FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Here you will find the answers to a variety of questions that you may have when considering engaging me as your PTC. If you have any other questions, please contact me and I'll be happy to discuss them with you.

What makes you well-equipped to be a PTC? I have travelled for many years to many places. Professionally, I have organised and run conferences throughout Europe and the world, overseeing every aspect from travel arrangements, venue/accommodation, local transport, meals, entertainment etc. I’ve organised groups of 100+ as well as small groups of less than 20. I've worked with people from every continent and culture. Over the years I have experienced every travelling style, from back-packing to 5-star. I understand the nuances of travel - from the delights and luxuries to the pitfalls and hardships - and everything in between. I aim to eliminate the pitfalls and hardships, we don’t need those on holiday! I am flexible and adaptable, as well as culturally and socially savvy, having worked with, travelled with, assisted and hosted people from all over the world from all walks of life. I also have extensive experience in working with people with disabilities, visual impairment, special needs etc. Being with people and enabling a good time, wherever that may be, is top of my list! I can speak a bit of French and German, a teeny bit of Italian and a smattering of Spanish. Even though, these days, most people do speak English, it helps to know the local lingo. Do I have to pay the full travel costs for you? Yes - you will need to pay for me to enable me to travel with you. You’ll need to cover all travel costs (on a separate room basis) and associated expenses, as well as a PTC fee. We can discuss this in detail once you decide to go ahead. Final costs are dependent on the individual nature of your special trip. For example, if you wish to fly business or first class, and you don't feel you need me to be with you throughout the actual flight, I am happy to fly economy. It's up to you to decide what suits you best. There are many variables, and we can discuss these. What if I want to do a trip that doesn’t appeal for you? There is no such thing! I love all trips. If I’ve been somewhere many times, I love going again. If I’m off to a new place, that’s great. Climbing mountains or doing high-level dare-devil physical activities are not top of my list. Having said that, I’ll consider anything. If you’re up for it, I probably am too. We can conquer anything together! I’d like to go on a ski trip, is this possible? Yes! I love skiing and am very happy to accompany you on a ski trip anywhere in the world. Skiing is a passion and although I prefer to ski easy these days, with a few rests throughout the day, I’m an advanced skier who loves being in the snow and mountains and can tackle most runs. I’ve skied 40+ resorts across Europe, USA, Canada, Japan and NZ. It goes without saying that I enjoy the aprés-ski life too! What happens if I decide not to, or am unable to, travel after I've engaged you as a PTC? Cancellations will be dealt with on an individual basis. I understand that circumstances can change for many reasons. It is important for you to establish criteria around insurance to ensure costs associated with travel cancellation are covered if it is due to illness, accident etc before departure. If you are feeling unwell before travel date, you will need to think very seriously about whether you are able to go ahead with the trip. Getting sick on holiday is never a good thing. A partial PTC fee will be payable to me if the trip does not go ahead. Why do I need to pay a partial PTC fee if the trip doesn't go ahead? When you engage me as a PTC, I am making the commitment of time to travel with you and there are implications on account of that. I am unable to take on other clients for the duration I have committed to be with you and I will have invested time and energy in the lead up to the planned trip. When did you get the travel bug? I was lucky enough to participate in a school trip organised by Epsom Girls Grammar School – it was for students studying German and it was my dream trip. As a young girl I had always dreamed of going to Switzerland and, at the age of 15, I found myself as Heidi! It was a truly eye-opening and fantastic trip, hugely ground-breaking at the time. There were 16 kids, two teachers, many cities and a raft of life-enhancing experiences. In December 1977, once exams were finished, we flew out of Auckland International Airport (when it was still part of the current Domestic terminal) on a PanAm 747 jumbo jet and arrived in LA for the start of our two-month trip. After exploring Disneyland, we flew to Frankfurt where we spent two months touring Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was winter, it was cold, it was beautiful. We visited Christmas markets. We went to galleries and operas. We went to East Berlin. We skied in Switzerland. We visited Neuschwanstein in the snow. We had Christmas in Nürnberg, New Year in Munich. We stayed mostly in youth hostels and small pensions. We were billeted for two weeks in Düsseldorf, where we went to school - and I played golf on a frosty course with my host family. We tried to polish up our German. We then visited Paris and London before returning home via Hong Kong. We arrived back to the newly opened Auckland International Airport with many stories to share. I returned home feeling more enlightened and energised than I’d ever felt in my whole life. I had the travel bug bigtime! I wanted to return to London as soon as I could and explore more of Europe. I went on to do just that.