We talk to On the Road Experiences’ intrepid host, Mareen Windisch, about her favourite places, family holidays and the challenges of staying fit on the road…

This interview took quite some time to arrange. So far in 2018, Mareen has been to Cambodia (twice), Laos (twice), Myanmar (twice), Nepal, Yunnan, Tibet and Spain. And it’s still only September!

We finally caught up with Mareen in Hong Kong to talk about her life On the Road…

My first trip for On the Road Experiences was in Yunnan, on our Summit to Sea: From Yunnan to Vietnam journey. Vietnam was my special area of expertise for a while and I love it there.

The first journeys that I researched and designed were our Burmese journeys. My mum has been visiting Myanmar for years, so I took my kids there for a trip in 2014 before I undertook the On the Road research in 2015. Exploring by car was a revelation; the country was so beautiful, the roads are really lovely to drive (nice and empty!) and the country really has retained its own culture – something that is increasingly rare.

In Myanmar, I love driving off-road around Bagan. There are tiny villages tucked away between these tumbled-down temples, and you can completely forget that you’re in one of the country’s main attractions.

So far, my favourite drive has been one that we did on a private journey from Inle Lake to the Thai border at Tachileik. We had to apply for a special permit to use the road. At one village I signed the immigration book, and saw that in the last eight months just 14 other foreigners had passed through. The road leads through the Shan Hills, so it’s very scenic, and runs through some interesting Palaung villages. The accommodation isn’t very luxurious, but we all felt that it was worth it to see such an untouched area.

The best part of my work is finding very meaningful, local experiences, and sharing these with our guests. For example, in Cambodia there is a female dance group that we visit. They do a private performance for us each time we go. It’s a contemporary version of traditional Khmer apsara dance. The dancers show their country’s past through dance, and express their own personal stories too. It’s beautiful and very touching. Also in Cambodia, I love the drive through the Cardamom Hills, and can’t wait to do that when we return in November.

This job has helped me to rediscover my adventurous side. When I was younger, I was very adventurous, and enjoyed travelling all over Asia, backpacking and using public transport. After I had my children, we started going to resorts and on beach holidays, and fell out of the habit of really travelling.

But since I started working with On the Road Experiences, we’ve also begun to take more adventurous family holidays. We went hiking in Nepal, and have been backpacking in Myanmar as a family too. We sponsor a child in Cambodia, and recently went to visit her in Phnom Penh and took her out for a day.

I think it’s invaluable for my children to see how other kids live, and to see how simply and easily they can help others. It’s great watching them soak everything up; they’re endlessly distracted by new sights and experiences.

In the beginning, it was tough for my kids each time I went away, but they’re well used to it by now. I think it’s helped them to become more independent as they grow up. These days, my main trouble is staying fit on the road! At home, I have a good fitness routine worked out, but it all goes to pot when I’m away. I feel like I’m starting over again each time I get home. Earlier this year, in Myanmar, I managed to get our driver Mr Gu and our guide to come out jogging with me each morning before breakfast, which I felt was quite an achievement!

At the end of October I’m returning to Laos and Cambodia for three weeks. We’re setting out from Luang Prabang and visiting the Plain of Jars, which is a really enigmatic archaeological site in central Laos, then driving to Vang Vieng and Vientiane, where we will pick up the rest of the group and head south to Cambodia on Indochina: From the Mekong to the Gulf of Thailand.

There has been a lot of rain in the area this summer, and there has been some flooding in places. We’re doing our best to support the hotels and places we visit, but sometimes this has to be balanced against our chief aim – giving our guests the best experience of a place. There are always new challenges – and new adventures in store. But isn’t that what life is all about?