Andy Hayes
Andy (Andrew) Hayes (born 1977) is a published travel writer and travel industry entrepreneur, known internationally as that travel guy. His views on travel and the need for vacations as part of a healthy lifestyle have been featured in a number of publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and the National Geographic Traveler He is well regarded as an expert on online travel and a go-to resource for pairing travelers and ideal destinations; Finger Lakes Community College called him a "young Internet star" and he is listed as one of the top 50 online influencers in travel.
Life and career
In 2008, leaving behind a corporate career in the software industry, Hayes launched the first "travel lifestyle magazine" called Sharing Travel Experiences. At the same time he launched a travel marketing consultancy, Travel Online Partners. There he co-authored a book with Kelly Erickson called "Why Your Website Sucks", currently the only guide to usability testing available for tourism organizations.
In the fall of 2009, he published the print guide, Historic Walking to Guide to Edinburgh. which was later released in a mobile format onto the iPhone.
Hayes now runs a network of businesses under the brand Hayes Media Group, which include sites related to small business entrepreneurship, Christmas travel, Travel website design, and other tourism-related products/services. He is often a featured speaker at tourism and technology conferences in both the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere such as the Travel Blog Exchange and Blogworld.
Personal life
Hayes was born in 1977 in the United States. He has lived in both Amsterdam as well as Edinburgh, Scotland. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington.
He is a known to regularly practice yoga and meditation, as well as being a voracious reader, typically reading over 50 books a year.
External links
- Interview with Travel Writer/Consultant Extraordinaire, Interview at Jet Set Citizen, September 2009
- Review of Historic Walking Guide to Edinburgh by Andy Hayes, Europe A La Carte, September 2009
- Sailing the Someday Ship, Interview at Someday Syndrome, October 2009
- Interview with Inspirational Travel Blogger, Interview at Business Backpacker, October 2009
- Do What You Can Do and Leave the Rest Behind, Webinar Interview with Andy Hayes, July 2010
- From humble beginnings to international travel entrepreneur, Interview at Budget Travel Intentions, August 2010
- Presenting Yourself On the Web, Interview at The Writing Show, the web's largest writing podcast, August 2010
- Starting a Resource Website, Interview at Gaebler
- Podcast 168 - Things To Do In Edinburgh, Interview with Andy Hayes, Interview at Indie Travel Podcast, web's most popular travel podcast, September 2010
- Review of Why Your Website Sucks by Andy Hayes and Kelly Erickson, ThePlanetD, Canada's Adventure Couple, September 2010
- Review of Why Your Website Sucks by Andy Hayes and Kelly Erickson, Travel Writing Exchange, September 2010
- Travel Blogs and the Elusive Audience, Review/mention of Why Your Website Sucks, September 2010
- A Week in the Life of Andy Hayes, Interview at The Professional Hobo, November 2010
- Editorial Features by Andy Hayes, Freelance Writing Jobs, Web's Largest Freelance Writing Community