Meet the team

Vanessa is the founder and Chief of GoLearnTo.com.
Vanessa began her career at the tender age of 16 as the 4th team member in a start-up business that grew to over 200 people before being sold to Virgin. She has well over 20 years’ experience in the travel industry working in senior roles from Managing Director of product at STA Travel, Managing Director at MyTravel to Aviation Manager at Virgin.

Tired of the corporate gibberish, Vanessa returned back to her roots to start GoLearnTo.com.

Today Vanessa trials new holidays. She meets the tutors. Tracks website visits and is an SEO fanatic – you could call her a nerd, we do. She manages the team. Talks with our partners around the world. Chats with journalists. Mentors at the London Business School Entrepreneurial Faculty. Frequently dabbles in IT support and is working on a new website development project. She has been awarded the SHINE corporate woman of the year award and was shortlisted for Red Magazine's 'Red Hot Women award' in the online business category. She tangos on Tuesdays and perfects her downward dog on Wednesdays. She drinks 10 cups of tea a day. Oh and she is a mother of toddler twins.

Vanessa’s favourite GoLearnTo.com holiday: photography in Andalucía, Spain.
It was the location. It’s breathtakingly calm, it really makes you feel creative and this is coming from a person without a creative bone in my body!

Vanessa’s next GoLearnTo.com holiday: jewellery making and cooking in Toulouse, France.
I can make my own jewellery and cook French food, yes please.

Jane is our chief all-rounder.
Jane and her team know how the company ticks. Jane likes art galleries, photography and terrible music. She is a sucker for pictures of baby hedgehogs (they’re called hoglets by the way). But don’t be fooled, she’s one clued up Jane-of-all-trades and keeps the rest of us afloat.

Jane’s favourite GoLearnTo.com holiday: perfume making in Grasse, France.
I wear the perfume daily and every whiff takes me back to holidaying in beautiful sunny Grasse!

Jane's next GoLearnTo.com holiday: photography and yoga in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica.
I dream of this holiday on rainy days in London. There’s so much on offer here and it’s a really social holiday. I’d love to explore Jaco Beach and trek through the rainforests too.

Sally is our chief of marketing.
Sally and her team spread the word of GoLearnTo.com. Sally originates from New Zealand. She’s been here two years but we still can’t tell the difference between her A’s and E’s. Sally eats an alarming amount of fruit and is an enthusiast for marine-life documentaries. She also wants to go on every single GoLearnTo.com holiday – now.

Sally’s favourite GoLearnTo.com holiday: surf and yoga in Cadiz, Spain.

My three favourite things; yoga, surfing (despite my lack of skill) and holidays. This is an easy winner.

Sally’s next GoLearnTo.com holiday: Patisserie in Bordeaux, France.
I forgot to mention my other favourite thing. French pastries. This is one of our top sellers and I have no doubt as to why.

Claire is our chief of customer happiness.
Claire and her team are the travel experts. Claire hails from France and loves languages but hates olives, almonds and she's a clean freak. Every time Claire is on the phone to France or Italy the whole office comes to a standstill to listen. If only we could understand. But for now we’re happy to think she’s discussing which region produces the best pinot noir and why Roquefort is far superior to Camembert (no stereotyping here).

Claire’s favourite GoLearnTo.com holiday: pizza, pasta gelato in Sorrento, Italy.
I love all things Italian and this holiday rolls it all into one. The chefs are fantastic as well and you’re made to feel right at home.

Claire's next GoLearnTo.com holiday: Horse riding holiday in Essaouira, Morocco.
Riding on beaches, sand dunes, camping out under the stars, stopping off in small quiet fishing villages… what’s not to like?

Katy is our chief holiday hunter.
Katy finds our new holidays. She's also our resident expert on all things Spanish having lived in Madrid doing her best to teach Spanish teenagers who shouted and smoked in class. Katy’s favourite things are grown up coffee and wearing kids sized clothes. Dairy products and white chocolate deeply offend her.

Katy’s favourite GoLearnTo.com holiday: raw food and yoga in Biarrtiz, France.
This is an incredible spot to unwind and you learn practical raw food recipes with ingredients fresh from the garden.

Katy's next GoLearnTo.com holiday: cooking in Mexico.
I lived in the village where this holiday is in Mexico and I adored it. I’m serious when it comes to Mexican food as well, so this holiday has my name all over it.

Sacha is our chief weekender.
Sacha works odd hours. She steps in when the others are gallivanting around the globe. She is hobby hopper. One week she’s learning to samba, the next she’s promising to knit us all team jumpers. The only thing she can’t seem to get right are cupcakes, but don’t worry we’re doing our bit to help.

Sacha’s favourite GoLearnTo.com holiday: Surfing in Famara, Spain.
The people made this holiday for me. The tutors, the guests, the locals, everyone was so friendly and I made some friends for life. Throw in surfing and stunning beaches, what’s not to like?

Sacha’s next GoLearnTo.com holiday: cocktail making in Turkey.
You’re on a beach in Turkey. You’re drinking the fruits of your labour. You’re staying in luxury accommodation, it’s a no brainer.

Anthony is our chief developer.
Anthony and his team from Earthware keep the website running like clockwork. Anthony loves snowboarding and is about to have twins bringing his family total to four kids under 5. He’s still in shock.

GoLearnTo.com holiday you dream of:
I'd go for surfing and yoga in Costa Rica as I'm very sporty and I've always wanted to try surfing but equally need de-stressing!

Our chief copy writers

Rachel - Rachel tells us she used to be chubby and have a monobrow. We don’t believe her, but if it’s true then she is our very own ugly duckling turned swan. Rachel has biscuits for breakfast and loves red lipstick. When pen is put to paper you’d have no idea Rachel is still a young'un, she’s our secret wordsmith weapon!

Rachel’s dream GoLearnTo.com holiday is: horse riding working holiday in Granada, Spain. Call me a workaholic but a few weeks working and learning on a ranch in Spain sounds brilliant to me!

Pippa - Pippa lives in London and likes the theatre, snowboarding, dog-friendly pubs, a glass of wine, Wispa Golds, travelling, going on boats, horse riding, and attempting to speak French.

Pippa's dream GoLearnTo.com holiday is: horse riding and wine tasting in Bordeaux because I like riding and I like wine! I also love France.