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About Us

Travel Nation was established in 2001 by Haydn Wrath. We are an ABTA and ATOL bonded travel company that specialises in creating multi stop long-haul trips, including round the world flights, tours and hotels. Our staff are all seasoned travel industry professionals whose expertise and travel experience will be immediately apparent when you contact us. We are big enough to cope but small enough to care and take immense pride in our excellent service levels as evidenced by the great customer feedback we receive. Our service continues throughout the life of your booking, even extending even to a date change service while you are travelling, where you can contact the same person who you booked your flights with while you are on your round the world trip.

Travel Nation was selected by BBC1 and travel journalist Simon Calder to book a complex round the world trip for the a four week special on the Holiday Programme in 2007. We were also recommended in ‘Which? Travel’ magazine’s Round the World special edition in April 2011.

Check out our staff profiles below. If there is someone you would particularly like to deal with, feel free to contact them directly using the contact details below.

About Haydn

Round the World Specialists - Haydn Travel Nation is owned and run by Haydn Wrath.

Looking back at my first travel experience, it is actually a minor miracle that I ended up being responsible for planning other people’s once in a lifetime trips. It all started when I was 18 years old, way back in 1980, long before Lonely Planet books, round the world specialists and travel companies had made it to Nottingham…

I hitch-hiked to London (my first time there), asked a bemused policeman where the road to Dover was and followed his instructions to Elephant and Castle tube station, and set off walking and hitch-hiking into the night down the Old Kent Road, expecting to get to the edge of London in a couple of hours. Eventually, a warm hearted cabbie on his way home somewhere in Kent picked me up (kick-starting a lifelong brand loyalty to black cabs) in what I guess would have been New Cross, so not too far from the countryside… In this fashion, I finally made it to the Suez Canal in Egypt, where my plan to get on board a cargo ship heading for Bombay failed. This was just as well, as looking at my old blue passport, I didn’t have a visa for India anyway. Disastrous as this adventure was, the seed had been sown. Read more

I left the University of East Anglia in 1984 and escaped what seemed a very grim England by spending the rest of the 1980s travelling and working round the world. During this time I sustained my wanderlust by putting in the usual stints as an English teacher in Tokyo, a landscape gardener in Sydney, and a tarmac layer’s assistant in Alaska. After a year or so at STA Travel (in a branch that apparently couldn’t do without me as it is now a Starbucks café !), I joined Bridge the World Travel Centre in Camden in 1991 where I put my degree in politics and philosophy to good use by spending the rest of the 90s as the sales manager there.

In 2001, I fulfilled my ambition to set up a travel company with high service levels that specialises in creating round the world trips by founding Travel Nation. In 2008, I set up another travel company called Rickshaw Travel, (www.rickshawtravel.co.uk) which features a series of country specific websites where independent travellers can work with round the world specialists to plan and create their own trip. Both companies are based in the same premises and I split my time between them.

Things have moved on a pace since 1980, and if you are thinking of booking with us, don’t worry, we won’t make you start your travels by hitching to Egypt and trying to talk your way onto a cargo ship !


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Round the World Specialists - staff profiles
Round the World Specialists - Sean in Kamakura
Sean at Kamakura, Japan

Sean

Originally from: Pompey born and bred
Travelled to: Cuba, Mexico, Guatamala, US, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt. Kenya, Tanzania, Dubai, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Japan, Australia
Travel industry experience: 15years at STA Travel then time for change. Joined Travel Nation in 2010.
Top 3 places: Annapurna Sanctuary- Nepal;Komodo Island - Indonesia; Morro de Sao Paulo- Brazil- India
Favourite hotel: Akasaka Prince,Tokyo a poor man's Lost in Translation
Best beach: Bwejuu, Zanzibar
Most depressing place: Strikebound in Siliguri, one of India's least enticing transport hubs
Contact me: sean@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 586
Last trip: Just back from wedding in the Sinai- loved Egypt
     
Round the World Specialists - Jackie at Taj
Jackie at the Taj Mahal, India

Jackie

Originally from: Welsh heritage, but from Bedford
Travelled to: Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Dubai, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, S. Africa, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, USA, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Cuba, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil
Travel industry experience: 8 years at STA Travel. Joined Travel Nation in 2002 (Travel Nation’s first employee!)
Top 3 places: Chichicastenango (Guatemala), Halong Bay (Vietnam), Fraser Island (Queensland)
Favourite hotel: Silky Oaks in the Daintree rain forest, Queensland
Best beach: Marrisa Beach (Sri Lanka)
Most depressing place: Dar es Salaam bus station or Agra Train Station at midnight (it’s a close call)
Contact me: jackie@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 577
Next trip: Colombia or Malaysia? Can't decide
     
Round the World Specialists - Heather at Gocta
Heather at Gocta waterfall,
Chachapoyas, Northern Peru

Heather

Originally from: Wokingham, Berkshire
Travelled to: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand
Travel industry experience: 5 years as Manager of South American Explorers, Peru Author for Rough Guide to South America on a Budget 1st Edition, Contributor to Footprint Peru and South American Handbooks 2007 - 2011. Joined Travel Nation in 2009.
Top 3 places: Iguazu Falls, Chachapoyas (Peru), Santa Catarina, (Brazil)
Favourite hotel: Wasai Ecolodge – Tambopata Reserve, Peru
Best beach: Vichayito (Peru) and Ubatuba (Brazil)
Most depressing place: Cochabamba bus station, Bolivia
Contact me: heather@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 584
Specialism: Heather is our South American expert. To see how her expert knowledge can help you plan your trip of a lifetime please see our South American pages.
Round the World Specialists - Martin in NZ
Martin trekking on the Routeburn Track, New Zealand

Martin

Originally from: Northampton
Travelled to: Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bali, Borneo, Kenya, South Africa, India, Fiji, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, North America, China, Japan, Russia
Travel industry experience: 7 years as Senior Sales Supervisor at Bridge the World. Joined Travel Nation in 2004.
Top 3 places: Mount Kinabalu summit, Byron Bay (New South Wales), Table Mountain (Cape Town)
Favourite hotel: The Chedi, Ubud
Best beach: Jimbaran Bay, Bali
Most depressing place: City Casuals in Sydney at 6am looking for temporary work
Contact me: martin@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 572
Last trip: I'm just back from Koh Samui in Thailand

     
Round the World Specialists - Sally at Angkor
Pensive at Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Sally

Originally from: Buxton, Derbyshire (centre of the Universe)
Travelled to: India, Bali, Lombok, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Morocco, USA, Caribbean, Hong Kong.
Travel industry experience: 2 years Tradewinds, 2 years Pinnacle Travel, 3 years Trailfinders. Joined Travel Nation in 2009.
Top 3 places: Vang Vieng - Laos, Mount Kinabalu – Borneo, Yosemite National Park – California
Favourite hotel: Langham Place – Hong Kong
Best beach: Paradise Beach, Gokarna – India
Most depressing place: Ahmadebad Train Station (in the middle of the night) – India
Contact me: sally@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 574
Next trip: Last adventure was a California road trip. Planning a trip to Durban later in the year.

     
Round the World Specialists - Sophie Marataba
Sophie in Marataba Game Reserve, South Africa

Sophie

Originally from: Viva Sussex! Born in Haywards Heath
Travelled to: South Africa, Dubai, Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands, North America, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Iceland, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda
Travel industry experience: 5 years Pinnacle Travel, 1 yr Quest Travel. Joined Travel Nation in 2009.
Top 3 places: Nihn Bihn, Vietnam; Rarotonga, Cook Islands; Cape Town & Gansbaai for Calamari & shark diving!
Favourite hotel: Marataba, private game reserve in South Africa
Best beach: Cayo Levisa, Cuba
Most depressing place: Food poisoning on the 9 hour bus from Luang Prabang to Phonsovan, Laos
Contact me: sophie@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320576
Last trip: Just back from an amazing trip to see Gorillas in Uganda!

   
Round the World Specialists - Elodie in Caribbean
Elodie island hopping in the Caribbean

Elodie

Originally from: France - Paris
Travelled to: Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Caribbean (British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, St Martin, St Barthelemy, Antigua, Anguilla), Croatia, Morocco, Turkey, Fiji, Singapore and plan to travel much more!
Travel industry experience: 1 year at Go Voyages and 2 years at Galeries Lafayette Voyages, joined Travel Nation in 2010.
Top 3 places: Jost van Dyke (British Virgin Islands), Dugi Otok (Croatia), Franz Josef glacier (New Zealand).
Favourite hotel: View Rock in Koh Tao, perfect location and great food!
Best beach: The Baths (British Virgin Islands)
Most depressing place: Stuck in the middle of an endless 40 knot gale while crossing the Gulf of Thailand on a tiny 30ft yacht
Contact me:

elodie@travelnation.co.uk | 00 44 1273 320 588

     
Round the World Specialists - antarctica
On the road out of Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile

Andrea

Originally from: Whitley Bay (North of the River Tyne)
Travelled to: Antarctica, The Arctic, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba, Guatamala, Belize, Honduras, Canada, USA, Dubai, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, India, Burma, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, St Lucia, Antigua, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania.
Travel industry experience: 8.5 years at Trailfinders including 5 years as a First and Business Class specialist. Joined Travel Nation in January 2011
Top 3 places: Port Lockeroy - Antarctica, Annapurna Base Camp, Svalbard fjords – The Norwegian Arctic.
Favourite hotel: Pousada da Praia - Praia da Pipa - Brazil
Best beach: Morro De Sao Paolo - Bahia - Brazil
Most depressing place: The 24hr rocky, ropey, rough boat journey to Nias in Indonesia... followed closely by the Island of Nias!
Contact me: andrea@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 523
Last trip: Just back from a weekend in Madrid where I discovered the fabulous art of segway touring.
     
Round the World Specialists - milford
Liz at Milford Sound, New Zealand

Liz

Originally from: Out in the Sussex countryside
Travelled to: New Zealand, South Africa, Namibia, French Polynesia, Easter Island, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Grenada, Thailand, Malaysia, USA, Morocco, Hong Kong
Travel industry experience: 3 years as a travel consultant at Flight Centre then 5 years as a Branch Manager at STA Travel, Brighton. Joined Travel Nation in January 2011
Top 3 places: Mo'orea (French Polynesia), Sossusvlei Namibia, Kai Teri Teri New Zealand
Favourite hotel: The Hudson in New York – oh the glamour!
Best beach: Matira, Bora Bora
Most depressing place: Prawn Flats, South Africa
Contact me: liz@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 524
     
Round the World Specialists - Sara on the Khao San Road
Sara on the Khao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand

Sara

Originally from: Hayling Island
Travelled to: Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Burma, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, The Cook Islands, Brunei Darussalam and Canada.
Travel industry experience: One year at Neilson Active Holidays, and 8 months at American Express Centurion Travel
Top 3 places: Gili Trawangan, Lombok (Indonesia), Khouang Si Waterfall and Vang Vieng, Laos and Byron Bay in Australia
Favourite hotel: Treehouse and floating bamboo hut in Khao Sok National Park, Thailand
Best beach: Whitehaven Beach in The Whitsunday Islands, Australia where I worked on a boat, Oh and Aitutaki Lagoon
Most depressing place: Ferry from Lombok to Bali, where the boat had about 20x the legal and x10 the normal amount of people on board after the Nyepi Festival – I was crammed on to about 10 inches of floor squashed between bodies and a bin, whilst I thought I was suffering from Dengue fever.
Contact me: sara@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 534
Last trip:

Adjusting after over one and a half years travelling, but I'm already dreaming about Kitesurfing in Zanzibar and diving in Central America!!

     
Round the World Specialists - Alarna at Machu Picchu
Alarna at Machu Picchu, Peru

Alarna

Originally from: Southwick, West Sussex
Travelled to: India, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, California, Mexico, Paraguay, Ecuador, Egypt, Israel
Travel industry experience: 9 Years at Neilson active holidays, 6 months American express travel.
Top 3 places: Machu Pichu (Peru) Iguassu Falls (Brazil/Argentina) Panda Breeding Centre (Chengdu, China)
Favourite hotel: Pousada Naturalia, Ilha Grande< Brazil
Best beach: Lopes Mendes, Ilha Grande, Brazil
Most depressing place: Toilets on the 18 Hour train Journey from Shanghai to Xi’an in China
Contact me:

alarna@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 536

     
Round the World Specialists - off Kota Kinabalu, Borneo
off Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Adam

Originally from: Leeds, but spent 5 years near Valencia in Spain
Travelled to: USA, Venezuela, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, Caribbean
Travel industry experience: 18 months at RTW Experts.
Top 3 places: Kota Kinabalu, Borneo; Kowloon; Great Ocean Road
Favourite hotel: Mira, Hong Kong – the technology in the rooms is awesome!
Best beach: Mamutik Island, Borneo
Most depressing place: Taking a very wrong turn in the centre of Soweto, South Africa
Contact me:

adam@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 533

     
Round the World Specialists - Eastern & Oriental Express
Eastern & Oriental Express

Laura

Originally from: Ayr, Scotland
Travelled to: USA, Canada, Costa Rica, St Lucia, Barbados, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, South Africa
Travel industry experience: 11 years working for Trailfinders, including 5 years in First and Business Class Travel. Joined Travel Nation 2011
Top 3 places: Udaipur, India. Trekking the Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand. Siem Reap in Cambodia Angkor Wat
Favourite hotel: Lake Palace Hotel, Udaipur for location and sheer opulence. Datai, Langkawi for amazing service and fantastic restaurants
Best beach: Datai Bay, Langkawi
Most depressing place: Travelling on an overnight train in India with Dysentery
Contact me: laura@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 525
Next trip:

Bali for one month in the Summer with my husband and 3 children (all under 5).  Very excited!!!

     
Round the World Specialists - Norman
Norman

Norman

Originally from: Dunkirk, France
Travelled to: Martinique, Malaysia, Sri-Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Indonesia, Australia
Travel industry experience: Joined Travel Nation in 2011
Top 3 places: Gili Trawangan, Kho Chang, Byron Bay
Favourite hotel: Hotel Vlia Ombak (Gili Trawangan)
Best beach: Whiteheaven Queensland), Cable beach (Western Australia)
Most depressing place: Turkey Creek, Australia
Contact me: norman@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 528
Last trip:

Just back from a two year round the world trip

     
Round the World Specialists - Annie
Nong Khiaw in Laos

Annie

Originally from: Brighton
Travelled to: Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Canada
Travel industry experience: Joined Travel Nation in 2011
Top 3 places: Milford Sound New Zealand, Karajini National park Australia, Tetebatu Lombok Indonesia
Favourite hotel: Koh Tao Viewpoint Villas Thailand
Best beach: All the beaches in Cape le Grande national park, Esperance Western Australia
Most depressing place: The Hospital in Pakse Laos
Contact me: annie@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 224 527
Next trip:

Last trip was to Indonesia, next trip is to Chile, Peru and Argentina

     
Round the World Specialists - Ben in Chimfunshi
Ben in Chimfunshi, Zambia

Ben

Originally from: Hereford
Travelled to: East/Southern Africa: Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa; North Africa: Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt; South East Asia: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos; India/Nepal; Australia/New Zealand; Mexico, Caribbean, Middle East
Travel industry experience: 10 years in the industry having worked for STA Travel (London), USIT Beyond (Auckland), Student Uni Travel (Sydney), USIT Campus (London) and as a Tour Leader for Absolute Africa. Joined Travel Nation in 2004.
Top 3 places: Kibale Forest (Uganda), Ladakh (Indian Himalaya), Ngorongora Crater (Tanzania)
Favourite hotel: Believe it or not - the Novotel Arusha - after 3 months in a tent - heaven!!
Best beach: Pulau Banyak (Sumatra)
Most depressing place: Moshi State Hospital ( Tanzania)
Contact me: ben@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 573
Specialism:

Specialist Area: Ben is our resident Africa Expert. For more information click here: Travel in Africa

     
Round the World Specialists - Jonny Isla Mujeres
Jonny under a tree, Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Jonny

Originally from: Originally from Farnham, then lived 10 years in Sheffield.
Travelled to: New Zealand, South Africa, Namibia, French Polynesia, Easter Island, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Grenada, Thailand, Malaysia, USA, Dubai
Travel industry experience: 5 years as Team Leader at Flight Centre (UK) Ltd. Joined Travel Nation in 2005.
Top 3 places: Etosha Pan and National Park (Namibia), Mo'orea (French Polynesia), Perhentian Kecil (Malaysia)
Favourite hotel: Loads.... probably The Ostinatto in Buenos Aires for the lovely family who run it, or The Hudson in New York..
Best beach: Matira, Bora Bora
Most depressing place: Waiting at the Greyhound Terminal in Compton, (LA), grim.
Contact me: jonny@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 575
  Next trip: Off to Melbourne in Feb and a bit of campervanning
     
Round the World Specialists - Matt in Malaysia
Matt on the Eastern Oriental Express, Malaysia

Matt

Originally from: Born in Newcastle – from Cambridge
Travelled to: Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, North America, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Barbados, St Lucia, Kenya, South Africa, Maldives, Oman, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand
Travel industry experience: 8 years at Trailfinders. Joined Travel Nation in 2007.
Top 3 places: Corcovado (Costa Rica), Summit of Cotopaxi (Ecuador), Parque Tayrona (Colombia)
Favourite hotel: Too many to choose from - but currently The Datai (Langkawi)
Best beach: Akaiami (Aitutaki)
Most depressing place: Miami International - my only real experience of lost bags, coupled with the least "service" orientated staff I have ever met.

Contact me: matt@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 320 581
Next trip: In the process of planning Bali for Easter next year
     
Round the World Specialists - Haydn in Ulaan Baatar
Haydn at Ulaan Baatar Railway station

Haydn

Originally from: Originally from Nottingham. Spent 4 years at university in Norwich
Travelled to: Africa, Middle East, India, Asia, Australia / New Zealand, Pacific, North America, South America.
Travel industry experience: 18 months at STA travel as a travel consultant. 10 years at Bridge the World as manager of the World-wide dept. Founded Travel Nation in 2001.
Top 3 places: Machapuchre Base Camp (Nepal), Lalibella (Ethiopia), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile)
Favourite hotel: Victoria Chau Doc (sipping a beer watching the life in the Mekong in Vietnam)
Best beach: Kari Kari Bay (New Zealand)
Most depressing place: Sitting on a Piccadilly Line train going into London from Heathrow after getting back from my first long trip (a year in Asia and Australia), looking at all of those stony faces…
Contact me: haydn@travelnation.co.uk | 01273 322 049

Last trip:

Last trip was to Thailand with www.thailandtravelplan.co.uk .