My love of art has always inspired my journeys around the world, whether it’s dragging my husband on a 700-mile detour across Texas to see the Donald Judd installations in Marfa, or regular pilgrimages to Frieze London and the Venice Biennale. I’m also a cinephile and love going to places I’ve seen in films. I dreamed of Florence for years after falling for A Room with View as a teen, and Beijing through seeing the luscious pageantry of The Last Emperor; that trip to Spain was inspired by Emilio Estevez’s beautiful movie The Way. Next on my cine-dream list is Pantelleria, as showcased in Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash.

As Head of Product for Black Tomato, I am constantly looking for the best travel experiences around the globe; spending time with our passionate hoteliers and guides to make sure our network of wonderful partners provides the best possible service. Aside from working on innovative new service launches, (over the years, some of my favorites have included Bring it Back, Take Me on a Story, and our partnership with James Bond), reading client feedback from clients makes me smile most. I still have fond memories of a text from a client I’d sent to the Verona Opera Festival years ago: ‘Carolyn, these are great seats. We are next to Valentino’.

I adore all Black Tomato’s values, but curiosity is one that particularly resonates within our team, as part of our role is arranging Black Tomato’s annual research programme (this year we organised over 80 such trips). Everyone at Black Tomato is travel-obsessed and so excited to see and do new things. It is so inspiring to see the team come back full of stories and ideas to share.