Growing up in the rolling Cotswold hills and enjoying walking holidays to the Brecon Beacons, Lake District and Munroe-bagging in Scotland it seems inevitable that when I started exploring the wider world my hiking boots would be one of the first things to get packed whenever venturing abroad.

When it comes to trying to pick a favourite destination or travel experience, I'm a bit stumped. It’s hard to pick out just one because setting off along a trail leading from the guesthouse built into the cliff at the head of the canyon in Jordan’s Dana Biosphere Reserve, being invited for tea by the local Bedouin herding their goats in the valley and ending at the candle-lit guesthouse in Feynan is so different from the experience of strapping on your crampons, picking up your ice axe and heading up the stunning Svinafellsjokull glacier tongue in Iceland.

However one of the 'stand out' highlights of my travels with Regent would have to be the climb up Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu which stands at 4,096 metres and is the highest mountain in South East Asia.  Whilst the mountain is reasonably accessible and not too technically challenging (although you have the option of taking the nerve-wracking via ferrata route) only 146 permits are issued each day so the mountain never feels too busy.  The first day sees you climb solidly for about 6 hours through the pitcher-plant and bird-rich rainforest before taking a well-earned rest at the Laban Rata guesthouse.  The second day involves a pre-dawn start to reach the peak for sunrise.  As I climbed the moon was high and to the north-east, I could watch a spectacular display of lightning over the sea happening several hundred feet below me which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The beauty of this peak is that having achieved the impressive feat of reaching the top and returning to the national park at the foot of the mountain you are lucky enough to be in Borneo so can take your weary limbs to soak in the baths at Poring Hot Springs, head further into the jungles to visit the orang-utan, elephants and proboscis monkeys or simply find a beautiful beach to relax on whilst enjoying the wonderful food and hospitality of the locals.

Read more about my travel experiences in my blog

Travel has always been my passion and there is no better feeling than fulfilling someone’s dream to travel on a day to day basis at Regent Holidays. Having worked in the travel industry now for a number of years, I have been extremely fortunate to have visited many incredible countries.

I’ve been working in the travel industry since I got my first ‘proper job’ in the late 1990’s. I figured that if I don’t have the money to travel then perhaps somebody might pay me to do so! The reality wasn’t quite like that but over the years I have used every available opportunity to visit all sorts of areas and try new adventures that I might not have otherwise considered; I have watched Beach Volleyball during the Sydney Olympics, climbed the highest peaks in Africa, followed Bradley Wiggins on my bike in the Tour de France and sailed a tall ship down the Brazilian coast. Since joining Regent in 2012 my focus has been on Russia and Eastern Europe with recent visits to Moscow and St Petersburg as well as a short spell leading our tour to Moldova. This tiny, and very friendly, republic is my new favourite country with loads to offer the experienced traveller and can easily be combined with a tour down to the Crimea in Southern Ukraine.

Read more about my travel to Regent Holiday's destinations in my blog or click here to explore our Ukraine, Moldova or Russia holidays.