Geoff & Andrea

Meet the creators of Rose + Gully Travel Guides.
After 12 years of international adventures, their love for travel and each other is still going strong.

We get a lot of questions about who we are and why we decided to start writing travel itineraries. Here are a couple of the most frequently asked questions:

How do you like to travel?

Since we met 12 years ago we’ve traveled the globe doing everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel to sleeping in a Bedouin tent in the Sahara. In the process we’ve developed an appreciation for venturing off the beaten path as well as unique ways to experience popular destinations.

A few of our past adventures include riding camels through the Moroccan desert, beach-hopping in southern Portugal, finding secret cocktail bars in NYC, trekking through rice paddies in the northern Vietnamese mountains and staying in a unique Arts and Crafts mansion in the English countryside. We’re up for anything.  We like to find destinations, accommodations and restaurants that are good value for money. We splurge where it makes sense, and save on things that don’t make a difference to the trip.

Where are your favourite places in the world?

Andrea: For me it’s a tie. We rode motorbikes back up the Muong Hoa valley in northern Vietnam at sunset after hiking down for hours to a remote waterfall. The views were incredible enough to completely distract me from having fairly seriously burnt my leg on the exhaust pipe of the bike (total tourist move!).

Then there is Grand Case beach on the island of St. Maarten (French side). At precisely 4:37pm there is a intoxicating afternoon light and sparkle on the water that makes the rest of the world and its problem melt away.

Geoff: Yeah, that beach at Grand Case is pretty amazing. If I could, I would live in a shack there and spend my days writing bad sci-fi novels. For me it’s a tough choice between that beach and the experience of zipping around the surreal Turkish countryside in Cappadocia on a scooter. Free tip: don’t drive your scooter up a creek if you want your rental deposit back.

Why did you start writing travel guides and itineraries?

When planning our vacations we put a tremendous amount of time and effort into our research. We like to mix adventure and unique experiences with some serious rest and relaxation. Our honeymoon was no exception. After tying the knot in the mountains of Lake Louise, Alberta, we embarked on a six-week journey through Thailand and Vietnam, staying in a mix of 5-star resorts, small guesthouses, and even a shack on a remote elephant reserve.

A few years after our own honeymoon, we started giving homemade travel guides to friends and family as wedding gifts along with an actual guidebook and a baggy full of cash to spend on their trip. Several friends were departing on honeymoons to locations we’d already visited with no idea or plan for what they would do when they got there. Super busy getting ready for their wedding day, their honeymoon went largely ignored.  We created lists of places to eat, hidden gems we found, and a host of other information to rescue their once in a lifetime trip. Our first honeymoon itineraries comprised of a simple word doc and a custom google map with all the recommendations plotted out.

Since then, the guides have come a long way and we’re eager to share them with you!

If your names are Geoff and Andrea, who are Rose and Gully?

Ohhhhhh… ummmm…. why they’re just the cutest little couple around town, don’t ya think? At least they sound cute, right? The name Rose and Gully was created by a close (and brilliantly creative) friend of ours combining Rose from the compass rose, and Gully short for Gulliver’s Travels. We just think they sound like a pair that loves to travel and experience the world.

Do you have day jobs?

Yeah. Which can sometimes get in the way of traveling. But it’s also the reason why we like to research and plan our trips so carefully. Every day off is a fantastic break and opportunity to unwind, recharge and experience something new.

Geoff is a lawyer by day but hopes you won’t hold that against him. He is also the goalie on his law firm’s soccer team and often litigates his way to important calls. In his spare time, he has published travel articles and photos in The Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest daily newspaper. You can read a couple here and here.

Andrea is a serial entrepreneur currently running two companies in the wedding and travel industries. Check out SmartBrideBoutique.com (if you’re getting married!) and Digital Coconut. She has also been published in The Globe and Mail after returning from a conference in India (photos & article). More often than not, she’s written about or appearing on breakfast TV shows across North America. View some examples here and here.

 

How old are you?

Don’t you know you should never ask a lady her age? Let’s put it this way – we are in our thirties and were both born in the year of the monkey.  You figure it out 😉

Did we miss something?

If you have any other questions or comments, feel free to drop us a note. We’d love any feedback you have about the guides and your trips and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

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