Andy Washington

Andy Washington is joined Expedia in June 2011 as Managing Director for UK and Ireland. He has spent his career contributing to the development of domestic and global travel businesses, driving fast track scale, efficiencies and the ultimate customer experience.

As a Director and board member, Andy has extensive sales, commercial, business change, leadership and operations experience acquired with major travel, leisure and retail companies.

Starting his career at the Rank Group, delivering many of the market leading domestic holidays offered today, he progressed his career with experience in Tour Operating, Aviation and Online retailing with rapid career development at Cosmos, lastminute.com, Thomascook.com and now Expedia, which continues to be the world’s largest online travel retailer.

Andy is a highly recognised figure within the travel industry and has been fast-tracked for success and ranked as one of the ‘New captains of the industry’ by ABTA and was recently named one of the top 101 most influential dot com directors in the UK.

My best trip
Vegas baby! It has to be the playground that is Las Vegas. After three very different trips to the capital of no sleep, I still want to go back time and time again. I have stayed in some of the best and worst properties – and always had an amazing time.

It’s as if you are in a different world, where you can forget your worries. Everyone has a story to tell in Vegas – even if they aren’t all true, they are enticingly engaging.

A trip to Vegas wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Grand Canyon. This was quite possibly the most gob smacking place I have ever visited. The scale and rawness of the Canyon is mind blowing and I can’t wait to go back and see its wonders with my family in years to come. Going to Las Vegas has never been a gamble!

My top travel tips
• Choose a suntan lotion factor and then buy the next one up – don’t ruin your holiday by burning your skin
• Lighters, aerosols, matches, scissors – pack them in your hold luggage – there are still many people getting stopped at customs
• If you still feel the need to visit a high street travel agent, then take your smart phone/tablet with you... Once they have given you a price – quickly research it on the Expedia app or at Expedia.co.uk – I am very confident we will beat the price you are quoted!
• Check your holiday is protected – don’t book a break with a company that is not ATOL protected – even if it saves you £1 – you will pay for it in the long run.

Expedia’s ‘Modern Explorer’ campaign
To highlight the consistency in the emotional reasons for travel vs the dramatic changes in HOW we travel, Expedia conducted a social experiment by sending four modern explorers to recreate Vasco da Gama’s famous Spice Route journey – to explore the ways in which technology has fundamentally changed the way we experience travel. Expedia’s Modern Explorers used technology to unearth the best of each place they visited, whilst also supporting them in their journey so they could spend less time thinking about the practicalities of getting there and more time getting under the skin of the destinations they visited.

Visit http://explorer.expedia.co.uk/ to inspire your own trip of a lifetime.