How we experience travel depends entirely on who we are and how we navigate the world. We bring our own perspectives to bear on the journey and the destination.
Historically, travel writing has assumed that everyone’s travel experience mirrors that of the writer, who has generally been a privileged white western man.
Unpacking is hosted by two well-seasoned and curious travellers, Sam Clark, co-founder of Experience Travel Group and photographer Tom Parker. Steeped in travel culture written about and created by people like themselves, they want to broaden their knowledge and perspective of what it means to travel. Sam and Tom wish to unpack travel and discover new places and fresh perspectives on destinations along the way.
In an increasingly polemic and volatile social environment, finding points of connection and understanding through travel and cultural exchange feels more important than ever.
Tom Parker
Tom is renowned for capturing epic scenes and injecting a structured beauty into everything he sees. His focus, stellar work ethic and love of working with people enable him to create the right mood to always find the winning shot.
He has worked in nearly 90 countries, experiences which have given him the versatility to operate in any environment whether shooting with a large team for the world’s top hospitality brands or erupting volcanos from a helicopter in Congo.
Tom grew up in the rural Cotswolds which fuelled an early appetite for the outdoors and honed his strong visual aesthetic.
His natural curiosity and sense of adventure soon took him abroad – living in Nepal, Sri Lanka and India throughout the 2000s. When he’s not thinking about photography and which airport he needs to head to next, Tom can usually be found on a tennis court or talking late into the night with friends. He considers his spiritual home the Lake District, where he spent many happy years exploring as a child and whose big landscapes still inspire him.
He is a Contributing Photographer for Conde Nast Traveller.
Tom’s website - www.tomparkerphotography.com
Sam Clark
Allegedly the second tallest Sam in the UK travel industry, his love of travel was inspired by a Granny whose exploits he’ll never match. His connection with Asia was inspired by a misspent (well spent?) youth, and he set out to form a travel company based in Sri Lanka in 2004. The launch, scheduled for January 2005, was interrupted by the Asian tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. Sam and friends founded Aid Sri Lanka, a charity dedicated to supporting the post-tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lanka.
Two years later, after picking up the travel pieces back in the UK, Sam formed the Experience Travel Group with his co-founders Tom and Melissa. They haven’t looked back since (or not much, anyway). Dedicated to injecting a sense of adventure and discovery into beautifully crafted holidays and journeys within South and Southeast Asia, Experience Travel Group has a team in London and Asia—from India and Nepal to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Borneo, and Indonesia.
Sri Lanka has a special place for Sam due to its long-standing connections, but he has recently spent time exploring India and Indonesia, with Uttarakhand, Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands as particular favourites.
He has two teenage sons and a lovely and long-suffering Kiwi wife whom he met on a beach in Thailand. He enjoys walking, cooking, and the British countryside, especially the big skies of East Anglia, the deep history of the Orkneys and the byways of Dorset. He’s also very happy watching Test cricket and AFC Wimbledon.
Experience Travel Group’s website: www.experiencetravelgroup.com