Laura Howell

Travel has been in my blood for as long as I can remember. I was on a plane headed to Antwerp to visit family at 6 months old. I have visited all continents except Antarctica. Europe, Africa and all of the Pacific Rim countries, including French Polynesia are where I tend to focus.

In my mid-thirties I spent three months roaming Central & South America. This was before cell phones so I planned half of it before I left, and the other half while on the road, using the one computer a property might have on site after I arrived. The book, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, was my personal tour guide!

Some of my stops included Antigua, Manuel Antonio National Park, canoeing the Amazon tributaries in Ecuador, swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos and seeing Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world. There are so many wonderful things in Central and South America. Hiking the Andes mountains and the Sacred Valley, taking a boat ride on Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian border and sipping a Pisco Sour at the Sanctuary Lodge after a hike up Huayna Picchu and exploring the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. Enjoying coffee on the courtyard patio at the Belmond hotel Monasterio in Cuzco, horseback riding with gauchos in Mendoza, and watching the steamrise up from the geysers amongst the salt flats in the Chilean Atacama Desert were all wonderful experiences.

Patagonia lives up to all the hype. The Explora Hotel Salto Chico remains at the top of my list to this day. Torres del Paine National Park was truly awesome, as was skiing in Bariloche, Argentina. Leather shopping, tasting phenomenal steaks, sipping Malbec in Buenos Aires, Eva Peron's grave in the beautiful Recoleta cemetery and experiencing High Tea at the Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires are not to be missed.

Other favorite experiences include a stay at the The Saxon in Joburg, South Africa, watching the penguins frolic on Boulder's Beach and winetasting in Stellenbosch. Jao Camp and the birds of the Okavanga Delta in Botswana, as well as flying over Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and cruising down the Zambezi River were all incredible trips that make me want to go back to Africa.

My most cherished memories are the six weeks I spent cruising with my mother from Hong Kong to Sydney, Australia, making stops in the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangkok, Singapore, Borneo, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Jakarta and three places in Australia. The Whitsunday Islands & Hamilton Island had some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever laid eyes on.

Most recently, my husband and I visited Vietnam and Cambodia and I have to say, I left my heart there, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An were amazing. The coup de grace - three nights of barefoot luxury off the coast of Cambodia on the private islands of Song Saa.

My grammar and punctuation may not be spot on, but my hope is that this gives readers insight into my soul and the confidence to rely on me to plan a perfectly curated trip. My goal is for those who use my services to enjoy the journey and make memories they'll cherish forever.