talking travel
Join our FREE Talking Travel sessions and photography masterclasses. Our expert speakers will give you unique insight into their experiences and take you on fascinating and memorable journeys to inspire your next trip.
Spaces are subject to availability on the day and and will be offered on a first-come first-served basis.
saturday
6th january 2024
11:15 - 12:00
My family's next adventure
Want to take the family on a trip that they’ll never forget? Our travel experts pitch their ideas to suit various ages and pockets as well as offering practical advice on what to consider.
Mike will be sharing unique family safari experiences in Africa; Sam will share his thoughts on why Sri Lanka is a once-in-a-lifetime family destination; Harry will explore the joys of travelling to Morocco with your family. Moderated by Graham Boynton, renowned author and editor.
Mike Kelly - Coral Tree Travel
I first visited Africa in 2005, travelling independently around Uganda. I was hooked.
Several years later, I moved to Mozambique to run a PADI dive resort at a world-class marine life destination on the Manta coast.
I then moved to Zanzibar to manage the exclusive Mnemba Island, during which time I met Tess and explored East Africa extensively. Five happy years later, Tess and I returned to the UK to begin our journey as family safari specialists.
I’ve been helping families plan incredible journeys to Africa and Indian Ocean destinations ever since.
I love nothing more than experiencing all that Africa’s wild spaces have to offer. Passing on this enthusiasm to our own daughter, as well as other families, is truly rewarding.
Sam Clark - Experience Travel Group
Asia has always played an important part in my life. From backpacking around India as a 19-year-old to meeting my Kiwi wife on a beach in Thailand, it’s been a huge part of my personal life. Professionally too—it’s where I established the ETG “immersive holidays that give back” philosophy—starting in Sri Lanka in the early 2000s.
Immediately after the Asian tsunami of 2004, my ETG partner Tom and I became ‘Aid Sri Lanka’. Finally, in 2006, joined by Melissa, our third founder member, we were ready to launch our distinctive experience-based holidays. 17 years later, the team has grown to 20 in the UK, 5 in Asia, and hundreds of partners and guides throughout the continent.
We’re proud that others “see it” as we see it, that we took an idea we believed in and ran with it, and proudest of all that thousands of other people have maybe got a bit a travel adventure from their holiday experience - that we've perhaps expanded their horizons a little and at the same time, contributed positively to how travel experiences are delivered.
The great thing about Asia is that there’s always so much more to see and so many people to meet—which is why I still spend so much time travelling with (and without) my wife and teenage boys.
Harry Ring - Holiday Architects
Harry was raised in Oman, and went on to study Arabic and Spanish at university, during which time he spent a year between Cairo and Andalucía attempting to get to grips with the languages and perfecting the art of exploring as much as he could in between classes.
By now with a fully-fledged love of travel and adventure, he found himself on a fairly exciting assignment in post-invasion Iraq, interpreting for the British Army. Keen to adopt a slightly mellower life, he subsequently took his first job in travel and hasn't looked back. This has allowed him to spent a good deal of time abroad on research trips, with visits to Namibia, Morocco and Sri Lanka being particular highlights. He's really not fussy though, and rates a recent wet weekend on Pen Y Fan just as highly. The majority of his travels are now with his young family in tow, and have included visits to Thailand, Singapore, Turkey and parts of Europe – meaning that he is getting pretty good at knowing what to look for in a hotel to keep the kids happy!
Graham Boynton - Moderator
12:15 - 13:00
Something a bit different
Our travel experts four alternative destinations or experiences from around the world that they think should be on your bucket list.
Nick talks about Japan, its fascinating culture, but in particular the slopes for ski and snowboarding enthusiasts. Charlie will unveil wild places and hidden safari gems, with a focus on wildlife protection. Andrew will share first-hand advice on exploring Greenland, one of the world’s last undiscovered regions.
Moderated by Graham Boynton, renowned author and editor.
Nick Coates
Nick Coates - Different Snow
Nick has worked in tour operations for over 20 years. He set up his own tour operator in 2014, Different Japan; now established as the UKs leading Japan ski & snowboard travel company, and also focussing on luxury tailor-made travel to Japan exclusively. Nick currently divides his time between the UK and Japan, and in between running Different Japan, leads several promotional press trips to Japan's ski resorts, as well as working on projects with Japanese DMO's, helping them develop sustainable travel strategies, guidelines and policies. Beyond Japan, Nick is a keen traveller (90+ country stamps in his passport) and likes to eschew the main 'big ticket' sights, which he finds humdrum', and instead prefers to get off the beaten path to gain insight, through experience, of the every-day- lives which make up a country. Nick is an advocate of a different way to travel, one that combats the dangers of over-tourism in several concentrated hot spots.
Charlie Potter - Coral Tree Travel
My love for safari travel began to develop from a young age. I grew up in Swaziland (now e-Swatini) and South Africa. My fondest childhood memories are of the Kruger National Park, with my family in a 4×4, searching for Africa’s iconic species. These early experiences of the animal kingdom and Africa’s cultural diversity were highly formative for me, and quickly began to inspire a burning curiosity for the natural world.
As an adult, that curiosity is yet to be satiated. I have travelled extensively across eastern and southern Africa, capturing wildlife through my camera lens, hosting at lodges, guiding guests, exploring new and exciting safari regions, and creating ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ adventures to Africa.
Andrew Tait - AE Expeditions
Andy’s passion for exploration and travel was ignited in his teenage years during school trips to China and Washington D.C. Experiencing new and different cultures left him eager to explore more of the world.
Over the last 12 years Andy has worked in a variety of travel companies across the UK & New Zealand being a travel agent in a luxury London agency as well as leading business development at the UK’s foremost Japan and East Asia Specialist before joining the team at AE Expeditions.
One of Andy's core values is sustainability, which attracted him to AE Expeditions. In addition to helping promote AE Expeditions as the global leader in sustainable expedition travel, he continues to work within the wider UK travel industry to share and develop ways to improve sustainability across the industry.
Graham Boynton - Moderator
12:00 - 13:00
travel photography masterclass by JRNY magazine
The one-hour classes are aimed at beginner- and intermediate-level travel photographers, providing invaluable advice on all aspects of the craft. Whether you’re shooting with a smartphone or professional kit, this introduction session explores how to travel better as a photographer, what and how to photograph, and simple ways to improve quality.
Kav Dadfar - JRNY Magazine
Kav is the co-founder of the award-winning JRNY Travel Magazine. As a writer and photographer, over the years his images have appeared in publications around the world including JRNY, Condé Nast, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Daily Mail, The Express, The Guardian and many more.
13:15 - 14:00
Something a bit different
Our travel experts pitch alternative destinations or experiences from around the world that they think should be on your bucket list.
Jarrod explores Kyrgyzstan with spectacular alpine lakes, mountains and a rich narrative of Silk Road history and culture. Chantal will speak on locally inspired Southern African journeys and Paul will focus on customisable flight-free travel options.
Moderated by Graham Boynton, renowned author and editor.
Jarrod Kyte - Steppes Travel
Jarrod is an uncompromising advocate for a fairer travel industry, where traveller, host and environment all benefit harmoniously. As Product and Impact Director at Steppes Travel, he has worked with NGOs, conservation bodies and local travel providers to create inspirational holidays that act as a tool for conservation and community development. My recent travels have been about the desire to explore space. Not following Elon Musk on an ego trip to conquer the final frontier but being drawn to those places on the map that still have the capacity to inspire, solely down to the sheer scale and magnitude of the landscape. I look forward to sharing some of my favourite wild spaces.
Paul Conroy - Byway
Paul has 25 years experience working in travel and most of that time with start up organisations. Part of the early team at lastminute.com at the turn of the century he then helped launch Voyage Prive in the UK and was in the relaunch team at Easyjet Holidays.
He also held a product and commercial directors role at Fleetway Travel and gained significant experience of the hotel wholesaling market at Jac Travel.
Long associated with the team at London's Startup Accelerator and Venture Studio - Founders Factory, consulting for a wide range of their travel startups, Paul sat on the investment committee where Byway was first proposed.
Now with Byway and on a mission to make slow, sustainable travel mainstream, Paul is responsible for contracting with partners who share Byway's vision of travelling sustainably and helps drive developments of the dynamic packaging technology that underpins sustainable travel by train, bus, boat and even bike.
Chantal Potgieter
Chantal Potgieter - Themba Travel
Conscious Connector | Advocate for Sustainable Tourism | Youth & Community Practitioner | Connecting people with places on purpose. | Passionate about restoring dignity, breaking the poverty cycle and women empowerment.
Specializes in Volunteering & Leisure Holidays, and Educational Expeditions in culture, community and wildlife conservation.
Graham Boynton - Moderator
14:15 - 15:00
SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT
Our travel experts pitch alternative destinations or experiences from around the world that they think should be on your bucket list.
Sunita will share the joys of experiencing life as a local and how these initiatives benefit the communities; whilst Powell will look at small-ship cruising – the best and often only way to experience many corners of the world. Caroline will share her knowledge on camping road trips in the UK, France, and Germany.
Moderated by Graham Boynton, renowned author and editor.
Sunita Ramanand - Trotting Soles
Sunita Ramanand's passion for travel started from a very young age. Her father’s army career took the family to far-flung places around India. Weekends and holidays were spent exploring places in those regions, meeting local people and gaining an insight into local customs of the country’s constituent states.
A self-professed proud nomad, she gave up her legal career to move into the world of travel and spent over 16 years working for well-known tours operators in the UK. During her time in the industry, she realised that there is a growing number of travellers who seek transformational experiences on their travels.
And it was with this idea of working together with like-minded travellers, who are eager to push the boundaries of conventional travel, that Trotting Soles Travel was born.
Powell Ettinger - Small Cruise Ship Collection
Powell has 30 years experience in the travel industry and also edited a wildlife & travel magazine for 10 years. Powell started his travel career trekking in the mountains of Morocco, Nepal, Iceland, Peru & Ethiopia before turning his attention to the seas and oceans of the world. Powell has travelled extensively on 7 continents including cruising in Alaska, sailing the Greek islands, cruising in Croatia, along the coast of Turkey, Antarctica, Spitsbergen, Greenland, through the Fjords of Chile and along the Amazon.
Caroline Mills - Bradt Guides
Caroline Mills is a country girl. While she loves to visit the towns and cities of the world, she likes nothing better than to return to the farm where she lives with her husband and three children, on the edge of the Cotswolds. Having moved no more than five miles from where she grew up – also in the Cotswolds – she has been able to call the region home for more than 50 years. With a keen desire to see the area maintain its identity, keeping old traditions alive, and with a passionate love of the countryside in which she lives, Caroline is well placed to paint a very personal picture of this special place. It is this vast in-depth knowledge of the region that led her to write Slow Travel Cotswolds for Bradt.
Caroline is also vastly experienced in camping, caravanning and motorcaravanning. Her travels have taken her throughout the UK, mainland Europe and beyond. For the past 20+ years many camping road trips have been either alone or companioned by her three young children. Mills writes extensively about camping, caravanning, campervans and motorhomes. She contributes regularly to national magazines, newspapers and websites in the UK and abroad, such as Practical Motorhome, Camping & Caravanning, France Today, Discover Britain and Touring magazine, of which she is the freelance editor. She is author of Bradt’s Camping Road Trips: France & Germany and Camping Road Trips UK and has written or contributed to five further travel guides, including The Camping Pocket Bible and Cool Caravanning.
Graham Boynton - Moderator
15:15 - 16:00
honeymoon and milestone trips
It’s a trip like no other, should you relax on a sandy beach, explore a vibrant city or region, go snorkelling in the Galapagos, drive Route 66 in the US, or take a Canadian rail journey? Or maybe a combination of the above. Our experts pitch their ideas for your BIG trip.
Moderated by Caroline Mills, renowned author.
Johnny Parker
Virgin Atlantic Holidays
Johnny Parker - Virgin Atlantic Holidays
Dream Big, Travel Bigger – Everyone can and should take on the world. What better way to enjoy any occasion than exploring and making memories. I am a firm believer that Travel brings people together and allows everyone to be at their best! My name is Johnny, I have worked in the industry for 24 years and been part of the Virgin Family for 12 Years. Everyone has a dream, a want, a desire, and I will do my utmost to ensure these are met. You’ve walked down the aisle, now its time to walk down that gorgeous beach! My favourite holidays personally are Cruises and anything in the USA. If you’re ready for that ‘Special’ holiday then I am here for you!
Natalie Smith - VIA Rail Canada
Natalie has 17 years of experience working in travel with 12 of those working for VIA Rail Canada and other Canadian companies. She has a true passion for the country and enjoys inspiring others to explore the vast options available and suggesting new and exciting itinerary ideas that might not have been considered. When not talking about or travelling to Canada she is an avid cruiser and has a soft spot for both Iceland & Norway.
Alex Raheem - The Earth Trip
I am passionate about Responsible Tourism and sustainability to make the world a better place. I have worked in hospitality, tourism, banking, urban recycling and waste management, sustainability and responsible tourism. I have co-founded my company Earth Trip providing responsible tourism. With our tourism approach we help many communities depend on tourism and neglected by mass tourism. We provide training, support and help for individuals and communities works in tourism by educating about environment, wildlife and sustainability.
Caroline Mills - Bradt Guides
Caroline Mills is a country girl. While she loves to visit the towns and cities of the world, she likes nothing better than to return to the farm where she lives with her husband and three children, on the edge of the Cotswolds. Having moved no more than five miles from where she grew up – also in the Cotswolds – she has been able to call the region home for more than 50 years. With a keen desire to see the area maintain its identity, keeping old traditions alive, and with a passionate love of the countryside in which she lives, Caroline is well placed to paint a very personal picture of this special place. It is this vast in-depth knowledge of the region that led her to write Slow Travel Cotswolds for Bradt.
Caroline is also vastly experienced in camping, caravanning and motorcaravanning. Her travels have taken her throughout the UK, mainland Europe and beyond. For the past 20+ years many camping road trips have been either alone or companioned by her three young children. Mills writes extensively about camping, caravanning, campervans and motorhomes. She contributes regularly to national magazines, newspapers and websites in the UK and abroad, such as Practical Motorhome, Camping & Caravanning, France Today, Discover Britain and Touring magazine, of which she is the freelance editor. She is author of Bradt’s Camping Road Trips: France & Germany and Camping Road Trips UK and has written or contributed to five further travel guides, including The Camping Pocket Bible and Cool Caravanning.
15:00 - 16:00
travel photography masterclass by JRNY magazine
The one-hour classes are aimed at beginner- and intermediate-level travel photographers, providing invaluable advice on all aspects of the craft. Whether you’re shooting with a smartphone or professional kit, this introduction session explores how to travel better as a photographer, what and how to photograph, and simple ways to improve quality.
Kav Dadfar - JRNY Magazine
Kav is the co-founder of the award-winning JRNY Travel Magazine. As a writer and photographer, over the years his images have appeared in publications around the world including JRNY, Condé Nast, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Daily Mail, The Express, The Guardian and many more.