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.

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.