If you read this blog regularly, you no doubt have seen mention of my desire to “escape the cubicle”. Getting out of the office either through telecommuting or entrepreneurship (or discovering that trust fund that you KNOW your mother is hiding from you) figures regularly in my posts.  I love hearing stories about people who have taken the plunge and changed their lives for the better by discovering the world around them on their own schedule.

That “Escape the Cubicle” feeling

Right out of college, I landed what many business students would consider a dream job. As an analyst with one of the big US consulting firms, I earned a higher than average salary, got insight to some of the top corporations, and traveled around the world on the company’s dime as an “expert” in Customer Relationship Management.  Working in Paris for one project then whisked off to a meeting in Buenos Aires for another project…it was all very glamours and sexy…and stressful.

While I loved the financial benefits and travel the job provided, the constant 12 – 15 hour days wore on me. One of the most challenging assignments I had also introduced me to what would quickly become my home away from home. My favorite city, London.  On assignment there for nearly a year, I was thrilled to be living in such a vibrant global city.  But the actual work took a toll on me and made me question if consulting was the right career choice. I was never so happy and so miserable at the same time!

While working in London, I got to know a good friend named Rob, a British member of my project team. He was one of those guys everyone enjoyed working and socializing with.  Smart and a hard worker, he also easily shared a smile and was always ready to grab a pint at the pub after work. He quickly become one of my favorite people in the office. Even after the project ended and I moved back to the US, I still hopped on a plane to fly back to London for a weekend to celebrate his 30th birthday bash.

Still, as so often happens, with time and distance growing, we lost touch.  A few years ago, I heard through the grapevine about Rob’s promotion to Partner in that same consulting firm. What a big accomplishment to achieve (not to mention a ton of work). Even though we had not spoken in years, I was very proud to hear that.

Then, last summer, I met up with a mutual friend from the London consulting days and over a couple of cocktails we played the “whatever happened to so-and-so” game.  When we got to Rob’s name, I was surprised to hear that he had left consulting and, along with his wife (who I’d also known from the consulting days), had started their own travel business that specialized in tailor-made European experiences.  He’d done it! He had escaped the cubicle and in a big way.  And his new company, Brighter Escapes, can help you escape the cubicle too, even if just for a week or two on a personalized European vacation!

The promotion to partner in a global consulting firm is definitely a huge accomplishment, but leaving all of that behind to start your own travel business? Well, that really spoke to me.  I had to get in touch with Rob again and through the magic of Facebook (which shockingly was not around when we worked together) we were able to reconnect. So inspired by he and his wife’s story and proud of what they created, I asked if I could interview them for There’s So Much to See.

Please read on to find out how they escaped the cubicle and to find out how Brighter Escapes can help plan your tailor made European vacation.

Q & A with Rob Ward of Brighter Escapes

TSMTS: Can you tell us a little bit about Brighter Escapes?

Rob: My wife Niamh and I started Brigther Escapes with the aim of creating unique travel experiences and escapes in beautiful destinations in Europe. We want people to see more of the world, experience something new, escape work and create new memories.

All of our escapes are tailor-made, created specifically for our clients and the things they love to do. We base our trips on 5 types of escapes which our clients can choose from: (1) Family, (2) Discover and Explore, (3) Skiing, (4) Active & Adventurous and (5) Wellness.

This year we are offering escapes in Chamonix, Mont Blanc and Annecy in France, the Italian Lake region and the Swiss Riviera. We are also excited about our 2018/2019 ski season which will feature trips in France, Italy and Switzerland.

At the harbor in Lake Como

TSMTS:  When did you first get the idea to start Brighter Escapes and how long before your company launched?

Rob:  My wife and I have always had a love for travel, for seeing the world, and we have been lucky enough to travel to some unbelievable places. Travel and experiencing the world has always been our passion, but never our jobs.

I took a sabbatical from my consulting job in 2013 and Niamh and I took our boys (Noah 3.5 and Ben 1.5 years old at the time) to Chamonix in the French Alps to live for a year. We enjoyed an unforgettable year – climbing Mont Blanc, running mountain marathons, hearing the kids speak French and watching them learn to ski, walking in the most beautiful mountains and visiting parts of Europe, some of which we hadn’t even heard of before.

From Cinque Terre or Barolo in Italy to Montreux in Switzerland or Annecy in France we found beautiful places, enticing languages, delicious foods, fascinating cultures and experiences we just adored. Our friends and family joined us and had a fantastic time, many having discovered experiences they just loved and couldn’t stop talking fondly about.

So that was it. The seed was sown. We fell in love with Chamonix and the region. But with a senior-level executive job to return to, a house in London and schools for the kids, we were faced with some difficult decisions about if and how we could create a business to help others experience inspiring places in Europe. That was July 2014.

We made the decision to start Brighter Escapes the following year and, with a deep breath, several bottles of wine, and plenty of hard work to set things up and change our lives, the company was formally launched in July 2017.

Rob Ward during an 80 KM mountain race in France

TSMTS: What or who inspired you to leave the corporate world and begin Brighter Escapes?

Rob:   There wasn’t one defining person or moment that led to my decision to leave my consulting position, but I’d say there is a two part answer.

We live in an incredible world. Every time I travel, or even escape on holiday, I feel more alive. I find inspiration in the people I meet, the places I see and the things I experience. Having worked over 20 years in the corporate world I longed to see and experience more over the next 20. Life is just too precious not to try and make the most of every day.

The catalyst for us was our boys. My job was fairly all consuming. I’d rarely see my sons Noah and Ben from Monday to Friday and then at weekends we’d be so busy, and my mind was frequently so occupied by work, that the time we spent together wasn’t what it should have been. A whole year passed and I realized I had only been to Ben’s school once to pick him up – once in a whole year! These years – from 5 to 12, perhaps before the teenage years begin – are so precious. Such an incredible, defining time in their lives and I was absent far too much of the time.

My wife Niamh and I talked about these things so often – and eventually decided it was time for a change.

Niamh Ward trekking in the Chamonix Valley

TSMTS: Tell me about your biggest challenge starting Brighter Escapes.

Rob:  As I imagine many founders of a small business will tell you, we have faced plenty of challenges, but most have been manageable.

The hardest for us is also by far the most important – growing our customer base. We have been so lucky to have some early clients who have trusted us to create their holidays for them, and their feedback has been amazingly positive and encouraging. But we’re certainly not complacent and we’ll need more people to be inspired by our ideas, perhaps based on a recommendation from others, to trust us and give us the opportunity to help create an amazing holiday for them.

TSMTS: And what about the biggest benefit from starting Brighter Escapes?

Rob: Now this one’s easy.

For Brighter Escapes to be a success we have to continue to find beautiful places and cool experiences for people to enjoy. We’re constantly searching for something special or unique – like a magical boutique hotel on the shores of a lake, a mountain refuge in a stunning setting that families can trek up to and spend the night in under the stars, or a couple of young Swiss mountain guides with boundless energy and a secret igloo they build every year in a secluded setting in a forest.

Finding these people and places isn’t easy, but then experiencing them ourselves to insure they’ll work for our clients isn’t a great chore!

Rob and Niamh Ward take on an ice climbing adventure – all in the name of research.

TSMTS:  Pretend you are a client of Brighter Escapes instead of an owner. What kind of trip would you like to have planned for you?

Rob: I’ve always wanted to travel through Croatia, perhaps on a road trip to really experience the country. From everything I’ve read and heard I’m sure I’d love it, and that our clients would too. From the beauty of the coast and myriad islands, to the history forged through millennia set at the cross-roads of the Balkans and central Europe. I imagine visiting walled cities and ancient architecture in Dubrovnik or Split. The foods, colors, traditions and way of life in smaller villages all sound amazing to me!

It’s not somewhere we can offer yet, but we’ve talked about spending next summer exploring the country and meeting the people so it’s one to watch out for in the next couple of years!

Just throwing in a TSMTS photo of Croatia to keep Rob motivated.

TSMTS: What experiences from your “previous life” helped you to build Brighter Escapes?

Rob: I’ve been very lucky – to have traveled widely and seen and experienced so much of the world – and to have worked for a company who offered me demanding but exciting work that allowed me to continually learn.

In my two most recent corporate roles I helped design and build a new bank in the UK market, and then led the acquisition of a design agency before integrating it and running it globally. Designing, building and running businesses provided me with a depth of valuable experience to call on.

Of course, there’s nothing quite as real as then doing it for yourself – for us it was all centered on what we hoped and believed people would love to do and experience during their precious time away from work.  Then the real work began – defining a brand and proposition, designing and building a website and presence on social media, making sure that industry affiliation, legal requirements, accounting disciplines, insurance, supplier relationships and other core components of a business are taken care of.

TSMTS: What advice would you give someone who is thinking of leaving corporate life and starting their own business?

Rob: Do it!! Life is short so believe in yourself and follow your dreams. Be prepared of course, but it’s impossible to be certain about what the future holds. Have faith and take the first big step.

A sunny mountain trek. Photo Credit: Monica Dalmasso

TSMTS: Describe three ways in which your life has improved since starting Brighter Escapes.

Rob: (1) We’re seeing and experiencing so many special things now, and many of them as a family. Most weekends and school holidays you’ll find us out exploring somewhere new. Whether it is a Christmas market on the shores of Lake Geneva or a beautiful island in the middle of Lake Como, we set out as a family to explore. And it is all in the name of market research!

(2) Over 20 years into my working life and I’m learning every day again. It’s exhilarating and a little frightening, but it feels good.

(3) Last but certainly not least, Niamh and I see our boys every day. I’m part of their lives – at school, at home, at weekends. I help with their homework. I hear their stories over dinner. We enjoy experiencing new things, and having a few adventures at weekends and during school holidays. During the most precious time of their lives, we’re part of their lives. And that I could never regret.

Brighter Escapes – a life changing career move which made more photos like this possible.

TSMTS: Rob, thank you so much for sharing your story with me and my readers.  I am always searching for stories about how to “escape the cubicle” and you delivered an inspiring real world example.  Not only that, your company also helps its customers escape the cubicle, even if only for a short while. Best wishes and success for you, your family and Brighter Escapes.

Interested in finding out more about Brighter Escapes and the European experiences they offer? Please visit them at:

Website: https://www.brighterescapes.com/.

Instagram: @brighterescapes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brighterescapes/

Email: info@brigtherescapes.com

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*Please note that all opinions are my own and I did not receive any financial compensation from Brighter Escapes to provide this post.