Sara’s career and life has been entwined with travel, tourism and hospitality for the last 30 years. Her exciting career has seen her working on-board a motor yacht in the Balearic Islands, co-ordinating UK school ski groups in Vermont, USA, accompanying professional groups on cruises and working as an academic, lecturing in tourism. She also undertakes consultancy roles and has even delivered lectures for International Tourism Masters students, on a week-long cruise around the western Mediterranean.
Sara spent several years working in the corporate travel sector but for the last 11 years she has been running an independent travel agency focusing on leisure travel. The agency originally specialised in cruise holidays and 2012 saw the addition of land-based holidays to the portfolio and ‘Select Escapes’, continues to go from strength to strength.
Sara travels as often as possible on both work and leisure trips. She visits new destinations, samples different types of accommodation and embarks on new experiences to enrich her knowledge. This, she believes, is fundamental to her ability to offer good advice to clients. Sara offers insider knowledge to clients who are looking for unique and special holidays that match their individual needs.
In recent years Sara has visited the Caribbean, including Cuba, along with the USA, Zimbabwe, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Spain and islands, Portugal, Italy, France, Cyprus, and Croatia and as such she has built up an exceptional knowledge of many leading holiday destinations.
Personal service and client relationships are at the heart of her business ethos and Sara believes a good holiday should meet the clients’ needs and enable them to experience the ‘real’ destination fully, including people, language, food and of course wine (if appropriate!)… In fact an “aperitivo tour” in Florence earlier in the year was a highlight of Sara’s 2016 travels. In addition, Sara has enjoyed dolphin watching in the western Algarve, a safari in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, pasta making in Tuscany, and the annual family camping pilgrimage to The Gironde in France, with her partner and their 9-year-old son. This annual getaway ritually involves meandering through the French markets enjoying “degustations” of local produce!
Sara is looking forward to sharing her travel tips and recommendations in her new column and with trips to Costa Rica, Morocco and Greece on the horizon, there will be plenty to read about!
