Meeting the people behind the scenery - Louise & In Style trips

We’ve pulled back the curtain so you can see how things work behind the scenes here at Macs HQ. Get to know some of our experts, specialists, fellow walking enthusiasts and small business owners who meticulously plan your trips, do all the logistical legwork and provide 24/7 support, so you can have a memorable, stress-free trip.

Spotlight on Louise, our In Style expert

This month we chatted to Louise, a Product Manager who designs, tries and tests our biking holidays and has a particular passion for our In Style collection. She told us all about what makes our In Style trips so special, her favorite destination and what she loves most about working for Macs Adventure.

Why do we offer In Style trips?

We want to offer active travel where customers can treat themselves with life-enhancing experiences by staying in the best hotels and indulging in the finest food and wine. Our aim is to create a life-long memory and make their time away feel extra special.

What makes an In Style trip?

It’s active travel with the highest standard of service. Included transfers so that you can relax from the very start to the very end. Hand-picked accommodation in stunning locations and the finest gastronomy and wine from the region with some included meals. You’ll see the most scenic areas of a country, as we select only the best bits of the routes.

What do you like about our In Style trips?

These trips encourage you to linger longer and develop a deeper and richer connection to the place you’re visiting. Staying in a location for more than one night, accommodations with stunning views of the surrounding scenery, recommendations on where to eat and drink and what to see and do.

What goes into designing our In Style trips?

The work that goes into creating them means each trip is one of a kind and truly special. With In Style trips, it’s all about finding the finest accommodation with the best views, a standout level of service, exudes character, and is located near the best trails. This can be quite hard to find, and so a lot of hard work goes into sourcing the right accommodation.
We also look for extra experiences, such as gourmet dinners and wine tastings at award-winning establishments. Not only that, but we also recommend what sites to visit and where to eat and drink during their free time, so that customers can immerse themselves in the local culture. Everything is hand-picked and carefully selected.

Where's your favourite In Style destination & why?

Portugal is a great destination for In Style trips due to the variety of accommodation there. Elegant wine estates, historical palaces, manor houses, contemporary designer boutique hotels and boho-chic beach retreats. Combine this with the country’s incredible scenery, internationally renowned farm-to-table cuisine, and award-winning wine, you have the perfect In Style trip.

What are you most passionate about when it comes to our In Style trips?

With more and more people trying to reduce their carbon footprint, In Style trips encourage you to spend more and travel less, by spending more time at carefully selected and locally run accommodations that offer quality. It’s about treating yourself when you do travel. If there’s a lot to do in a particular area, our In Style trips often spend more than one night in the same place. This helps reduce the number of transfers needed which contributes to a lower environmental impact.

Do you have any tips for walking our routes?

I recently walked the full 96-mile route of the West Highland Way in 5 days and returned from the trip without a single blister or injury for the first time, despite it being the longest one I’d done. My secret? A small massage ball and anti-chafe sports cream. I’d start the day with applying the cream to my feet and then finish the day rolling out the soles of my feet on the massage ball, to help with recovery. I quickly discovered that this was a magic combination and an absolute game-changer, and I’ve been telling everyone to give this a go since!

What do you most like about working for Macs?

I love working with people who share the same passion as me - being outside, staying active, and exploring new places.

When designing these trips, what do you do to ensure they're as sustainable as possible?

Traveling by foot or by bike already reduces our environmental impact significantly, so when sourcing the accommodation, I look at their sustainability credentials. In the new Lisbon & Sintra In Style tour for example, we stay in a locally owned property which uses only renewable energy, employs local people from the surrounding area, has an organic garden and seasonal menu for their restaurant, favours local suppliers upon purchasing, and applies a zero-waste strategy.
As we work towards our B Corp certification, we’re also now applying an Impact Statement to each tour, to ensure they’re as sustainable as they can be.