Specialising in luxury travel and sustainability, I craft narratives in various mediums for clients and under my own name. I am a geographer at heart, which spans many concepts - notably people, places and the environment.

In my spare time, I work behind the scenes to advance ideas with purpose - leading delegations, chairing the Younger Members’ Committee at the Royal Geographical Society and developing a platform to facilitate social, environmental and economic sustainability in the global travel & tourism sector.

 

Creative Director

Freelance Journalism

Photography

 

I grew up in the Highlands of Scotland and am now based in the more gently rolling hills of the Cotswolds. My mind is drawn to geopolitics and responsible action, whilst my heart is in nature and the wilderness.

Whilst honing my own voice, I have also worked with world-class hotels & yachts, businesses and organisations as well as academics, governmental bodies and institutions.

Clear thinking and straight talking guide my working relationships, together with a deep sense of curiosity and a desire for getting under the skin of the subject at hand. I like to inspire positive change and always consider the bigger picture alongside differing perspectives. I set up Vocalista with this in mind.

 

 Instagram @annabelilli

OOO: Off on a great adventure … at @ellermanhousehotel en route to @white.desert.antarctica . Taking a moment to absorb the charming Edwardian mansion’s Cape Town views, splendid native planting & momentous private art collection sp
The sun setting on 2023, looking over the sea to Skye from the “high road” on Raasay. Log fires, locally-sourced venison, a dram of whisky & fab friends … oh, home sweet home! Best wishes for 2024 🦋
When hurricanes blast through Florida, coverage of the devastation on the landscape and livelihoods on the news cycle is intense yet short-lived, at least in comparison to the time it takes to get things back on track. A year on from Hurricane Ian (S
Feet finally touching the ground, literally & metaphorically, after an epic adventure across western Canada on a bespoke press trip put together by @skipurepowder. Skiing with @cmh_heli, the founders of heliskiing, has been on my bucket list for
A spectacular trio of winter walks this week on the Isle of Skye: the Quiraing, out to the Viking Canal beyond Glenbrittle & our own secret beach close to home, with a magnificent view to the Cuillin Ridge. It’s incredible the effect this p
A few musings on the new Beyond The Streets London exhibition, which pays homage to the worlds of graffiti, street art, hip hop & punk rock from the 1960s onwards. Interesting how many of those featured formally studied art and have gone on to
What goes up … must come down!! Just home from the Blue Earth Summit, where Day 3 took the networking & sustainability chat into the great outdoors with a climbing session in the Avon gorge overlooking the Clifton Suspension Bridge followe
A beginner’s guide to ski touring, set in @Verbier - my article out today in The Sunday Times. Still pinching myself how much we lucked out with the conditions and that I get to call this my job. “An exhilarating combination of silence,
A taster of ski touring in Verbier has definitely got me hooked. Many here use skins to access fresh powder, hiking from the top of the ski lifts. We went one step further and set off from near Le Chable under our own steam, towards Cabane Brunet.
What a year. It feels like I’ve had my head in a computer non-stop - hopefully it’ll all come good next year as we launch our tech start up to the world. My heart is in hibernation, waiting for a big hug when the time is right. My soul fo
Midnight. Orion above the moonlit valley of Invergarry, on the road home to Skye last night. All along this stretch, deer appeared out of the dark, making for slow but unforgettable going. The inky outline of the hills kept us constant companion. Suc
Dreamy conditions today in Courchevel, with fluffy powder & corduroy. And only seconds to get on to the slopes from our private chalet @ultimacourchevel set alongside the Belvedere piste. When it’s time to call it a day, the ski butlers are
As French ski resorts prepare for the grand re-opening, it’s heaven to be back in the Alps for an exclusive first look @ultimacourchevel. Throw in ski-in ski-out, fusion cuisine, stunning artwork from Bel Air Fine Art, warm wood panelling, a sp
As we ventured into the interior, the road banked steeply, onwards and upwards towards the rainforest and crater lake. Telfour Bedeau, the Indiana Jones of Grenada, greeted us with a smile and tales of geometry, exploration and mapping the land&rsquo
Minutes after touching down in Grenada, this heavenly retreat became our home whilst we waited for our airport PCR results to come through, and a green light to explore the island. Named after the calabash gourd (picture no3) which grows in the gro
Kisses from Grenada and this fabulous lips wall sculpture, created by the in-house carpenter on Calivigny private island. The exclusive Caribbean hideaway has its own desalination plant and also generates all the electricity for its various residence
Westminster Abbey vaccination centre on the national day of reflection, marking one year since the first lockdown in the UK. “It’s a bit chilly but we’ve got cosy jumpers,” said the lady jabbing me, as we both agreed how lovel
Autumn colours on the ‘garden of Skye’ as the Sleat peninsular is known - it has much gentler weather than us and many more deciduous trees. Loving the red of this acer in the ruins of the castle @armadalecastleskye * #visitscotland #sky