The 2009 Explore Tour Leader awards judging panel is made up of both representatives of Explore and independent judges to ensure a fair hand.

The judges

Chris Haslam

Chris started travelling at an early age, partly in protest over the lack of a TV in the parental home. His first solo expedition, undertaken at the age of nine, got him as far as the Belgian seaside resort of Bredene. Subsequent unsanctioned sorties took him to Lille, Marseilles, Naples and Barcelona, where, at the age of 15, he got a job working on Gaudi’s unfinished Sagrada Familia before his alibi was blown. After spells spent living and working in Europe, the Far East and Central America, he settled in Andalucia before returning to London where he is now a multi-award winning travel writer and photographer. His fourth novel is out next year.

"I’m no happier than when I’m on the road, reporting and writing and lugging camera gear on my back. Best of all is when I’m not sure exactly where I’m heading next. The stories I love always seem to come from the most ordinary encounters rather than formal, planned interviews. I film and report for BBC World’s Fast Track programme, returning intermittently to London to produce the news for CNN International or to sit on ITV’s GMTV sofa to talk about travel or to meet editors. I write for Newsweek, the Financial Times, the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, Tatler, Condé Nast Traveller (UK & US), Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire and CNN.com."

Margaret McEwan

Margaret (known as Flo) started with Explore back in 1986. Today she is Head of Governance and Customer Relations and has seen a lot during her 23 years with Explore. She has fended off leeches in the Malaysian jungle, put her back out in Egypt and had an argument with a mule in Andalucía. Having worked in our Customer Relations department for over 10 years Flo knows our customers’ expectations for Explore tour leaders! If you meet Flo the first thing you notice is the passion in her voice and never far away is her infectious sense of fun – it therefore comes as no surprise that if you ask Flo what to pack for an Explore trip she would advise “a sense of humour”.

Ashley Toft

Ashley starting working as a Tour Leader for Explore in 1988. He led for 6 years throughout the Middle East, Turkey, Indian Sub-Continent and SE Asia. He also spent a year in Spain and Central America. He still describes tour leading as the most instantly satisfying job imaginable. After running a small overland travel company for a couple of years, he joined the Explore office team as an Operations Manager in 1996, before moving onto a variety of roles within Product Development and Customer Services. He became Managing Director in October 2006. He is still a regular Explore traveller and has travelled with his young family on a number of Family Adventures in the last few years to Sweden, Egypt and South Africa.

Carolina Gryngarten

Carolina was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she worked for several years as a national guide. After moving to the UK in 2003 she started working for Explore firstly in Reservations and then the Operations Department where she eventually became the Head of Operations in 2008. Carolina has a wealth of travel experience and counts among her favourites the calmness and cuisine of S.E. Asia the extraordinary sense of going back in time in Papua New Guinea and the atmosphere, rhythms and music of Brazil. Her 5 years in the Operations Department have enabled her to work closely with many tour leaders and to take part in numerous tour leader training courses both in the UK and around the world. 

Click here to read about the 15 shortlisted canfidates for the 2009 Tour Leader awards

Travelled with us since May 1st 2009? Nominate your Tour Leader now for our 2010 awards!