North London Food & Culture

Ich Bin Kentishtowner: Sam Collins, travel guru

'My first proper memory? Seeing Jerry Lee Lewis at The Forum when I was 16, after getting plastered at the Bull & Gate with my new fake ID'

''
No, Sam is quite definitely not on the Heath. Photo: SC

Sam Collins is the founder of Ethos Travel, a South East Asian specialist tour operator. His childhood was spent alternating between Hornsey Rise, Acland Burghley and Jakarta before heading off to Asia for gap year inspiration, and ending up in Louisiana studying the blues. Ethos Travel launched in Shoreditch in 2007, but after the birth of his children, he moved his office to Kentish Town in 2010.

When were you happiest?
There is indescribable energy I get being in Asia, be it a familiar town or a brand new country. The people, cultures, new discoveries; even the complications keep me going back time and time again. I have an urge to share this. I spent a year working at Rainbow Tours for Roger Diski, an inspirational Tufnell Park man who emphasised to me that so much of the travel industry is a race to the bottom, whereas niche, specialised and service-led operators remained the future. I’m glad I listened.

But as bland as it may sound, you’ll find me at my happiest at the top of Parliament Hill at 8am with my cocker spaniel. I’m still blown away by the energy of London, and an amazing happiness I feel being part of it, every time I look out from the viewpoint.

Where would you like to live?
I’ve lived all over the world, but keep being called back to this little patch of north London. I’m currently in Gospel Oak, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Although we’re hoping to take the children to live in Asia for a year before they start secondary school.


LOCAL ADVERTISING


A w
The Heath: ‘On a quiet winter’s morning it’s a sensory overload’. Photo: Stephen Emms

What is your favourite sound or smell?
Hampstead Heath. Be it cut grass, chlorine from the lido, the woodpeckers or parakeets: on a quiet winter’s morning it’s a sensory overload. Elsewhere, the smell of kretek – Indonesian Clove Cigarettes when I step off the plane at Jakarta to see family. It oozes spice and familiarity.

What is your greatest life achievement?
Starting a travel company the day the economy fell off a cliff, and to still be here 7 years later as it finally starts to recover. And captaining Acland Burghley to the semi-finals of the London Cricket Cup: we were a football school, and only four of us had played cricked before. We narrowly lost in the semis to a private school that had six cricket fields of their own. To most of us we didn’t realise that schools like that existed; a real eye opener.

What is your earliest memory here?
Probably heading down to Kentish Town from Acland Burghley in search of lunch as Tufnell Park wasn’t the culinary destination it is now. First hich served me well for a couple of years.

What makes you unhappy?
The popular notion that “schools used to be better”. Generally local schools are far improved on what they were, and if parents got more positively involved would be even better. I’ve been involved with the inspirational Future First Alumni organisation, which originated at LASwap and sees ex-pupils return to schools to talk about their careers. It’s amazing to meet the pupils at Acland Burghley these days; it’s a much more rounded school with much improved sciences and languages from when I was there in the “halycon” arts era of the mid-1990s. Reading the papers you’d be under the impression your kids were being send to a war zone.

Also, those who buy houses just to get their children into specific schools particularly depresses me. Either use your wealth and intelligence to help improve your local school or send your children private. You are depriving other children whose parents do not have the same financial clout.

What simple thing would improve your quality of life?
Being fitter. There is an amazing amount of free and low cost fitness resources here – I do the Hampstead Heath Park Run and swim in the ponds, but that’s countered by the travel industry being an incredibly social one, where drinking, rich foods, late nights are an intrinsic part of doing business.

What is your guilty pleasure?
E.Mono. If it’s free range chicken it’s a healthy kebab right? And rocket is one of my five a day?

''
Sam Collins: ‘I’ve lived all over the world, but keep being called back to this little patch of north London’ Photo: SC

Where do you hang out?
We have weekly post-work meetings at The Vine, partly as the Southampton Arms doesn’t take cards. You’ll often find me at the bottom of a bottle of whiskey if a decent blues musician is playing at any of our amazing varied venues.

Who or what do you hate and why?
Dog owners that don’t pick up their mess. Or feel the need to own an attack dog – this is Camden, not Baltimore.

What’s been your best experience here?
The happiness exuded by my 85-year-old godfather as I introduced him to Lalibela. He was brought up on formal dining, and overcome with emotion that sociable, sharing dishes existed.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
At 6’6″, I’m never going to be elegant, so as long as I’m not covered in baby sick my appearance doesn’t worry me.

Tell us a secret.
I don’t really care about having money, which I’m sure probably puts me at odds with running a business, or bringing up children.

What is your favourite dish and why?
Xacuti Chicken from Fleet Road Tandoori. It’s the most moreish dish I’ve had, and have been happily addicted for 12 years.

What did you do today?
I started writing our new Timor Leste programme. Lunch was on the Heath reading a bird guide as I’m working at the Rutland Bird Fair with the Christmas Island Tourist Board. Twitchers are some of the most knowledgeable, and scariest people I’ve met, so I want to be prepared.

Describe yourself as an animal.
A grass snake. I’m quite happy never being seen, as long as you know I’m out there.

Find out more about Ethos Travel here

Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment

About Kentishtowner

The award-winning print and online title Kentishtowner was founded in 2010 and is part of London Belongs To Me, a citywide network of travel guides for locals. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section.