David Pettitt
How many years have you worked in travel and how did you get into the industry?
That’s a tough question to answer! Officially, as a full-time job, 18 years but, with Pettitts being a family business, I have been involved since a teenager and worked periods between my degrees and also before I went backpacking.
What do you do outside of travelling or whilst travelling?
As my colleagues will attest, I am a very keen gardener and maintain a double allotment which keeps me busy most of the year. I also enjoy cooking everything I grow. If I’m not up to my knees in mud I also like hiking, the longer the better! As long as I’m out in the fresh air and being kept busy I am usually happy.
How many countries have you visited to date?
I don’t really keep a count but definitely more than 40.
What are your top three destination recommendations?
My favourite destinations fluctuate but, if I had to choose three, I would settle on India, Italy and Bhutan. India is so exceptionally diverse. I have been fortunate to travel there more times than I can remember and also spent extended periods in the country. Despite being to nearly every state, I still sometimes feel that I have only just scratched the surface which, when you think of it, is incredibly exciting. Italy is just beautiful – the food, the cities, the people, the music. It’s a very beguiling country with Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche and the Veneto regions I return to time and time again. Lastly, Bhutan. It is such a special place, incredibly authentic, few people ever make it there and the scenery is out of this world.
And the best-kept travel experiences or locations you’ve discovered along the way?
Some of the best locations I feel lucky to have had the chance to discover are places that it is no longer possible to visit, which is possibly why they come to mind. Damascus, the ruins at Palmyra or Baalbek in Lebanon, shimmering Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar or train-hopping through Siberia to name a few. For things it is currently possible to experience, the springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park, the landscapes of Argentine Patagonia and Amritsar’s Golden Temple are all extraordinary places.
What do you listen to or read when you’re travelling?
Seemingly unlike my colleagues I cannot get along with Kindles or eBooks so I am resigned to carrying tomes in my luggage. Mostly non-fiction, probably history based, or maybe a travel classic such as ‘Great Railway Bazaar’, Bruce Chatwin’s ‘In Patagonia’ or anything by Patrick Leigh Fermor, Eric Newby or Colin Thubron as long as it is set in a region I’m visiting.
Can you speak any other languages?
I studied French and German at school and would say I can get by in both should I need to or if disaster strikes. Over the years I have also picked up a good smattering of Italian which I try and speak with varying degrees of success. Due to the amount of time I’ve spent in India I surprise myself (and others!) with how much Hindi I can understand although my verbal skills are almost non-existent!
Where is next on your wish list and why?
Bangladesh and Pakistan, the only two nations I have not visited in South Asia as well as Malaysia and Japan – two places I feel I really should have been. Aside from those, I have wanted to visit West Africa for a long time or Central America as I love the food and culture.
Any words of wisdom or top tips for travellers?
Take time to just sit and enjoy where you are. Although it’s good to have a plan, sometimes the best experiences come from the least expected and, more often than not, least promising, beginnings.
