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Q & A With Kate
Where have you travelled to in the last 12 months?
I've been to quite a few places in the last 12 months including Svalbard in June on our Polar Bear Explorer trip and Antarctica in November on our Antarctica Photography Expedition. I've also had short trips to Norway, Belgium, Amsterdam (to run the half-marathon) and multiple visits to France (the most notable of which was to run the Paris marathon). Other trips include driving around Slovenia, dipping into Croatia and Italy on a family holiday with my husband and two children.
Where is your next trip?
This year I've got planned Iceland, Greenland, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa and Greek Island hopping.
What is your first travel-related memory?
Flying on a plane to Jersey. I remember being impressed by the bag of free peanuts.
Aisle or window seat?
Window; I will gaze out at the view for as long as there is one and it also gives me something to lean against when I sleep.
Do you have any travel habits or rituals?
Despite being more of a habitually late person, I always get to the airport really early. It makes it feel as if the trip is starting sooner, and I still get as excited by airports and planes now as I did when I was a child. Plus it does help when you run into problems.
What are you most likely to splurge on while travelling?
Unique experiences or something that will enable me to see where I am from a different perspective.
What’s your favourite thing about working at NWS?
I get paid to do something I love with great people. What's not to like!
What do you like doing outside of NWS?
I love being outdoors so I'm often in the woods, on the beach or up the South Downs with my two children. I'm a keen (not to be confused with good) runner and every Saturday morning I join our local ParkRun while on Sundays I've started kayaking. I'm also an enthusiastic photographer - you can find me on Instagram @wildspacesfavouriteplaces.
If you could do just one NWS safari, which one would it be?
Impossible to answer as I want to do all of them! I love frozen wildernesses so the polar regions will always be my first choice. Elsewhere Botswana, Rwanda, Madagascar and the Galapagos are all high on the list.
Is there a standout destination in your mind?
The polar regions every time. Svalbard or South Georgia for stunning landscapes and wildlife encounters or Antarctica for incredible beauty on a vast scale. I also love India, it's colourful, crazy and very photogenic.
What is your best or worst travel souvenir?
I never used to buy travel souvenirs as I never had enough room in my luggage but since having children I always buy them something small and suitably tacky for them to keep in a travel treasures box. So now I'm the person buying cheap plaster cast replicas of famous buildings ...
What is the best or worst travel advice you have received?
Pack light. It can be an art form but it's one I've perfected, even when travelling with my family we can get away quite happily with just hand luggage. It definitely makes life easier.
What is your spirit animal?
According to the internet I'm a tiger!