An interview with AsktheTraveller

For this blog we decided to ask one of the co-founders of Askthetraveller, ian Alden about his time in travel, some insider tips and what makes him love travel so much. We caught up with him whilst he and his wife we spending a couple of days in Guernsey.

So Ian, tell us a little about your background in the travel industry.

I’ve always enjoyed travelling and it’s always been in my blood. In 1991 I packed my rucksack and headed off to Southeast Asia with the ‘Yellow Bible’, Southeast Asia on a shoestring. Back then our communication with home was by postcard. No mobile phones or tablets.

After returning to the UK, and still full of wanderlust, I applied to join a cruise line and headed to Miami. The department I worked for were always off whilst in port, which meant I was always free to explore the Caribbean Islands. Wonderful for me, but today it’s all changed of course and crew see little of their destinations.

This time it was back to the UK for a longer stint and I joined what was, and probably still is the largest independent tour operator in the UK. I worked there for 10 years before taking the opportunity to join a startup travel company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I worked here for 3 years before setting up my own company and working for another 8 years in Dubai.