Hilary Bradt

Hilary Bradt made her first (unintentional) solo journey aged three, and has continued to seek adventure throughout her life.  She firmly believes that risk is a necessary part of a good life, and is proud to have hitchhiked into her 70s and recently, in Germany, aged 82. Trained as an occupational therapist, she worked in the USA and South Africa, funding her travels, until employers started to question the long gaps between jobs.  Founding Bradt Guides with her then husband George in 1974 with a series of backpacking guides allowed her to turn a passion into a job, and despite the challenges of knowing nothing about business she succeeded in steering the company through some difficult times before handing it over to the current capable team. Hilary’s focus on opening up unusual destinations to responsible tourism earned her an MBE in 2008, and four ‘Lifetime Achievement’ awards. One of the best moments was walking under a guard of honour, with raised swords, at the President’s Palace in Madagascar in 2018 after being made an Officer of the National Order of Madagascar for services to tourism.