Sundowner: Autumn/Winter 2018

He carries an additional bag on his travels now. This year saw
the launch of the Geoffrey Kent Safari Collection – a range of
timeless, high-performance, luxury travel apparel and luggage.
“It evolved around my Inspiring Expeditions guests and their
needs and wants. We chose to make these products in Italy as I
wanted them to be the best and last for a lifetime of adventures.”
It isn’t the first time Kent has headed in a new direction. In the
noughties, having explored every continent, he set himself a new
challenge: to add space to destinations offered by A&K. In South
Africa, at a place called Thunder City, Kent boarded an English
Electric Lightning plane, captained by pilot David Stock. They hit
40,000 feet in one minute. At 65,000 feet, they levelled out and
accelerated to Mach 2.2, and could see the curvature of the Earth.
During this flight, Kent endured 5.5Gs (most people pass out
at 5). Once his feet were firmly back on the ground, Kent called
the head engineer on the A&K Space team and asked about the
probability of mishap occurring during space travel. He was told,
“there’s a 100 per cent chance we will have an accident”. “I quickly
took stock and decided to cancel the whole thing. It was too risky.”
It was one of Kent’s most audacious exploits, but a successful
entrepreneur knows which ideas to let go. And that’s how Kent
sees himself: “I’m an entrepreneur, who became involved in the
travel industry.” And if he hadn’t become the world’s most famous
travel operator? “I would have been a pilot of fighter jets or
helicopters,” he replies without missing a beat.
It’s easy to believe this after a scroll through Kent’s Instagram
feed, to which he posts religiously. “I love the platform – it’s my
diary.” Among the images of cityscapes, wild animals, far-flung
lands, and inspirational people are fan-boy shots of airplanes and
helicopters from two-seater to military models. And he loves to
fly. “I had the privilege to visit Gabon recently at the invitation of
President Ali Bongo Ondimba. In an executive Puma helicopter, I
cruised the coast and flew over forests, the sand cliffs, and Kongou
and Djidji Falls. I fell in love with Loango National Park where I
spotted elephant, hippo, and buffalo. One group of elephant were
swimming off the beach with their trunks raised out of the water
like snorkels.”
That’s another country ticked off the Been list. Will he be back?
“Tourism is still a fledgling industry in Gabon, but I predict it will
take off in a big way and soon, and I hope A&K can be part of it.
We introduced luxury tourism to China, Uganda, and Botswana –
we could do it in Gabon.”
GEOFFREY KENT’S FAVOURITES
Favourite hotels: “There are so many excellent
hotels… I like The Peninsula Hotels in Paris and
Hong Kong; the Mandarin Oriental in New York;
Il Sereno, a new property on the shores of Italy’s
Lake Como; Fasano in Rio de Janeiro; Hotel de
Paris Monte-Carlo; the Burj Al Arab in Dubai; and
the Sanctuary Yangzi Explorer is a very special boat.”
Favourite hotel room or suite: “The new
Geoffrey Kent suite in Sanctuary Chief’s Camp
in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.”
Favourite travelling companion: “My wife
Otavia, who shares my sense of adventure and
desire to explore, always accompanies me.”
What he’s reading: “The Silk Roads: A New
History of the World by Peter Frankopan and
Damaged Goods by Oliver Shah.”
Preferred newspapers or podcasts: “I have
to say I haven’t gotten into podcasts. I read the
Financial Times and The New York Times every day.
I read The Economist weekly as well.”
Favourite item from the Safari Collection:
“The weekend bag has been very well thought out.”
CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT
Geoffrey Kent’s book, Safari: a Memoir of a Worldwide Travel
Pioneer, is available in all good bookshops and via Amazon.
To speak to a travel specialist about Inspiring Expeditions by
Geoffrey Kent, call us on 01242 546 699.
24 | AUTUMN/WINTER 2018