The Born Explorer
Q&A with Phil Asker, the founder of luxury tour company, Captain’s Choice
Captain’s Choice offers all-inclusive private tours to remote and exotic destinations across the world, giving discerning travellers the chance to visit fascinating places in luxurious surroundings. The company offers tours by private train, cruise ship and private jet, always offering the most luxurious accommodation, facilities and experiences along the way.
The company’s founder Phil Asker handpicks every detail of each tour to ensure guests see the very best each destination has to offer. He spends four months a year travelling around the world, mapping out routes and discovering extraordinary places and activities for future tours. While he may be an entrepreneur, having forged a highly unique and successful international business, Phil is first and foremost a pioneer. He boldly goes where no tour operator has gone before, from the traditional culture of Bhutan on the Exotic India tour, to the largely unseen territory of North Korea on the Heart of Japan tour. Here, we find out how and when Phil’s love for travel first sparked, and when he first decided to take the plunge and charter a jet plane…
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How old were you when you had your first taste of travel? Have you always felt an urge to discover new places?
I started travelling around my home city of Melbourne as an 8 year old and by the time I was 9 had covered every suburban train, tram and public bus route, much of it on my own. I have always had a passion for trains and ships and planes. As a 12 year old I obtained a pass to visit every passenger ship that called in Port Melbourne, and by 14 convinced my parents to take me to New Zealand on the maiden voyage of the original Oriana.
What is your favourite form of transport and why?
It is a toss up between a private jet and a private train. Captain’s Choice has been operating private jets around the world since 1994 and I have had some incredible journeys as Tour Manager on these flights. Likewise, our private trains across the Silk Road through Africa and around India are a stunning way to see unique destinations.
How did you first come up with the idea to launch private jet tours?
20 years ago after many years of operating tours, I felt there was a lack of group tours aimed at the top end of the market. After many months we convinced Qantas to charter us a Boeing 767 for a 16 day trip around Asia and Africa. This led to our now vastly expanded range of private jet tours.
How many countries have you visited so far?
I think it is now 172.
How do you find travelling solo?
I am a very inquisitive solo traveller. I find nothing better than going for a jog or walk early in the morning in a new destination and watching it come to life. I always seek out interesting restaurants and have no problem dining alone. About 40% of our travellers on our private jet and private train tours are solo travellers and we do our utmost to make them feel welcome.
Have you ever travelled to a place and really not liked it? If so, where?
Lagos, Nigeria. From the moment of stepping off the plane until I stepped back on the plane, I had people seeking bribes and hassling me for money in quite a threatening way. I do not plan to return.
When you travel do you feel an inclination to document the things you see, either in writing or in photography or is experiencing them enough for you?
I used to be a keen photographer, but now prefer to look at the world with my own eyes instead of looking through a viewfinder. I record details of all my travels and can go back to tell you where I was 35 years ago, etc.
I am sure that you have seen some incredible sights in your life. Can you pin point the most awe inspiring moment you have experienced on a jet tour?
A hard question to answer! Circling Easter Island, viewing numerous Moai statues, seeing the quarry where they were made and landing at the world’s most remote airport (5.5 hours from anywhere) is a great experience.
Do you ever get exhausted with flying everywhere and just want to go home for a nice cup of tea?
Sometimes I do get exhausted, but I am always excited to see the next destination and experience another culture.
What would you say to someone thinking of going on a Captain’s Choice tour, but is not sure if it is worth the cost?
While our tours are not inexpensive, we do offer outstanding value for money. One of our guests wrote to us recently and said: “My wife saw your advertisement and called for the brochure. She showed it to me and I said no way – we are not group tour people. I then saw the price – no xyz way! Anyway, she won, we went and we just had the best 3 weeks of our lives and we don’t know how you do it for the money.”
Can you recommend a tour on the lower end of your price range?
Surprisingly our “the heart of Ancient Japan” tour is one of the more economical in our portfolio. 16 stunning days travelling mainly by Japan’s fabulous trains while your luggage moved from hotel room to hotel room by truck, is a bargain at GBP11,550 in a notoriously expensive country. We time the tour for March to include Cherry Blossom time in Japan and always have great comments from our guests.
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