Who’s behind Sharing Travel Experiences?

Meet some of the names and faces who are behind Sharing Travel Experiences

Andy Hayes Andy Hayes – Managing Editor

In most circles, Andy is known as “that travel guy.” He is the founder of the Sharing Travel Experiences community and a passionate traveller. Based in Scotland’s fashionable capital, Edinburgh, he loves sharing his sometimes inspirational sometimes crazy travel tales. When not touring the world, he’s quite busy with his Travel Online Partners venture, helping small businesses in travel and tourism embrace online technology. He also loves walking and hiking and can’t get enough of urban parks. From being searched for drugs on a rural Brazilian highway to helicoptering over glaciers, he’s seen it all and coming back for more.

Andy’s Favourite Travel Experiences: Hiking in New Zealand, Connecting with the People of Cambodia, Cosmopolitan Life in Melbourne

Alex Fayle Alex Fayle – Someday Mentor,
Travel Lifestyle Columnist

Alex Fayle’s arrival in Spain from Canada had its origins way back when he was about 12 years old when he decided that someday he would live in southern Europe and write. He then put that dream away as he “grew up” – going to school, working for others and even trying to find happiness working for himself.

Finally in May 2006, while helping a client organize her move out of Canada for a round-the-world trip he said to her “I wish I could do something like that.” And she said: “So why aren’t you?”

Having no answer, Alex realized there was no reason. And so he finally decided to follow his dream.

Within two weeks the house was on the market and mid-August 2006 he was on the plane to France to a small village in southwest France where a distant cousin lived.

Although he spent eight months there, a trip to Barcelona made him realize that his real love was the Spanish, not French language and culture. So he packed up his car and lived for three months traveling around organic farms in Catalonia and the Basque Country doing work in exchange for room and board. When he was staying near San Sebastian and met someone who lived there and they had an instant connection.

Three months later he moved permanently to San Sebastian.

Now, having completed his own Someday Journey, he helps others navigate their own through the Someday-Busting Coaching services offered at Someday Syndrome.

Alex’s Favourite Travel Experiences: Touring the wineyards of Rioja, Relaxing in the World’s Best Small Country

donna Donna – Dream Maker, Travel Concierge

Donna is owner of DreamMaker Destinations, a personal travel planning company specializing in unique travel to exceptional places. Donna has traveled to over a hundred countries (changing borders and political designations make an accurate count impossible!) on all seven continents, and strives to share her passion for knowledge about our planet’s people and places. A former research scientist, Donna believes great travel memories, like good science, are a result of thorough planning. Being prepared saves travelers time, money, and frustrations.

While running molecular biology research laboratories, most recently a DNA Diagnostic laboratory, Donna always found time to plan trips for friends and family. By 1995 she decided to obtain travel agent credentials and certification, founding DreamMaker Destinations in 1997. Donna continues her love for education and knowledge with specialist training, frequent conferences, and frequent travel.

Donna’s Favourite Travel Experiences: Too many to count!

Kristen Ibbitson – Culinary Entrepreneur in Training

Kirsten’s Favourite Travel Experiences: Anything Asia

deanne Dee Anne – Expert, the Charmed Life

I’m a girl adventurer, traveller, writer, former Fortune 50 executive, aspiring expatriate, and lover of cricket, golf, wine, Jimmy Choos and life. I’m also the girl many call if they want to plan a trip to London, get the name of a fantastic restaurant in NYC or Las Vegas, pick the perfect bottle of wine, find out the score of the Laker game, or get a perspective from behind rose colored glasses. In all honesty, I’m an ordinary girl who thoroughly enjoys the brilliance I find in others, who is ridiculously curious, and who’s never once thought anything was impossible.