A&K Team

Abercrombie & Kent is committed to being the market leader in luxury travel through innovation, excellent product and exemplary customer service. We have a specialised team of journey designers on hand to answer all your travel queries and offer advice on destinations around the world. Our journey designers regularly visit all the destinations we cover and experience the A&K difference first hand to offer our clients unparalleled knowledge and a travel service that is second to none.

Our team have a strong passion for travel and delivering excellent client service that allows A&K to lead the way in luxury travel and to offer experiences that are unlike any other.

At A&K we pride ourselves on the service and standard of excellence that we give to you, our clients. This service extends to every stage of your journey with Abercrombie & Kent, from the very start of your enquiry to the phone call you receive from us when you get back from your holiday.

THE A&K AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND TEAM

Ann-Marie Chapman

Head of Customer Sales and Services

Favourite Destinations: Antarctica, South America – Atacama in particular, Italy, France, Iceland and Bora Bora.

Bucket List Destinations: Namibia for the absolute beauty of the landscapes. Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil. An area of extraordinary beauty. Alaska / Canada to see a bear catching a salmon in a river or from a waterfall – ‘John West’ style. Japan to experience the winter colour. Scotland, Ireland & Wales to trace our family history.

Top Travel Tip: For me, one of my top planning tips is to give yourself some down time in your itinerary – some of the most magical moments I’ve experienced is when you have the time to just ‘be’ in a destination.

Karen Scharnbock

Customer Sales & Operations Manager

Areas Of Expertise: North America, South America, The Kimberley

Favourite Destinations: Patagonia, Kenya, Tanzania, Canada, Antarctica, Egypt

Bucket List Destinations: Iceland, Greece, Morrocco, Bhutan

Top Travel Tip: Always expect the unexpected!

Nicholas Georgiou

Reservations Team Leader

Areas Of Expertise: Europe, Asia, North America.

Favourite Destinations: Peru, Vietnam & Argentina.

Bucket List Destinations: Egypt & Antartica.

Top Travel Tip: Dine where the locals Dine. Travel like a local not a tourist. Don’t forget the Camera.

Lisa Burke

Guest Relationship Manager

Favourite Destinations: Mexico, Turkey, Italy, South Africa, Argentina.

Bucket List Destinations: Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, Mahale NP Tanzania, Sal Salis @ Ningaloo Reef, New Zealand. My Bucket list focus is on natural beauty and wildlife that may not offer the same experiences in future generations.

Top Travel Tip: Try not to waste a single bite or sip of your travels on anything sub-par.

Sarah Kidd

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Africa, India, Middle East, Latin America, Cruises.

Favourite Destinations: Botswana, Zambia & Chile.

Bucket List Destinations: Nambia – would love to photograph the dramatic landscapes and fly over along the Skeleton Coast.

Siobhan Pemberton

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Africa & Asia.

Favourite Destinations: Rwanda, Namibia, Borneo, Vietnam and Botswana.

Bucket List Destinations: Madagascar, Peru, Patagonia & Iceland

Top Travel Tip: Disconnect to reconnect, turn your phone off, put your camera down and just enjoy being in the moment.

Pauline Stavrakis

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Latin America, Middle East, Europe, Cruises.

Favourite Destinations: Galapagos Islands, Italy, Antarctica, South Georgia Island, Cuba.

Bucket List Destinations: Uganda or Rwanda, to see the magnificent mountain gorillas.

Top Travel Tip: Try not to rush, it is a holiday!

Chloe Kurts

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Africa, India, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, Cruises.

Favourite Destinations: Okavango Delta in Botswana, Rajasthan in India and Umbria in Italy.

Bucket List Destinations: Morocco, the colour, the incredible food, wonderful mosques and muslim cultural sights – the call to prayer is one of my favourite sounds. The shopping alone – souks are my happy place, the ocean – Essaouira or Safi for some downtime. And Rwanda to see the amazing Gorillas, incredible biodiversity, volcanoes and montane rainforests!

Top Travel Tip: If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!

Vannesa Urrutia Paulsen

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Small Group Journeys, Middle East.

Favourite Destinations: Patagonia, Scotland, The Amazon, Italy and Philippines.

Bucket List Destinations: All Africa, Borneo (Sabah), Japan, Papua New Guinea, and Antarctica. I chose these destinations mostly for their fascinating nature, wildlife and culture.

Top Travel Tip: The whole world awaits and now is the time to explore it… see it and enjoy while we help you to go on the most incredible adventures.

Lisa Sawers

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Small Group Journeys, Cruises, Middle East & Asia.

Favourite Destinations: Bhutan, Japan, Botswana, Uganda, Argentina.

Bucket List Destinations: Norway – to see the Northern Lights. Antarctica – because Wow! It looks incredible and is the 7th continent and only continent I haven’t yet visited. Kenya/Tanzania to witness the Great Migration.

Top Travel Tip: Slow down and stay longer to really immerse yourself fully into the destination.

Brendan Loughnan

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: India & Asia.

Favourite Destinations: India, Southern Africa, Jordan, Peru, New Zealand, Italy.

Bucket List Destinations: Japan, Borneo, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Cuba.

Top Travel Tip: Ask your guide where they like to eat when they go out. Otherwise, they might only recommend places that cater only to the Western palette, i.e. tourist traps. Try new and strange things; even if you don’t like it, you won’t regret the experience. And if you visit Petra or the Taj Mahal, make sure you are the first one there in the morning!

Hannah McMillan Phillips

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Small Group Journeys, Australia & New Zealand.

Favourite Destinations: Pacific Islands, India, Thailand.

Bucket List Destinations: Africa, Switzerland & South America, my true passion is to immerse myself in the culture and natural beauty around the world.

Top Travel Tip: Speak to locals, they know the best places to eat, drink and hidden gems. The lessons learnt while travelling are endless, slow down and take the time to enjoy every moment.

Laura Sargent

Travel Specialist

Areas Of Expertise: Europe and Latin America

Favourite Destinations: Most of Europe! Japan, The Philippines and Canada

Bucket List Destinations: Africa for a safari, Vietnam for the culture/food and Patagonia for the nature!

Top Travel Tip: Don't rush through your itinerary. Take time to truly immerse yourself in the destination. Sometimes, a relaxing day to reflect can be just as enriching.

Kathryn Heness

Inbound Reservations Manager

Areas Of Expertise: Australia & New Zealand.

Favourite Destinations: The Kimberley, Italy, Mexico.

Bucket List Destinations: Iceland to see the northern lights. Uganda to see the Gorillas in their natural habitat. Cuba- to experience the mix of history, culture and Caribbean beaches.

Susan Haberle

Head of Sales & Partnerships

Favourite Destinations: ITALY!! Japan, Peru, Scandinavia, Anywhere in Europe!

Bucket List Destinations: Antarctica – a truly edge of the world experience. Botswana – a colleague just returned and was so wowed away. Cuba – love Sth and Central America but as yet to get to Cuba! Seychelles – on my bucket list is A&K’s Luxury Expedition Cruise to Tanzania and the Seychelles.

Top Travel Tip: Travel is the only thing you pay for that makes you richer.

Alexa Papoulias

Regional Sales Manager (NSW/ACT)

Favourite Destinations: France, home to the 3 C’s: champagne, cheese & croissants. What’s not to love? Queenstown. The most stunning scenery I have ever experienced. A destination which I would love to go back to, thankfully it is a short flight from Sydney.

Bucket List Destinations: I love visiting off-the-beaten-path destinations when I travel, so Mongolia is definitely up there for me. I would love to stay in a yurt and watch the wild Mongolian horses run free across the desert plains.

Top Travel Tip: Travel as far and as wide as you can, life is not meant to be lived in one place.

Katrina Thirkell

Regional Sales Manager (QLD/WA/NT)

Favourite Destinations: Having so far ticked off 64 countries, there are so many favs for different reasons! Egypt for history, Peru for culture, Philippines for beaches, Canada for scenery and Cambodia for its people.

Bucket List Destinations: Africa, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Morocco, India, Iceland.

Top Travel Tip: Whenever travelling I always take a travel powerboard so that I can easily recharge phones/watches/cameras/computer etc simultaneously. Packing cells are my saviour whilst travelling ( trust me, if you haven’t used them they are lifechanging!), and I always try to pack clothes that don’t require ironing! I also try to learn a few words of the local language in the destination of travel, and find that it’s often an icebreaker with the locals who often laugh at my terrible pronunciation but appreciate the effort.

Alison Banks

Regional Sales Manager (SA/WA/NT)

Favourite Destinations: All of Italy; Scandinavia; Greece; Southern & Eastern Africa; Japan; Vietnam; the Cook Islands; North East USA & Western Canada; Ireland, Scotland & Wales; New Zealand and Antarctica; the Kimberley & Tasmania

Bucket List Destinations: Sardinia; Malta; Orkney Islands; Equador & Galapagos Islands; Uganda & Rwanda; Eastern Canada; Alaska (Cruise & Land); South Korea; Raja Ampat Marine Park in Indonesia; Central America & Cuba; Peru; Brazil; Argentina; South Georgia and Shetland Islands

Top Travel Tip: I “treat myself” when I travel and, (as I have very thick hair), once a week, wherever I am in the world, I have my hair washed and blow-dried. It’s an hour with a local, often using Google Translate when require, and usually a cultural experience as different hairdressers use different techniques and products in different countries. I’ve had many great conversations and memorable experiences over the years and sometimes, I’ve even returned to the same stylist years later. Less products and tools to carry in my luggage means less stress and overall, it’s a relaxing interaction.

Evon Ler

Director of Sales (Asia)

Favourite Destinations: Kyoto - home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Strolling the paths and wandering through the tranquil gardens is the best part of the experience to discover the old and new . Immerse yourself in living history by staying at a traditional ryokan inn. Just love the cherry blossom season in Kyoto. And don't forget to try the Japanese sweets, especially their famous Uji matcha if you have a sweet tooth. Morocco - busy medinas, intricate architecture, and a unique combination of cultural influences make Morocco unlike anywhere else on the planet. Whether you're traveling to bustling Marrakech, pretty coastal cities, or remote desert towns (or hopefully, all three), a trip to Morocco is bound to be one to remember.

Bucket List Destinations: African Safari- seeing majestic animals like lions, elephants, and rhinos in the wild is a dream. Greece - from the whitewashed homes of Santorini to the Ios party scene to the relaxing atmosphere of Milos, there's a perfect holiday for me.

Top Travel Tip: Explore your destination from the perspective of a local. Food is the key to the heart of any destination and be adventurous to try the local authentic dishes

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