about

I’m Keith, a thirty-something living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Travel is my biggest passion and I’ve travelled extensively around the world. The big city lights of places like New York, Tokyo, London or Hong Kong; the great harbours of San Francisco, Vancouver, Rio and Sydney; the Alps and the Andes mountains; the reefs off Belize and the Great Barrier Reef; the islands in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the South Pacific; the jungles of Malaysia and Costa Rica; the volcanos of Indonesia and Guatemala; the deserts of Jordan and Chile; the national parks of Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa; the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, Borobudur, Ephesus, Petra, Chichén Itzá and Tikal… the experiences and the inspiration I gained travelling in 60-odd countries (and counting) across six continents were priceless.

Travel is an opportunity to truly unwind, enjoy the different rhythm and to explore new places and cultures. It is also about meeting the locals and fellow travellers, and sharing views, ideas and experiences. Preparing for a trip is the start of any travel adventure. For me, I enjoy researching my destination before my departure as well as searching for great hotels. I’m a a big fan of boutique and design hotels, and spas, but also of charming B&Bs and family establishments. In addition, cuisine is always an essential element of my travel experience and I love exploring a place to seek out the good eateries. I’m also a wine enthusiast who is always on the look out for great wines, especially on my visits to wine producing regions.

My travels are my ‘velvet escapes’.

In 2007, I started writing hotel reviews and ‘Go lists’ on www.tripadvisor.com. Later that year, I started with plans for my own website. I wanted it to be a place where I could share my enthusiasm for the places I’ve visited with others. A place of my own, designed and built by myself, and which would act as a platform for my travel ideas, tips and photos. This resulted in the creation of velvetescape.com.

In December 2008, the Velvet Escape blog was launched as an interactive platform to share travel tips and ideas, as well as discuss travel-related news items with my readers. My readers are invited to post their (travel-related) comments on this blog for the benefit of others. Your opinions, tips and suggestions are always welcome!

Go explore. Experience. And be inspired. 

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