25 years in travel: from privilege to purpose
Travel has never just been something I do – it’s who I am.
I was fortunate to grow up in a world where travel wasn’t reserved for rare occasions – it was a way of life. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, when international travel still felt like a genuine adventure, I was already crossing continents. Not as a tourist, but with a curious eye: my family’s business took us everywhere.. I remember white sands, warm oceans, sand dollars beneath my fingertips, dolphins cutting through the horizon...
My father’s family were wanderers by nature and that spirit was woven into me from the beginning. Curiosity has always been my compass, so when it came to choosing a path, the travel industry didn't feel like a decision – it felt inevitable.
Building something different
As I grew older, my understanding of luxury evolved. It was less about status, more about standards – the details that really matter: service, authenticity, feeling. Long before smartphones, I documented everything on disposable cameras, developing them at Max Spielmann and retelling every story to anyone who'd listen. Storytelling became part of my DNA.
25 years ago, I opened a retail store in West Kirby on the Wirral with my mother as my business partner. Together we built something we were incredibly proud of – a business rooted in knowledge, trust and genuine care. We introduced clients to places and properties they didn’t know existed and if we wouldn’t go there ourselves, we wouldn’t send them. It was that simple, and our reputation grew entirely through word of mouth – no gimmicks, no shortcuts.
Then came Covid
While, in the years that followed the rise of the internet brought accessibility and a sharp focus on price, it was Covid that was to change everything.
Nothing could have prepared any of us for what came next. Covid was the most challenging period of my career and my life. My mum – my business partner – suffered two strokes and then came a cancer diagnosis. The stress had taken its toll and overnight, everything changed and she could no longer be part of the business we had built together.
But something else was happening beneath the surface of all that disruption: people were changing, too.
We’ve found that, since we opened our first shop in 2001, change is a constant in the travel industry. We’re lucky enough to have survived two recessions. Conflicts across the world mean we have to pivot quickly to make sure our customers stay safe when they travel. Tour and flight operators undercutting aggressively online (and, usually, sacrificing quality) mean we have to work extra hard to build trust. Brands that have been household names for decades suddenly collapsing overnight can take us by surprise as much as it does for customers…
But Covid was a different challenge. While the world paused, many of us had space – perhaps for the first time – to think about what really matters. Where we go and why. What we want from the world when we’re finally free to move through it again. And when travel came back, it came back differently – more intentional and more meaningful. That shift was real and I felt it too.
A new era of travel
The rebound, when it came, was unlike anything I’d ever seen – but it was people who struck me most, not just the appetite to travel again, but the quality of that appetite. Ticking boxes and lying on a beach for a week felt less relevant somehow. People wanted connection, purpose and perspective and I found myself drawn further into experiential travel as a result – places that genuinely challenge and change you.
Peru was a turning point for me. Immersing myself in culture, history and community lit something in me that I hadn’t expected and from there I ventured to the polar regions. Standing in silence as whales surfaced beside us, watching penguins approach with pure curiosity, untouched by fear, witnessing a world so raw and fragile – those experiences stay with you in a way that’s hard to articulate. What you bring home from a journey like that can’t be packed into a suitcase.
From travel to advocacy
Those experiences sparked a deep commitment to travelling responsibly. I saw first-hand the changes happening in our polar regions – the Arctic is not what it was even 15 years ago, and that reality is impossible to ignore once you’ve witnessed it. So I began to educate, advocate and guide, because if people are going to visit these extraordinary places, it has to be done with respect and genuine purpose. Travel, at its best, should protect what it showcases, and that's become a thread running through everything I do.
I’ve also worked with female-led charities, stepped into mentorship and found a confidence I didn’t know I had – guided by someone who pushed me well beyond my comfort zone. Now I get to do the same for others, and honestly, that feels like the most meaningful part of this work.
Looking ahead
After 25 years, I can honestly say I’m just getting started. Travel with maturity brings a depth that can’t be rushed – it teaches empathy, awareness, gratitude. The most extraordinary thing about this job isn’t knowing the destinations; it’s watching what happens to people when the right journey finds them.
I still believe in serendipity, in following curiosity and saying ‘yes’ to the unknown. That’s what brought me here and it’s what keeps me going. But I can honestly say that, after 25 years in travel, I’m just getting started.
- Sarah Meadowcroft
