The 10 Most Enriching Travel Experience Solution Provider 2019

E
Travel Solutions for Enriching Lives
he notion of gaining pleasure through travels dates long back in the history; as travel rejuvenates the adrenaline rush
Tand helps an individual to evolve physically as well as psychologically. In my opinion, through travelling one can
seek for a better approach and unique towards the daily life dilemmas. Even with a trend of #wanderlust, many have
taken initiative to appreciate the beauty of the world and travelling. Apart from such pleasurous benefits, while travelling it is
quite essential for an individual as well as for businesses to beneficial with travel expenses. There are many travel agencies
that facilitate enriching travel experiences and some are featured in this issue.
Travel often have distinct purpose or approach, from trade to tourism, but organizational travelling stand a step ahead to that
of systematical travelling purposes. Commonly known as—Business Travels might seem a moderate procedure to go
through. But, for those who accentuates, it is the most hectic aspect in business world. To streamline expenses, improve
compliance, and maximize the efficiency, an organization must ensure to fill the void by improved traveler experience.
This phenomenon is acknowledge by everyone in the business as it is considered as the best method to carry out business
deals, conference meetings, integration of bookings, itinerary and messaging, expense reports, travel risk management and
virtual payments. Market is filled with many solution providers but it is essential to pick those who deliver best-in-class travel
services and solutions ensuring them to be scalable, flexible, reliable and globally connected. Whether be it a business or an
individual trip everyone does requires a peace of mind and a comfortable travelling ambience. Through outsourcing the
organizational travelling processes, one can ease out the hectic pressure of handling many at a same time.
Insights Success appreciates the contribution put forth by such impeccable organization and feels pride to bring out a special
edition, “The 10 Most Enriching Travel Experience Solution Providers”. The issue contents some exceptional travel
experience solution providers who have enriched the way of travelling in corporates.

“
A perfect travel experience is quite essential for a person as
well as for a business, and so should be cherished wisely.
“
Bhushan Ghate
In today’s digital world, customers are expecting more convenience and personalized experiences in terms of any of the
services provided to them. Taking this into consideration, the cover story, Collinson stepped into the market with a mission to
deliver to the world smarter customer experiences. In an interview with Insights Success, Christopher Evans, the Joint
CEO of Collinson shares his valuable insights on how the company is engaging deeper with its customers, enriching their
travel experiences, protecting their interests, and assisting them in times of need.
Let’s unveil such alike, inspiring interviews and stories of many such significant businesses in this special edition and spread
a word about their contribution in making this world a better place. Also, flip through the CXO standpoints presented by
some of the leading industry experts to taste the glimpse of industrial revolutions.
Happy Reading!

Cover Story
10
Collinson
Driving Deeper Devotion with Enriched Travel Experiences
24
Leader's Take
The Changing Face
of Luxuary
34
Maestro’s Insights
The Revolution of
our Roads

28
Girolibero Cycling
Holidays
Enriching Travel
through Pedals
22
Austin Adventures
Delivering Unparalleled
Travel Experiences
38
Hidden Iceland
Helping to Discover
the Hidden Treasures
C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S
Article
18 32
Chalk Talk
Trends Shaping
the Aviation Industry
E-Mobility
Pioneering Transportation
with Smart Grid

Editor-in-Chief
Pooja M. Bansal
Managing Editor
Anish Miller
Executive Editor
Hitesh Dhamani
Assistant Editors
Jenny Fernandes
Bhushan Kadam
Visualizer
David King
Art & Design Director
Amol Kamble
Associate Designer
Iresh Mathapati
Co-designer
Nagesh Tembhekar
Senior Sales Manager Co-designer
Passi D.
Business Development Manager
Peter Collins
Marketing Manager
John Matthew
Sales Executives
David, Kevin, Mark, Vaibhav
Technical Head
Jacob Smile
Business Development Executives
Steve, Joe, Alan, Tushar
Technical Specialist
Aditya
Digital Marketing Manager
Marry D'Souza
SME-SMO Executive
Prashant Chevale
Research Analyst
Patrick James
Circulation Manager
Database Management Technology Consultant
Robert Brown Stella Andrew David Stokes
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April, 2019
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Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.

The 10 Most Enriching
Solution Providers in 2019

Christopher Evans
Joint CEO
Collinson
Cover Story

In today’s digital world, customers
are expecting more convenience
and personalized experiences in
terms of any of the services provided
to them. Taking this into consideration,
Collinson stepped into the market with
a mission to deliver to the world
smarter customer experiences. In an
interview with Insights Success,
Christopher Evans, the Joint CEO of
Collinson shares his valuable insights
on how the company is engaging
deeper with its customers, enriching
their travel experiences, protecting
their interests, and assisting them in
times of need.
Below are highlights from the
interview:
Give a brief overview of the
company, its uniqueness and its
vision.
Collinson is a global leader in
customer benefits and loyalty. Over the
past 30 years, we have used our
expertise to help many of the world’s
best-known brands to acquire, engage,
and retain the most profitable and
demanding customers. We deliver
exceptional travel, insurance and
assistance products that differentiate
value propositions, and loyalty
solutions that win deeper, more
valuable customer relationships.
Innovation has always been at our
core. Our continued success comes
from harnessing our entrepreneurial
spirit and learning from running
successful brands in our own right.
These include Priority Pass,
recognized worldwide as the original,
independent airport experiences
program. In addition, our loyalty
business grew from anticipating that
companies would need to balance their
focus on acquiring new customers with
understanding who they are, in order to
deliver their needs.
Through directly servicing over 50
million of our own end-customers, as
well as the millions of our clients’
consumers, we have gained a unique
insight into digitally-engaged mass
affluent travelers and mid- to high-net
worth consumers. We conduct ongoing
research with both our clients and endconsumers
to understand their everchanging
needs, attitudes, and
behaviors to help us to craft smarter
customer experiences.
We are now the chosen partner for
leading payment networks, over 600
banks, 90 airlines, 20 hotel groups, and
top retailers globally, generating over
$1billion of revenue. Our clients
include American Express, Hilton, Air
France KLM, British Airways, Cathay
Pacific, MasterCard, Radisson Hotel
Group, RSA, Saudia, UnionPay, Vhi
and Visa.
Kindly describe how the solutions
offered by Collinson are enriching
travel experiences?
Almost 30 years ago, our founder
watched premium-class passengers
enjoying the exclusivity and tranquility
of airport lounges, as he endured the
chaos of the departure hall. His answer
was to create Priority Pass – a program
that transforms the airport experience
from an endurance test into a moment
of indulgence, regardless of airline
ticket. Decades on, Priority Pass
remains the market-leading airport
experiences program. Over the years
we’ve discovered how enriching these
experiences are, as they have been
used by hundreds of premium brands
to attract and retain high value, regular
traveling customers.
We have continued to innovate Priority
Pass to enrich travel experiences,
beyond the lounges, to include access
to dining and spa discounts and other
experiences in airports. In September
last year, we announced our investment
in Grab – an airport e-commerce
platform providing mobile order-ahead
capabilities at airports across the UK
and US. It enables travelers to skip the
line, while for airport food and
beverage and retail providers it
increases their potential customer base.
With airline punctuality being
unreliable at times, and increasingly
busy airports, we saw an opportunity to
develop SmartDelay, our flight delay
assistance product, to help ease the
pain of flight delays and remove the
need for lengthy travel claims from our
clients’ customers by offering an
instantly redeemable benefit.
We also help leading airline, travel,
hospitality and banking brands better
engage their members and increase
revenue and profitably through our
white-labeled points earning and
redemption solutions. These give
frequent flyers and guests greater
opportunities to earn and redeem
loyalty currency outside of a brand’s
core offering, ultimately driving deeper
engagement and more
profitable relationships.

With the emerging trends in the
travel and tourism industry, how is
Collinson driving itself to create an
impact on its customers?
It’s a fascinating and challenging time
for the industry. While travel is more
popular than ever, it’s also more
competitive. In fact, attracting and
retaining customers has never been
harder for travel businesses.
The way people research and book
travel has changed completely.
Consumers check out destinations on
the fly, crowd source recommendations
on social media, then book on their
smartphones. The cheapest flights,
coolest experiences and best
accommodation are often one click
away on a single platform.
Brands from all verticals are jostling
for customer attention as they expand
into complementary and more
experience-based offerings. It’s never
been more important for brands to
react to this new experience economy
and grow revenues through deeper
engagement with passengers and
members.
Our expertise, experience, and delivery
enable us to excel at co-creating
innovative products and services with
clients that enrich customer travel
experiences globally.
We will continuously strive to improve
the airport and travel experience for
our clients and their premium
customers, creating exclusive rewards
and benefits that are best delivered by
Collinson because of our scale, global
relationships, and partnerships, as well
as our innovative approach.
We pride ourselves
on being a
customer benets
and loyalty
company like no
other – global,
privately-owned
and family-run.
The Club at San Jose CA Mineta Intl (Terminal A), available to Priority Pass members

We’re on a mission to deliver to the world smarter
customer experiences that say ‘a brand knows me,
cares about me and will go that extra mile’.
David Evans
Joint CEO
Christopher Evans
Joint CEO

How does the organization protect
the interests of its customers and
how it assists them in times of need?
Collinson helps to protect the interests
of our clients’ customers, and our own,
and assist in times of need. Our travel
insurance solutions blend our unique
experience across sectors to deliver
smarter products that respond to the
individual needs of every customer.
We have experience in the travel
insurance industry across a wide range
of demographics including general
mass market, over 50s’, students and
impaired risk. Our expertise covers
sales, product design, underwriting,
medical screening, claims, and
assistance services.
Our customer service ethos,
“Delivering Service Differently,”
recognizes that every customer is
different and each interaction matters.
We provide our partners and their
customers with a personalized service
and tailored support while always
keeping the customer at the forefront.
Collinson also provides a global
traveler assistance service, supporting
customers at home, on the road, or
abroad through claims handling and
management services. Our 24-hour
specialist teams operate robust
independent networks and we pride
ourselves on delivering superior
assistance through our experienced
case handlers. We recently joined
forces with Drum Cussac to launch a
24/7/365 integrated travel risk
management solution that enhances the
wellbeing of employees traveling
abroad and helps organizations fulfill
their duty of care and beyond.
Our assistance business offers a
responsive and intuitive claims and
assistance service when customers
need us the most. We’re committed to
creating the best possible customer
experience at every touchpoint and
work with our partners to tailor the
most appropriate solution for their
business model and customer base. In
We use our expertise
and products to craft
customer experiences
that enable some of
the world's best known
brands to acquire,
engage and retain the
most demanding and
choice-rich customers.
the travel insurance context, it’s
important that the necessary ‘human
channels’ are in place for customers to
quickly talk to an expert. The key is
finding a balance between the human
and digital interaction at the correct
time – it’s so important that we get this
right, given the impact it can have on a
customer who is in the middle of a
travel emergency, for example.
What are the strategies of Collinson
to engage deeply with customers?
Tell us more about your Loyalty
solutions.
Today’s choice-rich consumers expect
more for their loyalty than ever.
Working with leading brands around
the world, we craft experiences that
enable them to acquire, engage, and
retain the most demanding customers.
When delivered correctly, loyalty can
be a powerful way to positively
influence customers, and a brand’s
bottom line. But this is getting harder
to achieve.
Our loyalty experts differentiate each
client’s proposition using our unique
combination of strategy, awardwinning
solutions, and services. Over
the last few years, we’ve built an even
more seamless approach – mapping out
precisely what the customer wants and
expects and introducing products and
services that help our clients deliver on
those objectives. We have a customerfirst
focus – using insights to
understand the customer, then
designing and delivering motivating
and compelling experiences.
Our innovative loyalty solutions are
tailored to allow global travel, financial
services, and retail brands to address
their opportunity gaps and drive
customer devotion, both in-store and
online. Our powerful loyalty platforms
give brands the ability to track,
recognize, reward, and communicate
with their members to deliver a truly
personalized, seamless experience. Our
points earning and redemption
solutions also drive deeper engagement
by providing members with greater
choice and personalized shopping
experiences when earning and burning
their loyalty currency.
How according to you could the
potential evolution of travel and
tourism affect the industry, and how
does Collinson envision sustaining its
competency?
In today’s ‘experience economy’
people choose to spend their time and
money on enjoyable experiences that
enrich their lives. Consumers are
looking more for meaning in what they
do: possessions are proving less
rewarding than the memories and
learnings they gain from the things
they do.
Our latest global research shows that
travel is consumers’ go-to option when
choosing how to spend their time and
money – good news for airlines,
airports, travel providers, and
suppliers.
We believe customer experience is the
ultimate battleground between
competing brands. To add value and
differentiate themselves, companies
need to find new ways to embed
benefits throughout a customer
experience that are thoughtful,
relevant, and that create the potential
for a more emotional connection.
Brands that offer products and services
that drive better experiences will reap
the rewards of customer loyalty, and a
greater share of wallet. By

Priority Pass members have access to discounts
and experiences beyond the lounges
continuously innovating, we’ll ensure our clients benefit
from exceptional travel, insurance and assistance products,
and loyalty solutions.
Give a detailed description of the featured personnel’s
influence over the company.
As joint CEO of Collinson alongside my brother David, it’s
my responsibility to create the company’s vision and to lead
our global teams as we strive to achieve it. I work in close
partnership with our many offices across four regions,
delivering our strategy and commercial goals.
My role is also to foster a culture of innovation, so that
bright ideas shine through. This spirit of innovation allows
us to deliver a better service for our diverse profile of global
clients and their end-customers.
At Collinson, I challenge myself and others to keep a
relentless focus on smarter client solutions and endcustomer
experiences. My colleagues are the company’s
greatest asset – they have a wealth of expertise in various
sectors, and I credit them with our success over the years. I
aim to inspire our business leaders to be open to different
ways of working; our market is dynamic, and everyone in
Collinson has a role to play, not just David and I.
Where does Collinson see itself in the long run and what
are its future goals?
Collinson has continuously innovated for over 30 years and
seen phenomenal progress through a combination of
organic growth and strategic acquisition and reinvestment.
As a privately-owned business we have the stability and
ability to make long-term decisions.
We will continue to develop existing and new strategic
partnerships to enhance our offering, leveraging long-term
partnerships with third parties, including card issuers, retail
banks, processers, and technology companies. We have a
clear roadmap for developing our travel experiences
platform, as well as our loyalty solutions that combine
proprietary technology and expertise. And we will
continually seek to work with best in-class partners and
consider potential acquisitions to achieve our vision of
providing consumers with a smarter experience that
enhances their lives.
We’ll continue to grow our own expertise with new
products, services and solutions, cross-selling into new and
existing clients while expanding into new geographies and
increasing our global presence.

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18 April 2019

Chalk Talk
April 2019
19

20 April 2019

The
10
Most Enriching
Solution Providers in 2019
Austin Adventures:
Delivering Unparalleled Travel Experiences
In an interview with Insights Success, Dan Austin, the
Founder and President of Austin Adventures unveils
the key insights on how the company is allowing its
guests to experience the land, the people, and the culture in
the most immersive, energizing, and inspiring way possible.
Below are the highlights of an interview:
Give a brief overview of the company, its uniqueness,
and its vision.
For over 35 years, Austin Adventures has created
meticulously curated, ultra-personalized adventures that
allow our guests to experience a destination in the most
immersive, energizing, and inspiring way possible.
Family owned and operated, it’s not unusual for a guest to
interact directly with Dan, Carol, Andy, or Kasey Austin. At
the same time, small and personal doesn’t mean limited. We
offer more than 80 active tours on all seven continents and
gladly plan custom dream vacations.
As a boutique tour operator based in Montana, we bring our
western ethos of hospitality and honesty to every
relationship—be it a new guest, a seasoned alumni, our
office staff, or our guides. We listen with empathy and put
our guests first—always.
Ultimately, we believe travel has the power to change us, to
let us see the world, and our role in it, through a new lens.
This is our vision for each and every guest: to leave us
feeling fulfilled, invigorated, and transformed—knowing
they are now family and are welcome anytime.
Kindly describe the contemporary travel experience
solutions offered by Austin Adventures.
In our era of options, we know there is no shortage of
choices on where to go, how to get there, or who to go with.
At Austin Adventures, our primary contemporary travel
experience solution is simplicity.
We know how daunting it can be to plan activities, dining,
lodging, relaxation, and transportation logistics for a wide
range of ages and ability levels. We not only take care of all
the planning, we do it in such a way that each guest will
have their best experience of a place possible.
Anyone can pick a hotel or restaurant based on online
reviews; we have the access and connections to provide
dining and lodging that perfectly capture and enhance a
destination. We know how to balance immersive activities
like hiking, biking, kayaking, and zip lining with leisurely
strolls, wine tastings, and stories beneath a breathtaking
landscape. Our travel solution is not where to go or what to
do but how to deeply connect with friends, family, local
cultures, and nature in some of the most beautiful places on
the planet.
Describe the experiences, achievements or lessons
learned that have shaped the journey of the company.
The great thing about operating a travel company as an avid
active traveler is that every experience shapes the journey
of the company. Dan Austin never stops learning, and he
never stops striving to be the best in the business. He
encourages his staff to do likewise. Earning top honors
from Travel + Leisure, or Conde Nast Traveler, or National
Geographic is humbling—and something we work hard
for—but those honors are milestones on a continuous
journey of improvement.
By far the best accolade we could possibly accrue is the
loyalty and support of our Alumni, a whopping 98.8 percent
of whom indicate they would travel with us again. We
couldn’t be more grateful for our repeat travelers,
who—along with their referrals—are the number one
source of our business. The lessons we learn by listening to
each of our guests are what keep us learning and improving
every day.
What are the challenges faced while providing an
enriching travel experience solutions and how is Austin
Adventures serving to tackle them?
At Austin Adventures, we like to look at challenges as
opportunities.
It can be challenging to stay on top of the ever-changing
logistics of transporting and caring for a wide variety of
guests
22
April 2019

“
For the last 35 years Austin
Adventures has set the bar
for adventure travel and
will continue to do so for
the next 35 years.
“
— Dan Austin
Founder & President
all with different ability levels. To tackle this opportunity,
we ask our guides to be our eyes and ears and continually
improve itineraries based on guide observation and guest
feedback. We also tackle this challenge of exceeding guest
expectations by capping our trips at 12 guests (18 on family
trips) and offering the lowest guest-to-guide ratio in the
industry at 6:1.
Another challenge is providing enriching travel at an
exceptional value. To tackle this opportunity, each year we
take a close look at how we stack up value-wise with our
competitors, and then we adjust our rates, terms, conditions,
and inclusions to secure ourselves as the leader of the pack.
How according to you could be the potential evolution of
the travel and tourism industry, and how does Austin
Adventures envision sustaining its competency?
As travel becomes more accessible to more people, we see
adventure travel evolving to include more than just hiking,
biking, and experiencing a locale. Travelers want a deeper
experience, a unique memory, and the chance to make an
impact on their own life and the lives of others.
For decades, Austin Adventures has also been renowned for
its “WOW Factor,” a highly tuned skill of anchoring special
moments on our trips with an additional “WOW”—a
thoughtful, unexpected touch that becomes an oft-talked
about memory of the trip.
About the Leader
Dan Austin is a boots-on-the-ground influencer in the
company, offering daily guidance and inspiration to his
small but dedicated team, interacting with guests, ensuring
guides lead his trips the way he would, and curating new
trips by personally experiencing and evaluating every
detail. Always eager to give back, Dan has also served on
his local tourism board and the state’s council on tourism,
as well as recent past President of the Zoo Montana Board;
continues to operate Wheels of Change, a nonprofit that
gathers and ships donated bicycles to Africa amidst other
community development projects; and is regularly asked to
speak at or contribute to travel expos and articles.
Austin Adventures is ahead of the curve in sustaining its
lead in the industry. Since 2018, we have partnered with
positive lifestyle brand Life is Good to offer tours that live
out their ethos of embracing the power of positivity.
This year, in 2019, Austin Adventures is launching its
Digital Detox tours that will make a radical impact in the
lives of guests who ditch their digital devices and all talk
about stress-inducing topics in order to reconnect with each
other and with beauty.
April 2019
23

Jonathan Nicol
Founder & CEO
Stratajet
24 April 2019

Leader's Take
?
April 2019
25

26 April 2019

The
10
Most Enriching
Solution Providers in 2019
Girolibero Cycling Holidays:
Enriching Travel through Pedals
Travelling is what makes the human more self-aware,
confident, and introduces them to the diversity of
nature. Exploring the beauty of nature is one of the
splendid experiences one can ever gain. But, the degree of
the adventure of one’s traveling depends upon the ride one
chooses. Ever imagined, how mesmerizing it is to pedal
across the specular views and feel the elegance of nature!
Through bicycle, people can witness their journey trail
more intimately that they might miss in the car. An Italian
tour operator company, Girolibero Cycling Holidays, is
enriching travel experiences of its customers by providing
cycling tours. The company, supervises, organizes, and
provides assistance in holiday tours with the tasty food and
comfortable lodging.
In an interview with Insights Success, the Founder and
CEO of Girolibero, Pierpaolo Romio shares key insights
over his organization’s journey and its specialized services.
Below are the highlights of the interview conducted
between Pierpaolo Romio and Insights Success:
Give a brief overview of the company, its uniqueness,
and its vision.
We simply believe that cycling makes for a great holiday,
and that a rewarding break requires a thirst for discovery, a
pinch of initiative and the right dose of comfort. Bikes let
you travel at an easy pace, whether along cycling tracks or
quiet roads, keeping you in touch with nature and allowing
you to appreciate the people you come across as you cycle
through the villages, and appreciate their way of life.
A holiday on the move, with everything organized: hotels,
luggage transfer from hotel to hotel and support – 7 days a
week. Plus: cycling guides and ample background
information if you choose to pedal independently, and even
the option of an expert tour leader to guide you all the way.
Kindly describe the contemporary travel experience
solutions offered by Girolibero.
Cycling holidays in Italy, France and beyond, with
itineraries for all, from beginners to experienced cyclists.
Self-guided and guided tours, with overnight stays in
selected hotels or in comfortable barges (for the
Bike+Barge formula, with overnights in river barges
accommodating 20 guests).
For our tours we:
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Ÿ
Handpick hotels
Design your tour each step of the way
Provide multilingual tour info and assistance
Select and train our own tour leaders
Create tailor-made guidebooks, the Girolibero Greens
series – detailed, illustrated and designed specifically for
our cycling itineraries
Coordinate all logistics from our headquarters in
Vicenza – Italy
Assemble and service your bike in our workshop, down
to the last bolt
Describe the experiences, achievements or lessons
learned that have shaped the journey of the company.
We have been running cycling tours since 1998. Our first
step was purchasing 24 bikes and 24 locks. Next came a
trailer on loan from a theatre group, with which we toured
Austria, Holland and Germany. After 4 years, our first bikes
were sold off to a rental company in Berlin; by then,
hopelessly hooked on Europe’s bikeways, we decided to go
for it and invest in new ones – bright orange this time, in
honor of Holland, the homeland of cycling.
Now our bikes are 2,500 and our numbers in detail are:
15 mln turn over in 2018
20,000 cyclists from every part of the world
40 people + over 100 seasonal staff working in synergy to
offer the best possible holiday experience
4 river barges directly owned by Girolibero (2 barges in
Italy + 2 in southern France)
2,000 touring bikes
500 e-bikes
28 April 2019

“
The detail is not the
detail. The detail is
the product.
“
— Pierpaolo Romio
Founder & CEO
What are the challenges faced while providing an
enriching travel experience solutions and how is
Girolibero serving to tackle them?
Despite Northern Europe’s long distance cycle paths, Italy
hasn’t a wide net of long cycling itineraries. For this reason
Girolibero studies and scouts in advance all the routes,
privileging cycle paths and off-the-beaten tracks itineraries.
Girolibero self publishes Maps/Roadbooks/Travel Guides:
the collection is entitled Girolibero GREENS Guides, and a
copy is always included in the package.
We have been running Bike and Barge tours since 1998,
offering the classic Netherlands. Ten years later we shipped
the “Bike +Barge” formula over to Italy (there were no
suitable barges here), bringing here the Vita Pugna. In 2011
we launched the eco-friendly vessel Ave Maria. Since 2017
we also own L’Estello and Caprice, two romantic barges in
Provence-Camargue. We aim to build new barges and offer
more and more “Bike+Barge” tours in Europe.
How according to you could be the potential evolution of
the travel and tourism industry, and how does
Girolibero envision sustaining its competency?
Cycling tours are becoming more and more popular: e-bikes
opened this travel-trend also to seniors and people that
doesn’t feel fit enough.
Testimonial from Girolibero’s Clients
“The route taken by the ‘Ave Maria’ exceeded our
expectations, massively. So, too did the daily cycle rides,
and the variety of places we so ably shown around. My wife
and I are well travelled. NO holiday has been better
resourced from every angle.”
-Richard, Scotland, Mantua to Venice Bike+Barge tour
About the Leader
A born dreamer, Pierpaolo founded Girolibero/Zeppelin in
1998. His travel diaries cover over 500,000 km of
hitchhiking adventures the length and breadth of Europe
and the most unusual collection of bikes. His CV lists some
unlikely occupations, from ice cream parlor fittings
consultant to novelty jewelry and trinkets salesman.
Pierpaolo is also known to have had a go at the 80-km
Kennedy Mars march in Holland, after which he
irreversibly converted to cycling holidays. When not at the
company’s HQ in Vicenza, he’s most likely out at lunch
with one of his staff – something he enjoys doing with each
of them in turn.
Another popular trend is the “bespoke” Cycling holiday
with an ex pro-racer as tour leader: Girolibero has Andrea
Ferrigato, who cycled many Giro d’Italia and Tour de
France, and plans itineraries along the most exiting roads in
Italy and France: Dolomites, Tuscany, Barolo hills in
Piedmont, Mont-Ventoux in Provence… Every stage is
accompanied by a selection of high-level hotels, excellent
meals, wine and local food tastings, high-end roadbike
rental, support van.
April 2019
29

E-Mobility:
Pioneering Transportation with
Smart Grid
The electric automobile is associated with the
integration of transportation, which is resulted
according to the customer needs. Customer
demands are initiated towards renewable energies in terms
of a zero-emission and sustainable mobility. The “Smart
Grid” could be a hypothetic methodology with electrically
collected from vehicles that run on renewable resources.
However, E-mobility consequently specializing in customer
demands and build an effective source of energy through
mobility.
Electro mobility or E-mobility suggests clean and
environment-friendly transport through electric vehicles. It
conjointly delivers climate-friendly technology with
massive growth potential. In the automotive industry,
electricity suppliers and government influencers are also
pushing e-mobility within the field of standardization. For
sequencing to the perfection, utilities and network operators
are heavily investing under development of ‘intelligent’
electricity distribution systems.
Smart Grid Communication for economical E-Mobility
In smart grid, smart energy network depends upon
comprehensive communication with integrated charging
stations. The communication with the smart grid is
incessantly measured and controlled through an IP-based
connection. It additionally permits load compensation with
the assistance of interconnecting charging stations.
Additionally, vehicle-to-grid communication makes it
potential to integrate special charge models and supply new
services. Moreover, in future the vehicles connected to the
smart grid unit expected to perform batteries for storing
extra energy as needed.
Rendering ahead with Smart Grid
The move towards a low-carbon society would require
progress in renewable energy production and in e-mobility.
The success of e-mobility is connected to smart grid
development that helps intelligent charging infrastructure
for big scale acceptance of electric vehicles. The
dependency works both ways in which comparable to
massive scale acceptance of e-mobility helps massive scale
infrastructure investments to be profitable.
Functionalities of E-Mobility
There are two different kinds of plug-in electric vehicles,
such as plug-in hybrid vehicle and pure electric vehicle.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles are equipped with a combustion
engine and pure electric vehicle encompass pure electric
connectivity. The proper electricity-production drastically
reduces CO2 emissions compared to traditional combustion
engine cars. From the perspective of the electrical grid,
people’s habits and daily schedules can probably cause peak
demand at certain times of day, which may cause electricity
network congestion or voltages below normal.
Revolutionary Trends of Electrical Grid
In an electrical grid, the energy system becomes
progressively relied on renewable energy sources. The
wants to the electrical grid are ever-changing with latest
trends. The alternative energy is generally non-controllable,
suburbanized and unsteady. E-mobility brings purposeful
technology which reinforces the transportation medium and
efficient method.
32 April 2019

E-Mobility
Flexible property of E-Mobility
E-mobility may be a versatile electrical transportation
medium immensely capturing client demands. The
flexibility of e-mobility helps to reduce costs of network
investments and electricity bills with grid operators. The
network has the flexibility to deal with worst case situation.
It additionally reduces energy and absorbs excessive energy
generation, and additionally things and voltage issues.
Nissan Integrates E-Mobility with Smart Grid
The well-known automobile brand, Nissan is introducing its
own electronic vehicle or e-mobility vehicle with smart grid
technology. Nissan additionally proposes to introduce
technology and business ties between electric driving and
smart grid. Moreover, Nissan is on the point of introducing
energy storage for a vehicle for domestic usage supported
second-life batteries. Nissan’s is aiming to provide
concerning one hundred electric vehicle charging stations
for each non-public and business purpose. The automotive
users are ready to offer the battery capacity to vehicles and
to create energy for grid. Hence, Nissan drives its
e-mobility vehicles effectively with unified consumer
experience.
Confronting Future with E-Mobility
The future of electric vehicles is remodeling within the field
of energy and quality happening in the fields of energy and
quality. E-mobility is influenced by market factors and
forthcoming trends that are nearly unbeatable. The
conjunction of e-mobility and smart grid is a chance for
many automobile industries. Through automobile,
businesses have many possibilities to head in the market.
Henceforth, e-mobility delivers significant solutions to
automobile industry comprises with a smart grid. It’s a
revolutionary step towards automobile segmentation
comprises with electric transport mobility solutions.
April 2019
33

The Revolution of our Roads
Driving the UK to zero carbon transportation
Green number plates for electric
vehicles. Zero Emissions Zone
trials. Grants for any employer
installing EV charge points. Ideas and
initiatives for boosting the adoption of
electric vehicles (EVs) have
accelerated recently, in an effort to
make electric vehicles the norm rather
than the exception on UK roads.
In September, Theresa May announced
further support for the industry at the
very first Zero Emission Vehicle
Summit, outlining a plan to ensure
Britain “leads from the front” in the
widespread adoption of electric
vehicles, committing £106m in funding
for research and development into EV
technology. She also elaborated on the
2040 target to make all manufactured
cars emission-free, saying that this
should be reflected in all cars on the
road just ten years later.
Government Backing
This government’s commitment to
electric vehicles is being matched by
an increase in interest from drivers, as
the perceived hurdles - including the
initial cost of switching to an electric
car, and the mile range compared to
traditional petrol and diesel cars - are
being cleared. Last month EVs
accounted for one in every 12 new cars
purchased in the UK.
That’s been attributed to a number of
factors, including the availability of a
range of cars that do at least 150miles
on a single charge, EV drivers are
About the Author
Fiona Howarth, the CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles,
Biography
Fiona leads the Octopus Electric Vehicle business - a
start-up from Octopus Energy. With a passion for
renewable energy, fantastic cars and using tech to create
great customer experiences, this is absolutely Fiona’s
dream job!
Having studied Engineering at Oxford University, she
spent her early career at Dyson and BMW - developing
efficient motors and hydrogen powered cars. She then
went on to work with major energy companies and
government while at Bain & Company, before joining
British Connected Homes start up AlertMe. A move to
British Gas, saw her take Hive, by British Gas, from a tech
pilot to a household name that today has more than one
million customers.
“Octopus EV is offering the electric vehicle equivalent of
Sweden’s famous baby box,” says Octopus Electric
Vehicles CEO Fiona Howarth
34 April 2019

educing their fuel spend by 90%, and
with an increase in the number and
visibility of charge points and a
decrease in the cost of the electric
vehicles themselves.
Maestro’s Insights
There’s also been better proof of the
environmental impact of EVs, such as
a recent European Climate Foundationcommissioned
report which found that
EVs emit half the CO2 emissions of a
petrol or diesel car through the course
of their lifetime, and the overall effect
has now been shown to be positive.
A New Breed of EV
One company is on a mission to help
drive the adoption of electric vehicles.
Octopus Electric Vehicles is pioneering
an ‘EV bundle’ which will give drivers
everything they need to make the
switch, for one monthly price. The
innovation has come from energy
supplier Octopus Energy, which is
driven by a mission ‘to make buying
energy as easy as buying cornflakes’.
Similarly, the team at Octopus EV
wants to help to make the switch to EV
as easy as possible, for as many people
as possible.
CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles,
Fiona Howarth says: “For us, the EV
journey begins long before we start
talking about leasing options and
charge point installation. There’s a big
education job to do - many people still
believe that they’ll need to stop every
few miles to recharge and that the
range of models is limited. Our Drive
Day roadshow has proved enormously
popular, touring the country and
letting people come and see the cars
for themselves, as well as question EV
experts about exactly how it all works”
These events have not only
demonstrated the massive leap forward
that the industry has taken in the past
few years, but also provided people
with a chance to test drive the latest
models. From the sporty BMW i3 to
the family friendly Nissan LEAF, the
cars have been carefully selected as the
best EVs on the market, with each
offering at least 150 miles of driving
per charge.
Continues Howarth: “We’ve found that
people are often surprised at what an
electric car can do. I think there’s a
general misconception that the
technology and the pricing has stayed
largely the same since EVs came to
market a few years ago, whereas in fact
today’s electric car is almost
unrecognisable from its older
incarnation, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Battery costs came down 80% in six
years – unlocking a better range of
electric vehicles at a fraction of the
cost.”
Fiona Howarth
CEO
Octopus Electric Vehicles
All-in-one EV solution
After education, the challenge has been
how to best help customers with the
changes needed to go electric. Here,
Octopus Electric Vehicles is pioneering
adoption with their ‘EV bundle’.
“We’re offering the electric vehicle
equivalent of Sweden’s famous baby
box, giving the driver everything they
need to make the switch” says Howarth
“and unlike babies, our vehicles come
with instructions!”
April 2019
35

About Powerloop
How Vehicle-to-Grid is changing the game
Electric vehicles have been criticised for placing more demand
on an already overloaded grid. But a consortium of industry
experts is hoping that electric vehicles could be the solution to
the grid’s capacity issues, rather than a problem. Led by Octopus
EV and Octopus Energy, the consortium has won over £3m of
funding from Innovate UK (backed by government departments
DfT and BEIS) to test the viability of vehicle-to-grid charging on
UK roads.
The Powerloop project offers EV drivers the chance to help
balance demand by supplying the grid with power from their car
batteries during the peak hours of 4-7pm, before recharging in
the early hours of the morning while demand is lowest. In return
for plugging in their cars 12 times a month to supply charge
during the evening, Powerloop drivers will get money off their
monthly leasing cost.
As well as the monthly lease of an electric vehicle, Octopus EV organises the
installation of a home charge point and smart meter. The monthly lease cost can
also include insurance, service and maintenance, as well as help and support for
the duration of the contract.
There’s even a bespoke electricity tariff, designed specifically with EV drivers
in mind. Dubbed Octopus Go, it offers renewable electricity at just 5p/kWh
between the hours of 12.30am and 4.30am, allowing people to charge their cars
for just a fraction of the daytime cost for 70% less than a standard variable tariff
from a Big 6 supplier.
Octopus EV has also partnered with myenergi, to offer the innovative Zappi
charge point, which automates charging to take advantage of these prices.
Octopus can arrange the installation of
the Zappi via trusted installers that can
help unlock the £500 home charge
point grant from the government.
This world-first tariff is possible thanks
to Octopus EV’s relationship with
Octopus Energy. The supplier is
already taking advantage of the
potential of smart meters with the
Agile Octopus tariff, which lets
customers see the fluctuations in
wholesale energy prices and adjust
their usage accordingly. It’s just the
beginning of how the company intends
to use smart meter technology, which
allows them to measure and record
electricity usage in real-time and offer
cheaper electricity when demand on
the grid is low.
Fiona Howarth believes this will be a
landmark year for electric vehicle
adoption in the UK. “Tesla has
revolutionised the market and now all
other vehicle manufacturers are rapidly
bringing their EVs to the market. Think
of the switch from analogue phones to
smart phones - we’re in a similar
transitory phase. If the Government
can deliver on their EV plans, and we
think they can, the carpark of
tomorrow is going to look very
different to the gas-guzzling lot
of today.”
36 April 2019

The
10
Most Enriching
Solution Providers in 2019
Hidden Iceland:
Helping to Discover the Hidden Treasures
Iceland, the hidden gem of Europe is a mysterious
land of fire and ice, waterfalls, volcanoes, wild
landscapes and glaciers. In recent time Iceland has
started hitting the headlines due to the immense
possibility when it comes to tourism. So, born Hidden
Iceland a boutique travel company in Iceland with its
focus on offering personalized trips across the country.
The organization helps its guests to hike on glaciers,
discover ice caves, walk on active volcanoes and search
for hidden gems while still ticking off the most popular
places along the way.
The amazing sights of Iceland are obviously a large
component of the organization’s products. However,
Hidden Iceland believes that travelling with one of its
experienced, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic guides can
transform any trip from good to unforgettable. The
company has designed the trips in such a manner that the
leaders are even proud to take their family and friends
on.
The Leader who believes in Crafting Best
Experiences
Dagný Björg Stefánsdóttir is the Sales Manager,
CEO, and Co-owner of Hidden Iceland. Together with
the General Manager Scott Drummond, both have
crafted each itinerary with customer experiences and
expectations in mind. While growing up in the tranquil
and remote West Fjords, she gained an understanding
and knowledge of the uniqueness of Iceland. Dagný
would often explore the hidden gems in a tent with her
parents and grandparents during summers. Soon, she
developed a belief that the focus within the tourism
industry needed to be adjusted back towards crafting the
best possible experiences for the guests who visit
Iceland. So, Dagný and her team want the guests to leave
Iceland with fond memories of the beautiful country and
stories to share around the dinner table for years to come.
Growing by Leaps and Bounds
As a company Hidden Iceland is still very young.
However, when it comes to the growth, it has grown
beyond the expectations during the first year and half.
The organization believes, the success by far is a result
of hard work, personalized service, unique trips, honesty
and transparency towards its guests. The best part is,
even at this early age Hidden Iceland has welcomed its
guests to Iceland again as they left wanting know and see
more about the amazing country.
The company always strives to be as flexible and
solution driven as possible no matter how hard the wind
blows and snow falls in the unpredictable winters.
Currently, TripAdvisor has ranked Hidden Iceland at
number three overall out of 386 tour operators from
Reykjavík, with incredible feedback from its guests
which always reflects the organization’s values and
shows that its hand-picked guides can make its clients
38 April 2019

“
Small group, personalized trips
with passionate guides that take
you behind waterfalls, into ice
caves, across moving glaciers
and onto volcanoes.
“
— Dagný Björg Stefánsdóttir
Sales Manager, CEO & Co-owner
feel like they are travelling with a group of family and
friends.
Tackling Challenges
With the name Hidden Iceland, the organization often
faces growing visitor numbers to the most celebrated
sights it visits. Guests often contact the organization
when starting to plan their trip to Iceland, wanting to
avoid the crowds but still wanting to see all the popular
highlights. So it’s then up-to the organization to manage
expectations, time it perfectly while travelling to those
locations, and mix it with visiting hidden sights. In
certain seasons mass tourism becomes even more
apparent in some locations, so knowing how to work
around them is the real challenge. However, this can be
done by venturing further and sometimes higher than
other tour operators out there.
this sentiment is easy to believe. However the reality is
that Iceland is big, as large as England in fact.
So, if anyone is willing to travel to the unexplored areas
with the company, sleep in converted farm guest houses,
taste the local cuisine then he/she is not only enriching
his/her own experiences, but also diversifying the travel
sector and helping out the locals living in the lesser
known areas
Helping Clients to Enrich their Experience
According to Hidden Iceland, media often portrays
Iceland as becoming overcrowded more and more. With
only one international airport the guests are all directed
in the same direction on day tours from Reykjavík during
the day and on northern lights trips during the evening so
April 2019
39