Love Travel Guides
Fiona Caulfield
Fiona Caulfield, an avid traveler and explorer, is the creator of Love Travel guidebooks, designed for luxury vagabonds. The Love Travel Guide Indian series comprises Love Bengaluru, Love Delhi, Love Jaipur, Love Rajasthan and Love Mumbai. Future titles include Love Goa, Love Kerala, Love Chennai, Love Kolkata and Love Hyderabad. Outside of India, Fiona is working on Love Sri Lanka and Love Kathmandu.
A self-confessed luxury vagabond, Fiona has a discerning eye for the singular experiences that set a destination apart, which has helped her articles get into international magazines such as Conde Nast Traveller, Departures, DestinAsia and in-flight magazines for Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Gulf Air.
Fiona is a true citizen of the world. Born in Australia, she has lived in the UK, the USA and Canada and is now resident in India. When not immersed in Love Travel, Fiona runs Hardys Bay Consulting and has a high-profile global career as a futurist and branding consultant.
Expat Women's Interview with Fiona
Expat Women: Fiona, we love your business concept. Please share with us how your idea originated.
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| Fiona: I have always been an avid traveller. However when I reached my mid thirties, I began trekking and mountain climbing, which took me back to places I had been a decade earlier. I noticed that whilst the places had changed a little, I had changed a lot. I was no longer a 'time–rich, cash-poor' backpacker, I was the opposite, a 'time-poor and relatively cash–rich traveller' and my needs had changed. However the travel content available for these destinations remained the same as decades earlier – namely mass market travel guides for young backpackers. I felt there was a real opportunity to create a travel brand for people I think of as luxury vagabonds: those who travel to the world's most interesting places in search of the authentic, albeit in style and comfort. I wanted to create the guide books that I wished I could buy when I was travelling in India, in Nepal, in Africa and in South America. I thought it was time for discerning guides for countries beyond the West, beyond Europe and beyond North America. |
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| Expat Women: What is unique about the Love Travel brand of travel guides? |
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Fiona:Love Travel guides contain all the savvy inside knowledge that a stylish traveller craves. The passionately curated guides are designed for the discerning traveler who wants authenticity in style. Unlike mass tourist books, using this guide is like being chaperoned by a good friend and in fact, reads like a letter from a friend. The entries are 'love stories' sourced from in-the-know locals including chefs, artists, designers, architects, Ambassadors, foreign correspondents and taxi drivers. All entries are personally checked – this is real travel writing about real travelling. It is not done on Google in air–conditioned offices.
The books are handcrafted in India, using handmade paper from Jaipur and khadi fabric covers from Andhra Pradesh. The books come packed in khadi and silk pouches. They are designed so as soon as you have the book, you feel like you are already taking the destination home with you.
The books highlight 'conscious travel': places, experiences and products that create sustainable livelihoods and/or help the environment. In addition 10 percent of the profits go to the Love Travel Foundation which will support these organisations further. |
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| Expat Women: How do you decide what to include in the guides? |
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Fiona: Falling in love with a city is just as exciting as falling in love with a person. Your senses become more engaged and you simply feel more alive. The simplest criterion for inclusion in a guide is "does this place help you fall in love with this city?" If yes, then it is in; if no, then it is out. |
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| Expat Women: Already, you have sold more than 15,000 books. What can you share about what has and what has not worked in your sales and promotional strategy? |
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Fiona: I think the decision to self-publish is always a brave one, given the economics of the publishing world. However, in doing so, I have kept the integrity of the idea throughout the all-important developmental stage. Because of my commitment to the design of the book (being hand crafted from local materials and being ethically produced), it does mean the cost of the books is higher than people expect in India – although for buyers elsewhere around the world this is less of an issue.
The idea of putting the books in the pouches happened by accident and now seems integral to the brand, despite display challenges.
I currently distribute directly and that has real challenges about letting people know that the book exists, so thank you for this opportunity to profile the books. The books seem to work by word of mouth recommendation. I love the community that is developing around the books and the positive feedback I get from people who tell me that it has transformed their stay in that destination. |
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Expat Women: How did you decide on India as the place to start your business? Please tell us about the process of starting a business there, including any challenges you have faced and how you have overcome them. |
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Fiona: Before coming to India, I was living in New York and working as the president of a consulting firm that specialized in 'The Future'. India or China seemed like choice locations for a futurist, given the economic and population might of both of these countries. I chose India: it appealed to me more because of the widespread use of English; the sensual nature of the country; the colours; the flowers; and the passion for life. I also practice yoga (my headstand is at one minute!), so India was attractive from that perspective as well. I have been a resident in India for over five years now and when I leave it feels like someone has turned the volume down and flicked the switch from colour to black and white. I truly love living in India. |
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| Expat Women: What five tips would you offer to women who would like to reinvent themselves abroad? |
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| Fiona: |
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Do not completely reinvent, simply connect with your true passion and follow it. Anything is possible. |
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Fall in love with where you are at, whether it is your new home place or simply a weekend away. |
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Remain curious and open-minded to new ideas and new ways of thinking. Keep learning: consider what you can learn versus what you can teach. |
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Starting a new business is a challenge wherever you do it. Expect very hard work and also enjoy very high satisfaction, and |
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Remember "One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." It can get scary, keep going. |
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| Expat Women: Fiona, we applaud you on your vision and creativity. We wish your brand every success and we look forward to seeing your Love Travel Guides expand to include many more exotic locales! |
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| June 2010 |
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