5 Things You Didn’t Know About Gary Bembridge And My Travels & Blog

While I have an “about” page on my Tips for Travellers blog, it is more about the rational side of the blog. It talks about why I started the blog, what I focus on and has links to my Media Kit with the stats and so on.

What my “about” page it does not really have is more about Gary Bembridge as a person and my personality, and what drives my passion for travel. I was inspired by reading some posts recently from Landloper where he spoke about his likes, dislikes and what motivates him. I really enjoyed getting more insight into his personality, and so here are the 5 things about me that I think have driven my travel lust and passions:

Gary Bembridge as a Boy in Bulawayo Zimabwe in 1960s, wishing he could travel…

 1.    Zimbabwe is where I was born, and home of the most stunning attraction I have ever seen (Victoria Falls).

⁃    I was born in Bulawayo Zimbabwe (called Rhodesia at the time) of British Parents. I am a British Citizen which is really important as meant I have been able to live in Europe, and travel so much easier than if was not! I did 18 months military service in Zimbabwe after school, where I was a weapons instructor training people to use Browning machine guns, pistols and shotguns. I left Zimbabwe in 1982 after military service to go to university.
⁃    As a boy growing up I longed to live in London and constantly nagged my parents to move back to the UK. It seemed so much more exciting than Africa, and I loved history and so wanted to see the places I read about and studied. The only other country I visited before turning 20 was South Africa. This made me determined to see as much as the world as I could once I started working.
⁃    Zimbabwe is home of the most stunning and amazing place and attraction I have ever seen. This is the Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe/ Zambia border. It remains my most favourite attraction in the world. You must see it.

Gary Bembridge at Victoria Falls. The best attraction he has ever seen!

2.    South Africa is where I went to University and had my first job. It is also home of one of the most beautiful cities to visit in the world (Cape Town).
⁃    I studied marketing and business at the University of Natal in South Africa, and then worked in Johannesburg for 4 years for Unilever. The most crazy thing was that I never went to Cape Town during the 7 years I was in South Africa. This was just pure madness as Cape Town is probably the most beautiful city destination in the world, and now is one of my most favourite places in the world.
⁃    It proved to me that you MUST explore the country around you before you think about going abroad so you do not miss what is on your doorstep all the time.

Gary Bembridge at Chapman’s Peak Drive Cape Town. A favorite city destination

3.    London has been my home since 1987. It is my most favourite city in the world, and home of the most luxurious and posh hotel I have ever stayed in!
⁃    I adore London. Since I was a tiny boy wanted to live here, and have done so for over 25 years now. Even in my job when I was spending at least half the month in New York and then Paris, I kept London as my home base. London is exciting, historic, diverse and generally fabulous.
⁃    Of the hundreds of hotels I have stayed in around the world, it is still the home of the most luxurious and posh hotel and room I have ever stayed in: The Berkeley in London. I stayed here on the night of my Civil Partnership in 2009, where they upgraded us and put us in the stunning Chelsea suite. Nothing has beaten it yet.

Berkeley Hotel Chelsea Suite on my Civil Partnership 2009. A very special day and hotel

4.    Choosing a global marketing career enabled, and has funded, me travelling for over 20 years every month, every year all over world
⁃    I love marketing, and chose a career that meant I had regional and global jobs. Most of my career was at Johnson & Johnson, although since April 2012 I have been an independent global marketing and branding consultant.
⁃    It took (and takes) me all over the world, and meant I could travel in Business Class or First Class. From the 1st time I travelled in Business Class (Virgin Upper Class) for work, I swore I would never fly economy long haul again! Thanks to the zillions of frequent flyer and hotel miles I generate it has meant I have been able to keep to that even for vacation (so far anyway!).

Celebrating my global marketing job with a cup cake raffle win in my office at J&J

 5.    Been obsessed with iconic forms of travel since a boy, and have travelled on many of them – and will travel on the rest! This is the promise to myself.
⁃    I am obsessed by travel icons and forms and chase them down to travel on them. Something I promised myself as a boy growing up in Africa I would do. I travelled on Concorde twice, Have been on the QE2 and QM2, been on Pullman Carriage trains like the Orient Express British Pullman, Rovos Rail and Napa Wine Train, used the Channel Tunnel many times. I have many more to come! I adore Cape Town, Las Vegas, Caribbean, Mauritius and love Cruising and Cunard…….

In the Captain’s Chair on Bridge of Cunard Queen Elizabeth. I love cruising and love Cunard!

So that is more about me and what drives my passion for travel! Travel is amazing. It is a privilege and I am eternally grateful that I have had, and will have, the means and the luck to experience it so much.

Read more: About Tips for Travellers