Q&A Lance Green
BESPOKENZ BY VIAGGIO Ardent travellers keen to discover more of New Zealand are likely to find BespokeNZ’s unique vacations a breath of fresh air. Owners, Lance Green and Lisa Tapley-Bale, from Miranda, have long been successful in the international travel arena, in particular, their Italian sojourns, centred around food and wine, providing guests with extraordinary experiences and memories. However, with the global Covid-19 pandemic curtailing overseas travel, Lance and Lisa are turning their extensive experience to formulating a distinctive range of Kiwi vacations. SOUTH magazine asked Lance Green about his new vacation menu.
How long have you been in the travel industry and how did you start out? I left school in 1979 and joined the family’s business, Greens Travel, starting at the Pukekohe office. That was the beginning of my global travel and tourism career now spanning more than four decades during which I have visited some 65 countries and created vacations for thousands of people. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic what was your industry interest? Having been a pioneer in establishing the fly & cruise vacation market in New Zealand many years ago, I took what I had learned there to create and build the Viaggio Lifestyle Vacation brand. The company was launched in 2005 and over the past 15 years Lisa and I refined our unique style of bespoke vacations. Has Lisa also had a long career in travel or has she come into it after you met and married? Lisa, who originates from the East Coast of Canada, has a background in the cosmetic and skin care business and this is what brought her to New Zealand some 35 years ago. Like me, she has traveled extensively and
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her involvement in our business is primarily focused on guest relationships and communications, sales and administration. While I’m the creative and personality of the business, her role is equally important; she makes sure everything is in place prior to the start of a vacation.
a group of guests on the world’s most luxurious trains from the west coast of Africa to the east coast. An amazing journey! We have also explored Vietnam and Cambodia, cruising the Mekong River. Over the decades, there would be only a few countries I haven’t planned vacations to for our guests.
Where in the world have you taken your guests? Our bespoke vacations have taken in many interesting destinations. Europe has been a primary focus with the emphasis on Italy and our private villa vacations. That said, our touring vacations have seen us explore Portugal, Spain, France, Germany and Austria as well as Eastern block countries. We have toured Croatia and one of our most interesting bespoke road journeys was circumnavigating Turkey. North America has featured with a focus on the Eastern states from New York and north to the maritime regions of Canada.
Your vacations are strongly connected to a region’s food and wine, is this a personal interest of yours? Years of travelling to many different countries roused my interest in culture and cuisine; it seemed inevitable I would develop a passion for cooking. As a result I’ve become a reasonably good, selftaught chef (based on the feedback of our guests). My view is that good food, wine and the right setting, bring people together around a table; this is where conversations begin, stories are told, experiences are shared, laughter is enjoyed and there’s a beginning of friendships. This is where memories are created. Isn’t that what travel is all about?
Two years ago I did a bespoke road journey of some 9500km from New York to Montreal driving the Labrador Highway, one of the most remote road journeys in the world. We have ventured down to Africa and, in 2019, travelled with
Of all the travel you have done, choose one type of travel you enjoy the most? Without question it is the bespoke
road journeys I create. These typically include a small number of guests – anything from one person to 12. I enjoy driving and whenever I get the opportunity I will drive between destinations; that’s why I have driven more than 250,000kms in Europe and North America. At home I drive on average 70-80,000km a year. You get to know the people you travel with. You hear their stories of growing up, business adventures and you share ideas and views on many subjects. Now, at home it’s my intention to offer this personal style of vacation in NZ. So, if you are looking for a person, which is much more than just a driver to take you on a road journey, then definitely get in touch. It seems international travel may well be interrupted for some time, what are you doing to fill the gap? International travel has changed forever without question and I have some thoughts on how this will look in the future. For some time I have wanted to shift my focus to NZ. Covid-19 has meant we have shifted our focus to creating our style of bespoke vacations here at home which is a really positive thing in my mind. We www.southmagazine.co.nz
