Who are the planning team..?

Our planning department are responsible for the research and development of new products and destinations; prospecting new itineraries; the planning of the brochures; preparing the costings for all brochures; liaising with ground handlers, hotels and airlines. This process starts in excess of 18 months prior to each annual brochure coming out, as all the logistics of all of our trips has to be checked and agreed that it creates the Inspirational Journey that our clients would expect.

Mark Bennetts

Planning Manager

Mark has been at Bales for 10 years and in his current position as planning manager for about the last 5 of these. When doing his A levels he always wanted to be a military historian and still has a strong interest in this, but after taking some time off and travelling through Europe for 8 months he decided a career in travel was going to be more exciting. His first ever job in travel was actually with Bales back in the late 80`s but itchy feet got the better of him after a couple of years and he decided to head off through the Far East, China and the Indian Subcontinent for what was going to be a 12 months jaunt but ended up being about 16. After 2 years with an Indian specialist (India is his real passion and he wanted to "learn his trade"), he got the urge to travel again and this time headed overland to Burma (Myanmar) via Europe, the Middle East and India with the aim of doing it all without taking a flight. He was finally halted in Bangladesh from where he was forced to fly to Rangoon as the authorities would not let him go overland and ended the trip with 6 weeks in Tibet and an impromptu trip to the United States for a couple of weeks (he felt like a change !) before finally flying home.

This was followed by a year at another upmarket operator before accepting an offer to come back to Bales to help establish the newly formed Tailor Made department. From there he moved to the planning department and his current position. As well as travelling, he enjoys mountain biking and going on military tours with his best friend who also has the same interest (they struggle to find anyone else willing to come along with them including wives and girlfriends!) and recently went 600km out of his way during a planning trip to Libya to see the site of Rommels HQ during WWII Africa campaign!

He is married and lives in Guildford with his wife who is the product manager for Asia at Bales Worldwide.

Click here to see an interview with Mark.

Stephen Bray

Product Manager, Latin America

Steve is one of the longest serving employees at Bales, having originally started with the company in 1986. He cut his teeth on the Worldwide Brochure handling Sales and Operations and also had a stint in the Planning Department, before spending a couple of years working in London for another tour operator. In 1996 Steve returned to Bales to establish the Tailor Made department which enjoyed rapid growth. In a restructuring of the company in 2006, Steve switched to his current role, which he relishes. Steve has many favourite destinations in South America including the spectacular setting of Rio de Janeiro, the incredible Iguassu Falls, Buenos Aires - where he loves to watch Tango Shows - and the whole of Chile which offers so much varied scenery.

Originally from Malvern in Worcestershire, Steve went to school at the Sacred Heart College in Droitwich then Worcester Technical College and Dorset Institute of Higher Education in Poole. He supports Worcestershire County Cricket Club and Hereford United. Outside interests include quizzes, playing squash and a little bit of golf. A rail enthusiast, he holds a loose ambition to travel on every railway line in the UK, although this project will take some time to complete!

Kirsty Bennetts

Product Manager, Asia
 
 
Kirsty joined Bales 5 years ago in the tailor made department and is now Product Manager for Asia and is responsible for the Indian Subcontinent and China & the Far East brochures.

A two-month long trip to Australia with stopovers in Bangkok and Singapore initially sparked Kirsty’s passion for travel and after completing a degree in Travel & Tourism in Cardiff she returned to the Far East travelling overland through Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. This was followed by a year travelling and working in Australia before returning to the UK to settle down into a real job. Eleven years at an upmarket, and very accommodating, tour operator gave the opportunity for plenty of travelling including several 2 or 3 month long sabbaticals to places like India, Nepal and Latin America.

Although widely travelled, having visited 51 countries, she is passionate about all things Asia. Favourite spots include the beautiful World Heritage listed town of Luang Prabang in Laos, Myanmar’s unspoilt beaches, Angkor Wat and the remote Buddhist monasteries of central China and she is equally happy whether lazing on a beach in the Maldives or trekking in the Himalayas in Nepal. However, India is Kirsty’s first love and she has so far notched up 15 trips there travelling extensively throughout the country from Ladakh in the far north to Kanyakumari on the country’s most southerly tip.

When not working, as well as travelling she enjoys photography, cookery (particularly all foods Indian and Oriental) and yoga – although despite spending 5 weeks on a yoga ashram in southern India has still not mastered the art of standing on her head!

Martin Edwards

Africa and Egypt Product Manager

Following university, Martin packed his bags and headed off for a years travel around the world.  His journey began in East Africa where he explored both Kenya and Tanzania including reaching the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro.  He continued south through Africa, visiting Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.  His next stop was Australia and New Zealand, before heading home via the Far East.

Upon his return he began working for a small long haul tour operator.  After a couple of years he then joined Bales Worldwide, firstly in the Tailor Made department before moving to the Planning Department.  Now being the Product Manager for Africa and Egypt he gets to spend his time researching new destinations, and putting together new and improved itineraries.

His experience of travelling through Africa varied from hitchhiking through remote towns, experiencing a safari for the first time in the South Luangwa National Park, staying in very interesting types of accommodation, white water rafting on the Zambezi and coming face to face with a Southern Right Whale in the Indian Ocean.

Being involved with Egypt he needs to experience the history and culture of this fascinating country.  During his many visits to Egypt he has visited almost every hotel and boat there as well as experiencing all of the sightseeing we offer and trying out new excursions, so using his first hand  knowledge is already planning the 2009/10 brochures.

Martin commeted "Working at Bales I am able to combine both my love of travel and my passion for the continent of Africa.  Compared to my back packing days I now get to experience the best of the hotels, lodges and safaris that this continent has to offer".

Outside of work, Martin's interests include football, running, and motor racing.

Victoria Alexander 
 

Product Manager, Canada and Asia 

Vicky knew from an early stage that she would love to work in the travel industry and after graduating in Tourism and Marketing Management she was determined to follow her passion and go travelling.  She spent 12 months travelling overland through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore before flying to Bali, Java and Lombok.  After falling in love with South East Asia she headed to Australia , where she was born, to spend time exploring her roots.  From Australia she went to New Zealand and ended her trip in South Africa, following the Garden Route.  Since being at Bales for almost 3 years in the planning department, she has been fortunate enough to visit other parts of the world including Peru, enjoying seeing the mystical city of Machu Picchu, Belize where she explored the jungles in search of Mayan ruins and Japan where she enjoyed the  fantastic mix of old and the new. 

Outside of work Vicky enjoys swimming, photography and retail therapy! 

Clare Moore  
 

Product Manager, Canada 

Clare first worked for Bales as part of her Tourism Degree course, spending a year as work experience in the Operations Department. After graduating she returned for what was planned as a temporary period and has been with the company for 13 more years!

During this time Clare has worked extensively on all regions covered by the Bales products and has also escorted tours to Africa and the Middle East. On a luxury ‘Topmarket tour’ of Jordan she surprised her clients by appearing on horseback alongside the train they were travelling on - mounting the horse from a moving train was no mean feat! 

She has travelled to many exotic and wonderful countries but her favourite destinations include Japan for its modernism, India for its colourful culture and Thailand for its luxury hotels!

Clare is now Product Manager for Canada and also works closely with the Operations team as a Product Support Manager making sure that all the behind the scene arrangements are in place for a holiday of her lifetime. Known as ‘Eagle eyes’ to her colleagues she has finely tuned her proof reading skills and looks forward to trawling through the brochure proofs each year!

Outside of work Clare enjoys socialising with her friends over a glass of wine, interior design, going to West End shows, organising and cleaning her home- a skill that has come in useful when re-organising the Bales offices!

Sally Inskip  
 

Product Manager, Australia and New Zealand

After studying Travel and Tourism Sally first joined Bales in 1988 and worked in the Groups department for 6 years during which time she discovered her passion for traveling with overseas visits to Egypt, India, Kenya, and South Africa. She also experienced her first visit to Asia with escorting tours to China and Thailand.

Sally then decided to venture into the bright lights of London and worked for another upmarket tour operator in various roles. During this period she continued her travels and increased her knowledge of the Orient with visits to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia and also experienced her first trip to Australia and is now totally hooked!

After 10 years in London it was time to move back to the Surrey countryside and Sally returned to Bales in 2004 as a temp in the Planning department. Initially she assisted with brochure production and went on to become the Image Research Manager responsible for the annual selection of the images for the brochures and for Bales World. In addition to this role Sally is now the Product Manager for the brand new Australia and New Zealand brochure launched in January 2008. Since first traveling to Australia she has been back on numerous occasions and has now also experienced the delights of beautiful New Zealand.

Outside of work Sally is in the process of renovating her house but in any spare time she enjoys spending time with friends and family, yoga, cycling and of course lots of retail therapy!!

Jon Overton 
 

Product Manager, Australia and New Zealand

Jon first developed a passion for travel whilst spending three months backpacking through Central America, before undertaking a degree in Tourism.

After graduating, Jon was determined to see more of the world. He worked for 2½ years in the product department of a North American Tour Operator before embarking on a 9-month round the world trip. His journey began in South East Asia travelling overland through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. His next stop was Australia and New Zealand, where he was fortunate to fulfil two dreams; learning to dive on the Great Barrier Reef and attempting to confront his fear of heights on a nerve-shattering skydive. From New Zealand he flew across the date line to South America, where he travelled overland through Chile, Bolivia, Argentina before finishing up in Brazil.

Upon his return to the UK in the Autumn of 2007, Jon joined the Planning Department at Bales Worldwide, where he works on the Australia and New Zealand brochure and the selection of images for all the brochures.
Outside of work Jon enjoys exercising, socialising, photography and cooking.