionary step that gave customers more flexibility and
lower prices. Other “easy” travel ventures include a budget car-rental firm
and a cruise line.
0905 5607777, £1/min, www.easyjet.com
47. MICHAEL O’LEARY
The charismatic CEO of the budget airline Ryanair has turned a small,
traditional, Irish carrier into the leading low-cost operator in Europe with
his aggressive price-cutting tactics and no-nonsense approach to traditional
“frills” such as food, drinks and service. O’Leary, 44, is currently taking
on BAA over the new hand-luggage rules.
0871 2460000, www.ryanair.com
48. MARK SMITH
Rail enthusiast Smith, 41, launched the website Seat61.com to give detailed,
up-to-date advice on booking train or ship journeys worldwide. Although it’s
his hobby, the site attracts more than 250,000 visitors a month as more of
us turn away from planes to travel overland.
www.seat61.com
49. LARRY DALE URSICH
Disillusioned with high car-rental excess charges, Ursich, 61, swapped his
career as a hire-car broker in 2001 to create a new type of insurance
policy. Through his website you can insure against high excess charges on
hire cars worldwide, offering welcome clarity in an industry famous for
opaque charging policies.
www.insurance4carhire.com
, www.excess4carhire.com
50. DOUGLAS WARD
The 60-year-old éminence grise of the cruise industry, Ward has worked on and
around ships for 41 years, starting as a band leader on the old Queen
Elizabeth. For the past 22 years he has authored The Complete Guide to
Cruising and Cruise Ships, notching up 5,300 days at sea on more than 400
ships. His top tip for seasickness: powdered ginger in a glass of warm
water.
The Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships 2007 (Berlitz,
£16.99) is published in October
The Times Holiday Handbook (Navigator Guides, £12.95) by Cath Urquhart is
available in shops or from The Times BooksFirst (0870 1608080, www.booksfirst.co.uk
) for £11.50, including free p&p.
