Growing up in a village in sunny West Yorkshire, I was always torn between travel and design when it came to deciding my future. I went down the travel route and after ten years working in the industry, I decided to scratch that design itch, and headed to Devon where I spent a year living in a campervan, working in a remote workshop, studying furniture design and craftsmanship. Though it was one of the best times of my life, I found myself being drawn back into the travel industry and moved to Bristol.

I was lucky enough to travel as a child with my family but fell in love with the mountains when I went skiing on a school trip. That turned into working in Chamonix, France, and later spent a ski season in Banff, Canada, as a snowboard instructor. When it comes to travel, rugged natural landscapes and mountains are my go-to.

I’ve travelled a fair bit, but Iceland is still ‘the one’. I always wanted to travel there for as long as I can remember and ended up booking a trip for a week, but once there I ended up staying for the best part of a month. It was everything I expected and more. I’d never experienced anywhere like that, somewhere so bleak and beautiful at the same time; I don’t think there are many places in the world like that – especially not within three hours of the UK. ‘Otherworldly’ is definitely the word.

Following that trip, I visited Japan for a month, which again was incredible but didn’t compare to Iceland. Returning to Iceland with Regent this year I thought it may be different or possibly spoil my memories of it, but it didn’t at all - it’s still my favourite.

I road-tripped through the country both times. Pitching a tent in the dark one night and waking up to realise we were just alongside Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon was just spectacular. On my next visit, I’m going to head to the north-west and explore the northern regions deeper, as well as taking a 4x4 out to discover the remote highlands in the summer.

I’ve finally ticked the last country in Scandinavia off the list, having now just returned from Southern Finland, exploring Helsinki and some of the countryside and towns in the south, and have previously visited Norway and Sweden.

Greenland is the next one on the list; I love anywhere vast, cold and remote, so it’s the natural next step from Iceland. With Regent, I’m heading to Southern Greenland this summer – the greenest part of the frozen country, where I’ll be immersing myself in Inuit culture, kayaking through the fjord systems and floating past immense icebergs under my own steam. I absolutely cannot wait!

Having spent over 5 years in the travel industry, I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to experience a variety of different countries. My personal passion is taking a cruise – I find them to be a great way to see a whole host of destinations and scenery in one trip without having to unpack more than once! One day I would love to experience one of our Arctic cruises, the voyages that visit Spitsbergen and Greenland are fascinating.

I still love our land-based holidays too - spending 10 days exploring Iceland was an incredible experience as I got to try many activities for the first time. While whale watching from Reykjavik Harbour I was lucky enough to see whales swimming right next to our boat. One of my favourite excursions was horse riding through to the volcanic landscapes – the scenery was incredible. There is something for everyone in Iceland and I think it is one of the loveliest places in the world.

Having worked in travel for over 10 years I’ve been lucky enough to visit all the continents except Antarctica (which is definitely on the list!) but there is something that keeps drawing me back to South East Asia - ever since first stepping off the ‘plane in Bangkok as a recently-graduated student back in the 1990s.  It’s hard to know what exactly it is, the mouth-watering food available both on the streets and in the restaurants or the miles of stunning coastline across the region, the orang-utans hanging out in Borneo or the awe-inspiring temples rising out of the jungles in Angkor Wat, or even the temple-studded plains of Burma, but they all play a part in drawing me back. All that without even mentioning the warm-hearted and sincere welcome you receive from the locals.

It’s hard to pick a favourite place but Danum Valley in the Sabah region of Malaysian Borneo really is special.  As the only area of virgin rainforest in the region it feels like you’re staying in the Lost World. After spending the day trekking through the forest with the peerless local guides on the look-out for the Old Man of Borneo swinging through the trees or any number of hornbills taking flight, to return to the Lodge and sit back and await the chorus of 6 O’clock cicadas, monkey-chatter and birdsong is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Unless you’re lucky enough to go back which I definitely hope I will be. 

Read more about my travel experiences in the blog