Keith brings a special level of integrity to the Talking Travel team and you’ll see him featured in many of our upcoming programs. Keith is as down to earth as you can get and while you may recognise his face from a variety of TV roles, Keith is also a professional musician and acclaimed live performer boasting an impressive number of industry awards for his work in the music and entertainment industry. He is no stranger to the world of travel with a string of international and local performances to his name. Keith’s work as an entertainer, entertainment writer and a passionate supporter of young emerging songwriters sees him deal with many people on a grass roots level. His honest and genuine connection with such a broad cross section of people over many years gives Keith the insights and coal face feedback to ask the real questions, and get the expert answers we all want to know.

For Trudy, travel is literally a family affair, with both herself and her family enjoying a long career of over 20 years working with a number of major airlines groups.

You can’t do the sort of travel miles Trudy has done without picking up plenty of special tricks and tips in getting the most from your holiday. And working for Travel as a Mother of two boys aged 14 and 16 gives a unique understanding of family travel requirements as well as a connection with Retiree’s travel considerations having organized travel for elderly family members. Good theory is one thing; practical experience is where the real insights are gained.

Hayley is a truly global traveller with an impressive working and personal destination checklist of over 80 countries. She has the stories, insights and 6 tattered passports to prove it. But far from slowing down, Hayley is speeding up and continues to try to redefine the concept of living out of a suitcase or backpack (depending on whether its work or pleasure) and has “travelling easy” down to a fine art. Hayley is happy to acknowledge that travelling has taken a considerable amount of her life, but won’t be making any excuses about being able to live and work her passion every day. Hayley is currently working as a tour director for a major international operator and brings a very pragmatic and “on the road” honesty to her travel product knowledge.

For Holly, working within the Tourism Industry is the way of her life more than it is a career. She has always held the hearty soul of her African motherland as an inspiration for her sense of adventure and discovery, so it’s little wonder that an especially vibrant and diverse territory like Hong Kong should capture her attentions out of the amazing destinations and experiences she has enjoyed.

But, home is where her heart is. And that’s Australia which Holly quickly concedes is a beautiful home to return to, and to explore in itself. Be it road trips, childhood camping holidays or beach resorts for endless sun and swimming. Holly is keen to share her experience and insights to help other travellers find holiday solutions that can build special life long memories, so we are looking forward to seeing more of her shortly.

Leeanes taste for travel started when she was working in entertainment and as a tour guide on the fabulous Whitsunday Islands. After three years of showing visitors from all over the world the wonderful sites of the Barrier Reef she got a taste for travel and worked across a diverse number of different travel product and service providers, including Airlines and Travel Agent distributors. "Travelling is in my blood", say's Leeane, once I unpack from one trip, I am ready to go again. I love the tropical and exotic destinations such as Hawaii, The Maldives or South Pacific, and of course who can top Vegas and New York for sheer glamour.” But in saying that we know Leeane doesn't mind roughing it in those out of the way, interesting destinations such as China or Vietnam. These are the types of places that find you doing things that you just never thought you would ever do; Like swim with sharks in Hawaii, which was an amazing experience considering her fear of the deep blue ocean. So amazing that she now has a dive licence! Which just goes to show the life changing influence of great travel experiences.

It would be safe to say that Roger's life has been a worldwide journey, or voyage may be more apt for the past 22 years. Roger comes to Talking Travel with a wealth of on the ground and on the sea travelling knowledge that would difficult to beat. With 14 years’ experience at sea specifically in destination focused roles, and 8 years in cruise industry sales and marketing. His passion for cruising is unsurpassed, and whether you're looking for the family adventure, or the more luxurious regal escape, Roger has a sixth sense in being able to navigate through one of the fastest growing travel holiday categories and find the best value offers.

You don't have to spend a long time with Emma to see her passion for travel. She spent two years travelling the world as Pommy backpacker - Australia was not intended as her final destination, but it stole her heart and she made Sydney her home over a decade ago. She has since spent many years as a tour guide throughout Oz and even led our tourists over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a climb leader. She has also utilised her extensive teaching and management background to train other travel industry colleaugues some of the finer points of hospitality and tourism. Can you still catch a hint of her English accent? She's got great "on the ground knowledge" of her homeland which is an Australian destination favourite, so we're sure to be getting the inside info on the UK and Europe.

Hold onto your hats when David is giving you his thoughts and insights on Travel. With over 14 years sales and executive management for some of the biggest international Travel and hospitality organisations, David has some of the most amazing and bizarre travel tales. Ghost tours in the Paris cemetery to learning to Ski in the Swiss Alps, David gives a unique view of what’s on offer. Survival guide to long-haul flights, great places to eat, the best hotel options and secret places that the locals keep secret, because they are so good. What’s most significant is that he’s usually in there somewhere helping proceedings along and you’ll find he knows exactly how to maximise your travel experience and capture those “lifetime” and “life changing” travel adventures and memories. And he’s quick to confirm that age has nothing to do with it. It’s all about travel attitude and the willingness to have fun and explore this amazing planet.

Mandy originally hails from Sydney but started her travel career in New Zealand where she worked as a travel consultant and agency manager for a number of years.  While her career has since diversified into broader, more executive based roles, she is quick to admit that she still thrives on being able to connect customers to truly delightful travel experiences.  In addition to her love of travel she has an almost equal passion for the benefits of living a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. With what almost seems a limitless amount of energy Mandy also teaches yoga and delights in combining her passions by travelling to yoga retreats in exotic locations. There are not a lot of places left on the globe that Mandy hasn’t been to, but despite these experiences Mandy recognises the people part of travelling as the most important, so it’s not surprising that her pick of best travel experiences is dominated by any holiday she has had with her wonderful daughter.

After completing formal Hospitality Management & Tourism qualifications way back when, Emma has literally worked her way around Australia, across the high seas and has sampled more local beers in more countries than she would care to name! She has worked within Travel and tourism in some amazing places like Malaysia, Indonesia and the Maldives and has experience working with Land and sea resorts and many traditional destination land tours and has a genuine passion for the rich cultural palette open to Australian holiday makers. She’ll have an acute eye for finding the travel providers who are able to help you get a real feast of cultural experiences to get the most out of your holiday.