Philippa has probably forgotten more about India than most people will learn in a lifetime. A bonafide Indophile, the effort that PK has put in to see and understand India is just staggering. To dig that little deeper, to find a gem that so few know about, to take the trouble to connect and discover authenticity – I love it. And blessed as she is with words, PK is and will remain a genuine delight to work with
If I had to use three words to describe Philippa they would be professional, passionate and ebullient. Her knowledge of India in all its facets is extraordinary but more than that, she has a determination, bordering on an obsession in discovering new and unique ways to showcase destinations and then helping develop the experiences and the stories to accompany them. Whether looking at mainstream destinations from a whole new perspective or disappearing into the more remote corners of India, she never fails to find a new angle, story, viewpoint and nothing pleases her more than sharing these with likeminded travellers. She is as comfortable in simple rural houses as she is in the more fabulous of the five-star hotels in the country and has an innate understanding of India and its people. To say that she enjoys a challenge would be an understatement, she has boundless energy and the path she has taken to take the off-beat to the mainstream is not an easy one, but one which she embraces with a single minded determination to ensure the traveller appreciates so much more than a mainstream tour could ever provide.
As a small DMC in a crowded market, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. Enter Philippa who joined Destinations Unlimited as a consultant to help us fine tune our offering. Determining from us our target market, passion points and client demographic she then assisted with helping us to create the right product portfolio to complement this. In addition, she took the time to introduce to relevant suppliers, and train the team on the products as well as communication and sales techniques to use particular to the inbound market.
We also used Indian Experiences to create and design our new luxury, yet experiential brand, Beyond the Taj. They conceptualised the product, again made the relevant introductions and sourced team members for us with the experience and knowledge base required. They also designed our website, wrote the content and put together the photo library.
Philippa’s knowledge, ability to think about experiences on a completely different level coupled with her enthusiasm and boundless energy has been invaluable in assisting us with many of the luxury, small-group tours that we run. Whether a high-end group of art collectors, solo women’s groups, luxury wildlife tour, Philippa never fails to dive into her little black book and find just the right person, whatever the destination, to curate unique experiences and ensure that we keep one step ahead of our competitors.
Philippa has completed several pieces of work for my clients and one for me. She is clear on her questions in order to get the right output. Her use of words and how that translates to the reader is exceptional, she is able to produce work (sometimes with options!) that is a clear indication of her craft and turnaround times are always prior to the deadline. I have no hesitation in recommending Philippa with her writing skills – be that website copy, marketing materials and even PR pieces. Exceeding expectations every time.
Dear Philippa,
I just want to acknowledge that I’m delighted with the quality of the work you have done for me – two lovely pieces of copy that I’m so happy to use as promotional content for my energy healing business.
I think you’ve really hit the nail on the head with the language you’ve used and the way you’ve engaged the reader, drawing them in. I feel very confident that my blog and FB posts will get much greater traction as a result of the way you have positioned my offerings.
Your writing style is unique – I don’t hesitate to recommend your services to anyone who is looking for a snappy and engaging piece of copywriting – or indeed any other type of writing as having read your blog posts I know you as a versatile and inventive wordsmith.
We commissioned Philippa to research and develop our new India offering and gave her a brief to come up with the very best India had to offer in experiential travel. She pulled in her formidable contacts and utilized all of her very extensive knowledge and freely and openly put it all at our disposal. Her passion and enthusiasm for the country was deeply infectious and we were delighted with the results and our India programme has gone from strength to strength – in no small part due to her fantastic work in building the foundations.
India is such a large, diverse country offering visitors an endless variety of incredible experiences. As a small tour operator based in the UK we were (happily) a little overwhelmed by product when we decided to launch our India programme and struggling to nail down the most authentic experiences to offer our clients. Step in PK! What she doesn’t know about India – the ‘real’ India – isn’t worth knowing. Her extensive knowledge was invaluable during our research process: she assisted us in separating the wheat from the chaff and introduced us to valuable contacts. I would highly recommend PK to anyone requiring assistance and expert opinion when launching or developing an India programme.
We have worked with Indian Experiences twice on website projects. Philippa and Gwen offer good suggestions on design and content and are keen to stick to agreed timelines and to the agreed brief although there is room for innovation as the projects takes shape.
Their knowledge on off- beat South Asia is impressive and combined with their commitment to showcase relevant suppliers who work well with our own values would be why we would continue to work with them in the future.
I have worked with Philippa since she first started as a south India specialist in 1997. We worked together when she was setting up Partnership Travel and then again when she moved to set up Ampersand Travel Ltd. She has always showed great enthusiasm for the country and professionalism when dealing with everyone from hoteliers to DMC’s to her clients. She has an inherent understanding of India and how it works and with the great relationships that she has built up with all her suppliers and her never ending list of contacts, plus having lived in the country for eleven years and her ability to think ‘outside the box’ when planning itineraries and tailoring them to her clients specific requirements, we knew that she was the ideal person to consult when setting up Globe Travel Centre. She assisted us in itinerary planning and also writing and helped us have product differentiation throughout our portfolio of itineraries. She is enthusiastic, good fun, professional and knows India better than most. I would have no hesitation in recommending Philippa to anyone who needs a consultant for assisting with their India product.
