Ralph Foulds

Director | Indian Subcontinent & Asia specialist

A little background...

My first taste of foreign travel was to Jordan with my parents, as they wanted to go somewhere special for what they thought would be their last holiday together with my brother and I. I loved it, and seized on the chance after finishing university to travel with a group of friends overland by truck to India and Nepal. Our business grew out of that first trip, and after several years driving and managing overland trips, myself and Martin formed Uncover the World to turn a lifestyle into a successful business. I’ve since visited all our main destinations many times, and have developed some great friendships with our local representatives and guides. Its hard to decide which I love more – revisiting our main destinations and the friends we’ve made there, or exploring new countries in the depth necessary for us to feel happy to start offering them.

Which regions do you specialise in?

I manage the operations side of our business in most of our destinations, working with our local suppliers and guides on our quality of service, accommodation options, contracts & prices etc. However, I also like to maintain direct contact with our customers, and cover enquiries for tours to Bhutan and Sri Lanka in particular, two of my favourite countries.

What are your top 5 travel experiences?

• Tasting new foods and learning new recipe ideas in local restaurants or when visiting our local staff’s family houses, something many of our travellers also do.
• Exploring rural Thailand by bicycle from the Thanathree converted rice barge – miles away from the regular tourist routes.
• Driving through the desert towards Wadi Rum at sunset, sitting on the roof of the cab of one of our overland trucks, looking for somewhere to camp.
• Travelling through Iran and Pakistan, and enjoying how different to our travellers’ expectations they are.
• Designing and building our eco-lodge in Bardia National Park, Nepal.

What would your dream holiday include?

My wife being there as well, first of all. After that, any trip that combines getting out into nature and seeing beautiful new landscapes and wildlife, with the chance to get ‘lost’ exploring exotic foreign cities on foot. Not forgetting eating plenty of new local foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner!