Speakers
Leading experts, adventurers and guides will share their unique experiences, giving advice on journeys to every corner of the world. Spaces are subject to availability on the day and and will be offered on a first-come first-served basis.
Chris Haslam
THE SUNDAY TIMESTopic: Where to visit in 2025
Chris Haslam - Chief Travel Writer
The role of Chief Travel Writer at The Times and Sunday Times demands extraordinary versatility, hugely varied knowledge and a contacts book spanning the world - not to mention an understanding of what readers want, on their smart phones, tablets and from their print paper.
Simon Parker
AUTHOR & FILMMAKERTopic: A ride across America
Simon Parker
Simon Parker is a British travel writer, author, filmmaker, public speaker and broadcast journalist, working across a wide range of themes and subjects.
He's interviewed sports stars, politicians and celebrities, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Virat Kohli, and reported on stories as diverse as product shortages in Venezuela, the ‘migrant crisis’ in Greece and social inequality in the barrios of Northern Colombia. He's paraglided solo through the Andes, hiked Bali’s highest volcanoes and driven a rickshaw the length of India.
In 2016 he sailed and cycled from China to London in 133 days, for a Telegraph series and BBC World Service documentary.
His first book, Riding Out, was published in April 2022 – it charts a 3,427 mile journey around “Pandemic Britain”. An award-winning TV travel series, Earth Cycle, has been distributed in 20+ countries globally and can be found on Amazon Prime, FOX Australia and YouTube.
He's reported from over 100 countries in the past decade – from Bhutan and French Polynesia to Hawaii and Namibia, via Svalbard, Greenland and Saint Helena.
Hilary Bradt
BRADT GUIDESTopic: In conversation with Hilary Bradt
Hilary Bradt
Hilary Bradt’s career as an occupational therapist ended when potential employers noticed that the time taken off for travel exceeded the periods of employment. In 1963, she hitch-hiked to and around the Middle East. In 1969, she spent six months travelling from San Francisco to Rio de Janeiro. With her former husband George, she self-published her first guidebook in 1974 during an extended journey throughout South America, thus founding Bradt Travel Guides. Travels in Africa in 1974-77 resulted in a backpacking guide to Africa, followed by four more to South America. By 1980, she was established as a publisher, winning IPG/Sunday Times Small Publisher of the Year that decade. For the first 25 years she combined writing guide books and running the company with leading adventure and natural history tours to South America, Africa and Madagascar. Her contributions to tourism have resulted in an MBE among other major awards.
Alex Robinson
AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHERTopic: Travels along the Mekong River
Alex Robinson - Writer & Photographer
Alex Robinson is a prize-winning photographer, videographer and writer with among other awards a National Magazine Award in the United States, the magazine equivalent of a Grammy. He writes regularly for the leading travel publications, including JRNY, Sunday Times, Independent and Wanderlust, specialising on Latin America, South East Asia and Portugal. He is the author of more than fifteen travel books and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2025 he will lead group trips on the Mekong and Amazon Rivers where participants will have the chance to hone their writing and photography skills as well as learn about the regions.
Jane Wilson-Howarth
TRAVELLERS' TALESTopic: Travel Health Tips -How to sh*t around the world
Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth - Travellers' Tales
Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth has degrees in zoology, parasite biology and medicine; she’s worked on health programmes in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria as well as for Rohingya and Syrian refugees; she’s served as a GP and was medical director of a travel clinic in Cambridge. From 2017 to 2022 she mentored paramedics in remote Himalayan villages. Her first book, “Lemurs of the Lost World” is about expeditions to Madagascar, and next came “Bugs Bites and Bowels” which was published as an expanded, 320-page, sixth edition in December as “Staying Healthy When You Travel”. Her best-seller is “How to Shit Around the World”. She’s written “A Glimpse of Eternal Snows” about living en famille on an island in the middle of the largest tributary of the Ganges, and also three wildlife-rich Himalayan adventure stories for children. She’s fascinated by for creepy-crawlies and is always keen to identify animal species by their faeces.
Jordan Banks
JRNY MAGAZINETopic: Travel photography masterclass
Jordan Banks - JRNY Magazine
Jordan’s career has spanned two decades and includes numerous accolades for his work, including awards from National Geographic, Lonely Planet & TPOTY. Jordan’s work and expeditions have taken him to over 100 countries to cover some of the most diverse regions of the globe. Leading expeditions through Baffin Bay, the High Arctic, Antarctica, South Georgia, Bhutan, Patagonia, the Kumbh Mela, Sea Gypsies of the South China sea, Namibia, Botswana, Uganda, The Jordan Trail and Central America. His images can be seen throughout the world on the covers of books, magazines, billboards and television. Jordan’s career has been the subject of a Sky Arts documentary syndicated worldwide as well as collaborating on film projects with Adobe and LEE filters.
Natalie Smith
VIA RAIL CANADATopic: Exploring the 'real' Canada by train
Natalie Smith - VIA Rail Canada
Natalie has 17 years of experience working in travel with 12 of those working for VIA Rail Canada and other Canadian companies. She has a true passion for the country and enjoys inspiring others to explore the vast options available and suggesting new and exciting itinerary ideas that might not have been considered. When not talking about or travelling to Canada she is an avid cruiser and has a soft spot for both Iceland & Norway.
Millie Windeler
PONDERS TRAVELTopic: Just add water- Cruising with a difference
Millie Windeler - Ponders Travel
I have been working for Ponders and in the travel industry since May 2016. My love for travel started at a very young age and I have been very lucky to have visited some exceptional destinations already. I realised I wanted to pursue a career in travel when I was in college working on my art diploma and realised that I wanted something different, yet something that I could still be creative and passionate! I became manager of Ponders Travel in 2020 and absolutely love working for a company with such a friendly, close-knit team that take such pride in the personal service we can give our customers and getting to know each and every one of them. Places I have visited so far include France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, Croatia, Italy, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, Barbados, Florida, Argentina, India, Thailand, and Antarctica, but I plan to extend that list much further!
Robin Russell-Pavier
BRIGGATE TRAVELTopic: Something a bit different
Robin Russell-Pavier - Briggate Travel
Robin's career spans more than 25 years. Robin has worked with a wide range of destinations in the Asia Pacific Region, East and Southern Africa, the US and Canada. He has also worked as a travel journalist for Thames Television.
Tba
Ponders TravelTopic: Cruising with a difference
Sam Clark
EXPERIENCE TRAVEL GROUPTopic: Something a bit different
Sam Clark - Experience Travel Group
Asia has always played an important part in my life. From backpacking around India as a 19-year-old to meeting my Kiwi wife on a beach in Thailand, it’s been a huge part of my personal life. Professionally too—it’s where I established the ETG “immersive holidays that give back” philosophy—starting in Sri Lanka in the early 2000s.
Immediately after the Asian tsunami of 2004, my ETG partner Tom and I became ‘Aid Sri Lanka’. Finally, in 2006, joined by Melissa, our third founder member, we were ready to launch our distinctive experience-based holidays. 17 years later, the team has grown to 20 in the UK, 5 in Asia, and hundreds of partners and guides throughout the continent.
We’re proud that others “see it” as we see it, that we took an idea we believed in and ran with it, and proudest of all that thousands of other people have maybe got a bit a travel adventure from their holiday experience - that we've perhaps expanded their horizons a little and at the same time, contributed positively to how travel experiences are delivered.
The great thing about Asia is that there’s always so much more to see and so many people to meet—which is why I still spend so much time travelling with (and without) my wife and teenage boys.
Sian Warren
SOUTH ASIA UNCOVEREDTopic: Something a bit different
Sian Warren - South Asia Uncovered
Siân is the Founding Director of South Asia Uncovered, with 15 years of extensive travel experience across India. Beginning as a backpacker and volunteer, she later worked with some of the top UK luxury travel operators. Siân has a deep emotional connection to India, having lived with local families in the country, launched her own Indian artisan-made clothing brand and studied beginners Hindi in London.
Driven by her passion for India and showcasing authentic and immersive experiences, she founded her own company to share her love for the country. She now creates unique, tailormade itineraries and small group tours that emphasise storytelling, community, textiles and human connection. Siân's comprehensive knowledge of India's hotels and homestays and her key relationships with guides across the country allows her to craft exceptional and niche experiences for her guests.