Reminiscing about the last time I was in the states (missing all my friends who live there) and one of those times was for Coachella in Palm Springs. It’s not just the place I miss – it’s the beautiful connections, people we met, and memories we made. I cannot wait to go to the US again soon and I was just scrolling back through my albums and came across that time I stayed at the Kimpton Palm Springs (oh those were the days) – because that’s what Kimpton is all about: creating heartfelt connection.

Remember going on holidays?! Seeing friends and family, sipping on a Pina colada and twirling to “Love is in the Air” in a pool (or is that just me?)… Travel is not only an escape, but a chance to meet new people, reconnect with our best judy’s and create stories to laugh about when we’re grey and old… and THAT my friends is the Kimpton ethos.

In photography, so much of the focus is centred on that one final image. The epic aurora lighting up the night sky, the singer on stage in front of eighty thousand screaming fans, the stoic portrait of a Maasai child. I mean, if you scroll through my instagram feed, you’ll find my page full of these images. But it’s not the full story, or even what I get the most fulfilment from. Instead, it’s the 2am road trip with my friends chasing the aurora in the middle of the night, screaming and laughing as we fall down in the snow. It’s the pre-show whisky in the dressing room with my best mates before they walk onto stage to the thunder of applause.  It’s the entire village hunched up around me as I take the portrait, not being able to understand one word of each other but giggling at how ridiculous the situation is. It’s those human connections that I miss the most. And I can’t wait to travel and experience them again.

To me, travel in itself has no meaning - it is only through connecting with others abroad can a visit be truly understood. As a musician who travels frequently to perform and collaborate, seeing a new city for the first time is nice, but making new friends and learning from their experiences is mind-blowing! That aspect of travel has subconsciously molded my music for years, and I'm starting to miss it. Over the past 18 months, I've only been able to create on my own -which is a far slower process than being in a room full of people. It reminded me that human connections are so valuable, especially when we travel. I've been getting by, just keeping in touch with friends over the internet, but here's to hoping 2022 gives us a chance to grow, learn, and reconnect with others again.

Travel has always fulfilled a yearning desire for adventure. Travel has forced me to be comfortable being uncomfortable. It has opened my eyes and ears to new sights, new experiences, new perspectives. For the year ahead, I dream to explore more. To uncover the uncharted, to reconnect with friends from far-away places. To create new memories and return home with a new outlook, new inspiration, new motivations.