Rockbird is an independent travel company founded in 2019 by husband and wife Alex and Laura Shelton. We met in 2010 while working for one of Richard Branson's travel companies, and we've been lucky enough to travel to many corners of the world together, including a honeymoon around Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands. The name was partly inspired by our daughter Ella, who has always been fascinated by birds.
I was born in Rio de Janeiro, raised in Hong Kong and educated in Scotland, so travel has always been in my DNA, especially long-haul. After university I spent a couple of years travelling around Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and when I came home I knew I wanted a career in travel. I started in the industry in 2000 and held senior roles at Trailfinders, Virgin Holidays, Hayes & Jarvis and Austravel. Today I specialise in the Indian Ocean: Mauritius, the Seychelles, the Maldives and Dubai.
Mauritius is especially close to my heart. We've spent four Easters there with the family, each time staying at a different hotel in a different part of the island, most recently Sugar Beach and Paradis Beachcomber. We also make a point of visiting other resorts on day trips, so I know the island's hotels first-hand, not just from a brochure, and can match you to the right one for your style, budget and time of year.
Favourite places: For beaches you can't beat the Maldives, and the beach at Paradis in Mauritius is one of my all-time favourites, with the Seychelles, Gili Meno and the Perhentian Islands close behind. For nature, it's trekking in Nepal or safari in Kenya and Tanzania. A hot-air balloon ride over the Masai Mara is one of my fondest memories.
Next on my list: Taking our children to the Maldives so they can experience it for themselves: the snorkelling, the lagoons and those incredible over-water villas. One day I'd also love to take the family back to Rio to show them where I used to live.
Laura started at Virgin Holidays putting together tailor-made packages, then worked as brand manager for Sovereign and Citalia, where she got to know the best places to stay in Europe. Her favourite destination is Greece, where her family is from.
