WORDS BY MILO RADONJIĆ

Lauren Ho has woken up to icebergs in Antarctica, traced family myths to a South Atlantic island, and found Marmite waiting at check-in. On a terrace in Dubai, she talks travel, wonder, and what a truly great hotel gets right.

We’re perched on the sun-drenched terrace of Lauren Ho’s suite at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, the Burj Al Arab rising in front of us, hoping to steal the show. Tiny bites are scattered across the table, a gentle breeze carries the scent of the sea, and the marina hums softly below. In this suspended moment, Lauren speaks effortlessly about a life shaped by travel, curiosity, and the magic of discovery. Travel captured her imagination early, though she didn’t fully realise it at first. Her journey into travel writing began with curiosity, scrappiness, and a hunger for storytelling.

Do you remember the very first moment travel captured your imagination – that earliest trip when the world suddenly felt bigger?

I grew up in South Africa and was fortunate enough to travel abroad quite often with my parents. Later in my early twenties, I moved to Europe – mostly because it made travelling so much easier – but I’d say the moment it truly captured my imagination was when I spent a year backpacking around the world on a shoestring budget and little more than a vague idea of what countries I hoped to visit. That sense of freedom and being able to discover places without a plan was what first made me realise that travel could become not just something I loved, but the foundation of a career and a way of life.

What was your first job or gig in travel writing, and do you remember exactly how you spent the money from that assignment?

Travel writing, for me, started gradually. I worked my way up in-house at Wallpaper* magazine, first in the fashion department, then as an online writer, and eventually as the travel editor, and now travel director.

But the first time I really felt like a writer was much earlier, when I worked as an unpaid assistant for an extraordinary woman in London who self-published two magazines a year from her council-estate flat. She has sadly passed away now, but she gave me an enormous amount of freedom and autonomy to write about whatever interested me. It was scrappy and very independent, but I learned a huge amount from her and from that experience

As a storyteller at heart, what is the journey that still lives vividly in your mind – the one destination you carry with you no matter where you go?

Greenland and Rwanda, long before tourism there became what it is today. But one journey that has stayed with me in a very personal way was a trip to Saint Helena.

Growing up, I had always been told that my great-great-grandmother was from the island. As a child, I would sit in my grandmother’s living room, studying the rotating globe, and stare at this tiny dot in the middle of the South Atlantic, imagining what life there might be like.

For most of my life it was almost impossible to reach, as the island didn’t have an airport until 2017. So, when flights finally began operating, I made the journey. With just a weekly flight from Johannesburg, and with a population of only 4,500 people, arriving felt like stepping into a forgotten corner of the world.

Over a week – by which time everyone seemed to know who I was – making friends, spending time exploring the island, meeting people, and looking through local archives was fascinating. In the end, I discovered that my grandmother wasn’t actually from there after all, but the experience of finally visiting a place I had imagined for so long made the journey unforgettable.

If you could relive one travel day, scene for scene, which one would it be and why?

Honestly, it would probably be the morning I woke up on a ship in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica and opened the curtains to see bright blue icebergs silently drifting past the window. For someone whose job constantly involves seeing and experiencing new places, it’s actually quite rare to encounter something that feels completely unfamiliar, and that moment really reminded me just how extraordinary travel can still be.

What destination has surprised you the most—where your expectations were completely rewritten the moment you arrived?

One place that genuinely surprised me was Nairobi. I know it’s never a good idea to arrive somewhere with preconceived ideas, but having grown up in Johannesburg, I had assumed the two cities might feel quite similar. What struck me most about Nairobi was its vibrancy and creative energy – there’s a strong community of artists, designers and entrepreneurs shaping the city right now, and the atmosphere felt optimistic and collaborative. Even as someone who grew up in another African metropolis, Nairobi still managed to feel fresh and unexpected.

You spend your life exploring the world, but what is your forever-favourite summer destination—the one place that feels like sunshine stitched into memory?

For me, it would have to be Sydney in the summer. There’s something about the way the city comes alive when the weather turns warm.

People seem to spill outdoors, beaches fill up early in the morning, and cafés, restaurants, and bars are busy all day. When Sydney is in full summer mode, it’s hard not to be swept up in the mood of it.

What are your non-negotiable summer travel essentials – the items that always make it into your luggage, even on the lightest packing days?

I tend to travel fairly lightly, but sunglasses, good suncream, and a swimsuit will always make it into my bag.

What do you love most about travelling solo, and what do you love most about traveling with someone you care about?

Travelling, for me, is mostly for work. My days tend to be quite structured with meetings, site visits, and writing, so being on my own allows me to focus and move through everything I need to do without distraction. Travelling with someone I care about turns the experience into something shared, and moments like watching the sunset together or discovering a new place always feels more meaningful when you experience them with someone else.

As Europe Academy Chair for the prestigious ranking body The World’s 50 Best, how do you keep the sense of wonder alive when travel becomes both passion and profession?

I think the sense of wonder stays alive because the world is constantly changing and, no matter how much you travel, there’s always something new to discover. What also keeps it exciting is the people you meet along the way – behind every hotel, there is someone with a vision, and I love being part of the creativity and energy of the people shaping them.

What is one misconception people have about the global voting process for The World’s 50 Best Hotels, and what are some things you wish more readers understood?

That the list is decided by a small group of people behind the scenes, or that hotels can somehow influence the outcome. In reality, the process is far more independent, as the ranking is based on the votes of hundreds of travellers, journalists, and hospitality experts around the world who vote based on their own recent experiences. The results are also independently audited, which adds an extra layer of transparency.

What many people don’t realise is that voters remain anonymous and aren’t given a checklist or scoring system – they are simply asked to nominate the best hotel experiences they’ve personally had over the past couple of years, which keeps the list rooted in genuine stays rather than technical criteria or industry influence.

Dubai now has three properties on The World’s 50 Best Hotels list – the iconic Atlantis The Royal, serene The Lana by Dorchester Collection, and the newly opened Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab. What does each one represent to you, and what makes them world-class in very different ways?

Each of these hotels represents very different expressions of hospitality, which is part of what makes Dubai’s hotel scene so interesting. Atlantis The Royal is unapologetically bold and represents Dubai at its most ambitious; The Lana, Dorchester Collection, sits at the other end of the spectrum and is far more understated; while Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab reflects Dubai’s ability to keep evolving its hospitality landscape, bringing a fresh energy to the city while building on the long-standing reputation of the Jumeirah brand.

Is there a destination that changed you – one that shifted the way you see the world or the way you see yourself?

For me, it’s usually the destinations in which I’ve spent longer periods of time, rather than somewhere I’ve only passed through. I feel it’s only when you live in a place, or spend months exploring it, that it really begins to shape the way you see it and, in turn, the way you see yourself.

Places like Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia have had that effect on me. Once I moved beyond the surface and started to understand the nuances of daily life, the culture, and the people who live there, these places stopped being somewhere I was just visiting and became somewhere I genuinely experienced.

As someone who has stayed in hotels across continents, what small detail – often overlooked – instantly tells you a property truly cares?

For me, it’s when staff remember small, personal preferences. On a recent trip, word had somehow travelled between hotels that I really like Marmite, and there was a jar waiting for me on arrival. It was such a simple gesture, but it showed that someone had paid attention. Also, when staff read the room and think about what a guest might genuinely want, rather than simply following a script, it makes a real difference.

From a design perspective, aesthetics are of course important, but functionality is what really shows care. Something as simple as intuitive light switches or well-placed controls can tell you a lot. Hotels often forget that guests are only passing through, so when a room is designed in a way that lets you use it easily without having to think too hard, it shows that the people behind it have truly considered the experience.

And one small detail that hotels almost always underestimate is the number of hooks in the bathroom – there are rarely enough (or any) which is something every guest quickly notices.

If you could design the perfect day in your perfect hotel, what would it look like from sunrise to moonlight?

Coming from someone who spends a large part of the year sleeping in hotels, a perfect day has to begin with a sense of normality and routine. I like waking up slowly, ideally with a cup of tea before the day properly starts, and I do appreciate a room where I can open the curtains with a touch of a button. A good hotel gym is also essential, and for me, that means natural light, space, and all the equipment I need.

Generally, I’ll either have breakfast or lunch rather than both. If I do have breakfast, I prefer it to be a seated service – I find buffets a little chaotic and often filled with too much choice – and my test is always the soft-boiled egg, which sounds simple but, surprisingly, many hotels don’t get this right.

Afternoons are usually a balance between exploring the hotel and getting some work done. I’ll spend time experiencing the facilities, but I also need a proper desk in the room where I can sit comfortably and write – this is something I really value, because travel for me isn’t a break from daily life, it is my daily life.

Early evening is often my favourite moment in a hotel. I love a drink somewhere with a view as the sun sets, followed by dinner somewhere I can linger and wind down.

When I return to the room, comfort and functionality become especially important, and the room needs to feel effortless to live in. A television that lets me cast programmes easily, a shower – with good pressure – that doesn’t require a degree to operate, hooks in the bathroom, a choice of pillows, a wardrobe with enough drawer space and proper hangers, and good ambient lighting with switches that actually make sense.

Air conditioning controls should be simple to use, too, and ideally there are no strange glowing lights from fancy switches or coffee machines interrupting the room at night.

What is your favourite book with a travel theme – the one that makes you want to pack a suitcase halfway through the reading?

My favourite travel book is Blood River by journalist Tim Butcher. It follows his journey retracing Henry Morton Stanley’s route through the Congo, and it’s one of those books that reminds you how powerful travel writing can be when it combines adventure, history, and sharp reporting.

What about your favourite travel-inspired movie – the film that captures the thrill of movement, discovery, or escape?

Two films that come to mind are Lost in Translation and The Darjeeling Limited. Lost in Translation had quite an impact on me when I first saw it, as it came out around the time I was starting to travel more independently.

The film captures that feeling of being young, slightly untethered, and experiencing a place in a way that is both disorienting and exciting.

The Darjeeling Limited, on the other hand, is a reminder that travel can also be playful and unpredictable. It reflects the chaos, colour, and unexpected encounters that often happen when you’re moving through a place with no real control over what comes next.

What’s a destination you haven’t yet visited but think about often – the place calling your name?

Because I travel so much, particularly within the luxury space, I often find myself drawn to places that feel more off the beaten track. For me, that usually means places that can be a little harder to reach or navigate, like the so-called ‘Stans’ in Central Asia, the far corners of China, or remote islands like Saint Helena.

What excites me are destinations that still carry a sense of discovery and bring back a sense of curiosity and exploration that made me fall in love with travel in the first place.

If you were to write a love letter to travel itself, the way one writes to an old friend, what would the first line be?

You’ve shaped my life in ways I never planned, and I’m still grateful every time we set off together again.

All photos courtesy of Lauren Ho