Luxury Ambassador of the Month

Diana Carter, Founder · Carter, Poland

What sparked your passion for luxury travel?

"I think I was a traveller long before I became a travel professional. I have always been curious about what is on the other side of the map, especially the places that are difficult to reach and still feel untouched. When I founded Carter in 2003, travel was a very different industry. There was no Instagram telling us where we should go next, and luxury travel in Poland was still a new concept. After more than twenty years in this business, I can still arrive somewhere and be completely surprised. For me, luxury has never really been about marble bathrooms, golden taps or the biggest presidential suite. It is about access, freedom, privacy and experiences that are difficult to reproduce. Sometimes the greatest luxury is simply being somewhere where there is no mobile signal, no traffic and almost nobody else around. I love travelling to South Morocco, Namibia and places like Patagonia – to get lost."

Image: Carter

Career

  • 2003: Founding Carter Luxury Travel Management Industry
  • 2014: Becoming Belmond Ambassador for Trains & Cruises
  • 2003-2015: Building Carter's international network, discovering the world first-hand, increasingly specialising in tailor-made travel
  • 2015: Starting Partnership with Forbes Poland
  • 2015-2023: Moving further into experiential and ultra-luxury travel
  • 2024: Receiving international recognition through the International Travel Award in Dubai as Best Luxury Tour Operator in Poland
  • 2026: Focussing on highly personalised journeys for HNW and UHNW travellers

Which travel themes do you specialize in?

"Africa has always been very close to my heart, particularly East and Southern Africa. I love safari, remote lodges and private concessions, but also the logistics behind complicated journeys – small aircraft, helicopters, boats and places that require some effort to reach. I am equally fascinated by expedition travel and remote destinations: Antarctica and Greenland, Patagonia, Mongolia, the Pacific islands and some of the more isolated parts of Asia. At Carter, we also work extensively with private islands, villas, yachts and exceptional cruises. Personally, I am much more interested in adventure than in conventional luxury. I can enjoy an extraordinary hotel, but the following month I am perfectly happy travelling by 4x4, sleeping somewhere with very little infrastructure and waking up in the middle of nowhere. The more difficult a place is to reach, the more curious I usually become."

What's the most unusual client request you've ever had?

"After more than twenty years, I could probably write a book about unusual requests. The interesting thing is that the wealthiest clients do not necessarily ask for the most expensive things. Very often they ask for something that money alone cannot easily buy: privacy, access or spontaneity. We closed the Old Cairo Museum for a few hours, as our clients don’t like crowded places. Another time our client wanted to open the New York Stock Exchange – we managed to organize it. During the World Football Cup in 2010 we had to find a fleet of bulletproof limousines one day before the final match. But the requests I enjoy most are the ones that initially sound almost impossible. In luxury travel, the answer should rarely be an immediate 'no'. It starts with a few phone calls and normally most requests can be accommodated."

Have your expectations ever been seriously exceeded?

"There have been several occasions, but Singita lodges in South Africa are probably the first ones that changed my perception of luxury. Another one was Miavana Time+Tides in Nosy Ankao, off the northern coast of Madagascar. Flying by helicopter over the remote islands and landing in places visited by only a handful of people each year was extraordinary. What stayed with me most was not the villa or the service, but the views of baobab forests and the sound of music played by the helicopter’s pilot. Waking up and hearing almost nothing connected with civilisation is something increasingly rare. I also remember Ultima Courchevel for a completely different reason: I loved our female butler and the fact that I could ski directly into the chalet – almost into the living room. It was extravagant and our champagne breakfast almost felt decadent."

What would you tell a young person considering a career in luxury travel?

"I often repeat that love for travel doesn’t mean that you should work in travel industry. It is like love for food doesn’t mean that you should open a restaurant or be a chef! Luxury travel is not a permanent holiday. Young people sometimes see the beautiful hotels and business-class flights and imagine that this is the job. It isn't. Behind an effortless journey there can be hundreds of emails, negotiations, changes and decisions. What makes it worthwhile is that you are creating something people may remember for the rest of their lives. If you are curious about the world, enjoy solving problems and genuinely like people, there are very few careers that can give you this combination of experiences."

What destinations remain on your personal bucket list?

"Fortunately, the list is still long. I think that is important in this profession – the day I feel I have seen everything, I should probably change jobs. I am increasingly attracted to places that still require a real journey to get there. Remote parts of Papua New Guinea are high on my list, as are some of the least visited islands of the Pacific. I would also like to explore more of Central Asia and return to the polar regions in a much more expeditionary way. At this stage of my life I am not collecting countries. I am collecting experiences and memories. I would rather spend a week reaching one extraordinary place than visit five destinations simply to say that I have been there."

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