11/08/2026
49 years and 8 months avoiding a proper razor… then I come to Las Vegas and lose my razor virginity! 😂
I was fully expecting my white shirt to end up covered in blood, but thankfully it surKempinski Hotels unscathed. Courtesy of Kempinski Hotels — thank you!
It was actually a particularly useful Kempinski conversation too, as Riga is somewhere I’m considering for my own 50th birthday trip. It’s always interesting seeing things from both sides — as a travel advisor and as the person actually choosing where to go.
The rest of the day at Virtuoso Travel Week has been just as productive, with more than 30 meetings with hotels, cruise lines and tourist boards from around the world.
There have been some great discoveries, including Istria and Rovinj in Croatia — an area packed with beautiful hotels, coastline, wine, olive oil, truffles and some fantastic food — as well as Peru, Bordeaux, the Maldives, Mykonos, Amsterdam, Vancouver and small-ship cruising with Azamara.
That’s the real reason I’m here. It’s not just about collecting brochures or knowing what’s available. It’s about meeting the people behind these destinations and hotels, building relationships and discovering places I can genuinely recommend when I’m planning your holidays.
A very productive day… and considerably smoother-faced than when it started! 😂🌍✈️
