David Lauwers ACC, LCS, MCC

To travel is to live!

Travel is in my genes: my parents took me on my first flight from our home in the United Kingdom to Spain before I could walk! When I was a toddler, we traveled mainly to the Mediterranean, but I have expanded my horizons a bit since…

After leaving England, I worked in the hospitality and airline industry in Australia and the Middle East: Dubai in the United Arab Emirates was my home for five years.

Although I am now settled in Chicago, my role in the travel business takes me around the world several times a year. I visit the UK at least once a month, which allows me to keep up to date with the latest and greatest in London and other exciting places around the globe. En route, I enjoy personally inspecting a Virtuoso Preferred Hotel or checking out a historical site or cultural attraction. And my clients? They benefit too, as my first-hand experience allows me to better prepare my clients for their vacations.

My passions in travel?

• African Safaris: I’ll never forget watching elephants at a watering hole just a few feet away from me at a Lodge in Zambia, whilst having my morning coffee.
• Ocean Cruises – although my schedule hasn’t quite allowed a world cruise yet, I’ve visited many of the ports and countries on my over 80 cruises so far.
• River Cruises – I love waking up in a new destination every day.
• Luxury hotels – a great hotel is so much more than just a place to sleep! My goal is to personally stay at as many Virtuoso “Best of the Best” hotels as I can!
• Australia and New Zealand – having lived “down-under” ignited my passion for this beautiful part of the world!
• Great Britain and Western Europe – as a Brit, I know my way around the United Kingdom, but also the south of France, Spain, Greece and the other delightful destinations of the Mediterranean.

I also serve on the SAVEUR Travel Advisory Board, SAVEUR selects the top Virtuoso travel specialists to craft authentic culinary travel offers, exclusively for SAVEUR readers.

Whether you are looking to take a river or ocean cruise, go on safari or have afternoon tea with a British aristocrat… I can make it work for you.