When I was 20,
I survived a tsunami.
It was Boxing Day 2004 – my birthday – and I was getting ready for another day in paradise, also known as Arugam Bay, when the wave came. The first clue was my mum shouting my name. The next, a sudden knee-high torrent of gushing into the bathroom. By the time I stepped outside, the wall of water was so high I couldn’t see the sky.
What happened next is a blur, as my body crashed around and swept along, and I slipped in and out of consciousness. What I do remember, vividly, are my thoughts. At first, I was resigned. But then, once I finally surfaced and glimpsed a patch of blue sky, I decided I wanted to survive. That’s when the real fear set in, as I thought of everything I didn’t want to lose. I kicked and swam and clung to anything I could – my life depended on it.
My family were split up when the wave hit. When the water subsided, my dad and I found each other first – just yards apart, tangled in neighbouring trees. But hours went by when we thought we’d lost my mum, sister and brother forever. After an agonising search, by some miracle we found them all – bruised and battered, but alive.
We were the lucky ones. The next day, helicopters lifted us out of Arugam Bay and then, just four days later, we were back in the UK.
While Sri Lanka focused on rebuilding, our lives at home appeared unchanged. We, of course, would never be the same. We concentrated on fundraising for survivors, setting up a charity. Oprah heard about our story and invited us to appear on her show, donating funds of over $1million directly to Arugam Bay and its residents. But for me, there was something missing.
In 2006 I returned to Sri Lanka. Seeing the altered shape of the lagoon, the broken bridge in Arugam Bay and the hotel owner without her husband, who died that day, reminded me how much she and so many lost. But it also made me realise how valuable life is. How time on this earth is a luxury we should never, ever take for granted. Two years after the tsunami, travelling offered a new perspective and gave me back my confidence.
From then on, I vowed to make the most of the second chance I’d been given. To live each moment to its fullest, to throw myself into new experiences, and to create as many beautiful memories as I possibly can. Because, after all, what else is life for?
That’s why I became a travel designer. I truly believe experiences make us who we are – and we have an opportunity to become more aware, more connected, and more energised through those experiences we choose to embrace. My mission is to help you make the most of life by designing extraordinary experiences you’ll carry forever, so that travel might become a force for good – both in your world, and across the globe.
I’ve worked in luxury travel for over 15 years.
I began my career in the luxury sector working at Vogue Magazine, before wanderlust called and I left the UK to travel around Canada, Nepal and India, eventually returning to Sri Lanka. It was during that time, while working for hotelier Geoffrey Dobbs – whose portfolio includes the famous Taprobane private island and a collection of luxury boutique hotels and villas – that I came to terms with my experience in the tsunami and rediscovered my love for travel. After two years, I returned home healed and inspired.
Back in London, Geoffrey connected me with Serge Dive and Sarah Ball, who were then launching high-end experiential travel trade event PURE Life Experiences. I was their first employee, working on the first edition at their dining room table. Soon the event was the most important event in the luxury travel calendar and, over the course of 12 years, I rose through the ranks to become Event Director. I was lucky enough to travel the world meeting the owners, directors and GMs of the most amazing hotels and travel operators, as well as spending extensive time in Marrakech organising the event.
PURE Life Experiences also gained several sister events under the umbrella of This is Beyond. One of them, which I also helmed, was PURE Pursuits: invitation-only, intimate group adventures for luxury travel’s thought-leaders, designed to drive the industry forward in a perception-altering setting. Planning these once-in-a-lifetime trips further strengthened my travel curation and organisation skills, deepened my personal industry relationships, and demonstrated to me the power of travel to energise, enlighten, and connect.
In 2019, wanderlust called once again. I moved to Singapore, travel- and event-consulting whenever the opportunity arose, alongside starting a family. There’s nothing I love more than sharing insider tips on the most well-hidden hotels (and exactly the room to book for the most beautiful view), the tastiest restaurants (and what to order), or which local guide can give you a tour you'll remember forever – and it was when I was putting together yet another itinerary for a friend that I decided to officially found ES Travel Design. Whatever making the most of life means to you – whether it’s time to relax and connect with your family, exploring new cultures and landscapes with friends, or embarking on a challenging adventure with your partner – I’m excited to help you make beautiful, lifelong memories.
