David Lauwers
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. – St. Augustine
Travel is in my genes: my parents took me on my first flight from our home in the United Kingdom to Spain before I could walk! When I was a toddler, we traveled mainly to the Mediterranean.听I have expanded my horizons a bit since鈥�
After leaving England, I worked in the hospitality and airline industry in Australia and the Middle East.听Dubai in the United Arab Emirates was my home for five years.
Although I am now settled in Chicago, my role in the travel business takes me around the world several times a year. I visit the UK at least once a month. En route, I enjoy personally inspecting a Virtuoso Preferred Hotel or checking out a historical site or cultural attraction. And my clients? They benefit too, as my first-hand experience allows me to better prepare my clients for their vacations.
I am a member of the Virtuoso Cruise Committee.
My passions in travel?
- Adventure and Expedition Travel: snorkeling or taking a submarine to the Southern Ocean floor in Antarctica: its majesty and the amazing things you see last a lifetime.
- Ocean Cruises 鈥� although my schedule hasn鈥檛 quite allowed a world cruise yet, I鈥檝e visited all 7 continents and many ports and countries on my over 125 cruises so far.
- River Cruises 鈥� I love waking up in a new destination every day.听 I also love visiting the excellent restaurants you might find on the way.
- Top hotels 鈥� a great hotel is so much more than just a place to sleep! My goal is to personally stay at as many Virtuoso 鈥淏est of the Best鈥� hotels as I can!
- Sustainable Travel – making sure we only take memories home from our travels, and giving back to local communities.
- Australia and New Zealand 鈥� having lived 鈥渄own-under鈥� ignited my passion for this beautiful part of the world!
- Great Britain and Western Europe 鈥� as a Brit, I know my way around the United Kingdom, but also the south of France, Spain, Greece and the other delightful destinations of the Mediterranean.
- African Safaris: I鈥檒l never forget watching elephants at a watering hole just a few feet away from me at a Lodge in Zambia, while having my morning coffee. Or the Garden of Eden-like surroundings of the in Botswana, with elephants, crocodiles, giraffes and a variety of birds enjoying the refreshing waters of the river.
Whether you are looking to take a river or ocean cruise, an expedition or safari…let’s work together to create a memorable trip.
My Most Recent Travels
- Polar snorkeling with a seal听during one of my four (so far) expeditions to Antarctica
- Walking in Shackleton’s footsteps on South Georgia
- A bucket list trip: Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda
- By private jet to a luxury villa residence at Anantara Phuket in Thailand; and taking the .
- Exploring Antarctica and the Great Lakes on Viking’s expedition ships
- A “Route du Bonheur” self-drive vacation around Relais & Chateaux properties in the Provence and the South of France, with exceptional Michelin-star meals included.
- Sampling Luxury Lodges of Australia, including , a nature reserve in the Great Barrier Reef; Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island (鈥淎ustralia鈥檚 Galapagos鈥�); , an Aussie luxury 鈥渟afari鈥� in the Blue Mountains near Sydney; and The Louise in the Barossa wine region.
- A variety of small-ship adventures: yachting with SeaDream in the British Virgin Islands; around Japan, as well as Tahiti and French Polynesia with Windstar Cruises
- “Ultra-Luxury” cruises with Seabourn in the Caribbean, Silversea in Portugal, Regent Seven Seas from Istanbul to the Greek islands
- River cruising on the Rhine, Moselle, Danube and Bordeaux with Uniworld, through the Netherlands with Tauck and Eastern Europe with Avalon Waterways.
- Ocean cruises: relaxing in the Retreat Suite Class on Celebrity, partying on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Voyages and a classic voyage on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth
- Safari in Botswana, exploring the magnificent wildlife of Africa
- And of course, checking out our Virtuoso Preferred hotels, like British country house, , The Boca Raton and Aqualina in South Florida, and mountain retreat Montage Deer Valley
David’s Qualifications
- Virtuoso Cruise Committee Member
- Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) certified Master Cruise Counselor
- Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
- Certified Australia “Aussie Specialist”
- 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist – Gold
- Flanders Specialist
- Silversea Cruises Specialist
- AmaWaterways Specialist
- Cunard Commodore
- Ponant Academy Specialist
- Princess Cruises Commodore
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises Luxury Cruise Expert
- Windstar Cruises Star Specialist
- Avalon Waterways Specialist
- Certified Scenic Specialist
- Hurtigruten Amundsen Explorer Club
- Royal Caribbean International Autism Friendly Certification
Contact David Lauwers via e-mail or by phone 312-266-7447.
