Interview with Nikki Hatton

Name: Nikki Hatton
Age: 59

When and where did you go on your first ExperiencePlus! tour?
My daughter and I biked from Pisa to Venice in 1999. We had a perfect trip - food, ambiance, biking & group.

What does active travel give you that other trips don’t?
A mellow atmosphere where it is easy to interact with both tour members and the local population. Being a bit hyper, it also allows me to blow off some steam so that I enjoy the cultural aspects of the trip more.

Describe your perfect day.
A long bike ride over rolling hills, followed by a lecture on architecture, art, history or culture and a great dinner. Do you see why ExPlus fills the bill?

What is the most unique or meaningful souvenir you’ve ever brought home from an ExperiencePlus! tour or from another trip?
Memories - Best of all was on the Dordogne tour: We were passing by an ancient gentleman who was digging potatoes in the plot next to his home, accompanied by his dog. When my daughter and I stopped to take a picture. He pantomimed for her to wait, then carefully rearranged his dog and the woven basket in which he was placing the potatoes to give her a better composition. Who says the French aren't friendly?

Describe the best meal you have had while traveling.
Best ever? In London at Zaika. Best that I could afford? A tie between Massimo's dad's restaurant on the Hill Villas tour and the seafood restaurant in Trani on the Puglia tour.

What is your biggest accomplishment (thing you are most proud of) in life?
The thing that I am most proud of is my daughter, but I think that is her accomplishment, not mine. My daughter, Chandler, graduated from MIT with degrees in mechanical engineering and architecture (which she did in 4 years while competing in gymnastics). She is now at the Technical University in Delft, The Netherlands getting her masters in industrial design engineering. She is working for an urbanism firm that is designing stations for a commuter railroad. She is working on sustainable design.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I worked myself through college teaching swimming and being a sous chef.

What book is on your night stand?
My Father's Notebook by Kader Abdolah and Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.

What question do you wish we had asked, and how would you have answered?
Hmmmm.