Years in the travel industry, Amari Palm Reef's GM says everyday in travel is like no other.

What drew you to work in the travel industry?

I grew up moving around a lot as my dad was with the navy.  When it was time to choose a job I was in between the hospitality industry or studying medicine.  Being accepted as apprentice at the leading hotel in my hometown, working in a geographically flexible profession and especially not having to study at university convinced me to choose the path of hospitality.

What do you like most about your job?

Every day brings new surprises; no day is like another.  And just when you think routine kicks in, a pipe breaks or a squirrel tries to play with the main transformer (which squirrel and transformer didn’t survive).  Time for improvisation!

Who do you admire and see as a role model in the travel industry?

Every person can be a role model: in a positive and negative way.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and it's about picking the "likes" and "dislikes".  I've met people where I thought "gosh, I would never ever want to be like that or do something like that to someone", others I really admired for a particular trait or actions and others to pick up from a bit from both sides.  Nobody is perfect and everybody has some type of skeleton hidden somewhere in the closet.

What do you want to see improve in the industry?

A better balance of caring for the environment, the benefits of tourism, fair profits and greed.  While things have come a long way already we've still got quite a few rough miles ahead of us.  Especially in "new destinations" or places where "the buck goes further than the law" quite often the benefits of bringing financial wealth to the area get diminished by overdevelopment or by taking important things not "quite so serious", such as proper waste (-water) disposal.

What destinations are on your travel bucket list?

Such a long list – so little time!  Australia – all I have seen so far is Sydney.  China has many areas I would like to explore.  Bhutan & Nepal are on the list as well as India and Sri Lanka.  Then there’s South America: Peru, Chile, Brazil…

What's a memorable travel experience you've had (good or bad)?

Every good trip should have some lasting experiences, otherwise what's the point of traveling.  The most memorable ones of my last trip to New Zealand: mixing up paragliding and skydiving and wondering why I had to get onto a plane instead of a bus to "get up" (and what a difference on the way down!), tasting the wines of Nelson and Marlborough, right at their origin and swimming with the dolphins in Kaikura.

What are three things you must always take with you when you travel?

I used to travel with my pillow.  But these days I’d rather use the space to bring a few nice bottles of wine back to Thailand.  Apart from that, I can’t travel without music (ipod) and small speakers, as well as a multiplug to keep it all charged.

Name someone famous with whom you'd like to travel and where you'd take them.

I think I’d rather travel with someone not famous so I don’t need to be on the constant lookout for paparazzi.  However, if I would have to pick someone famous I would love to join Kylie and her dancers on their next tour – to wherever that may lead!