FROM WILD DOGS IN INDIA TO MOMOS WITH A QUEEN

Remote Lands is a full-service private tour operator, founded by Catherine Heald and Jay Tindall, seasoned business and travel entrepreneurs with a mutual passion for Asia.

It handles all aspects of travel - VIP airport service, hotels, privately guided touring and intra-Asia flights
- “for clients who often opt for private jets and yachts as well”.

“We know that even when money is not an issue, value still is,” Heald says.

Events organised by Remote Land include taking over Angkor Wat for a private dinner, flying by helicopter to Everest Base Camp for lunch, or dining with Asian royalty.

Remote Lands says it strongly believes in giving back, and actively promotes socially responsible tourism that strives “to bring an understanding of Asian cultures and helps to preserve their way of life”.

Co-founder Catherine Heald talks to Ian Jarrett.

You have been described as an adventurer, an Asiaphile and a serial entrepreneur? Where did it all start?

Back in 1987, I read a book about Hong Kong by James Clavell and became obsessed with the then British colony. I had been a student in Aix-en-Provence so had been all over Europe, but had never been to Asia.
While living in New York and working as a software engineer, I tried from afar to get a job in Hong Kong or go to grad school, but nothing worked so finally I just got on a plane with $1,000 and two phone numbers in my pocket.

Within two weeks I got a marketing job for Apple computers, and I stayed for seven years, travelling all over Asia. In 1989,
I combined my love of travel with
my technical background to found one of the world’s first digital
media publishing companies. We focused on travel content, and Apple distributed our products all over
the world.

You say your greatest fear in life is mediocrity and the second is boredom. How have you avoided both?

Well, I have certainly avoidedboredom, and as for the mediocrity, I have had huge ups and downs in my life, from taking my second company, Wanderlust, public in 1996 (Nasdaq: LUST) which was Silicon Valley’s first IPO, at the age of 32, to walking into a board meeting a year later and being sacked in favour of a 55-year- old man.

That’s just one of a million stories I have which have certainly allayed any possible boredom! I am now on the fourth and last company.

Name two challenges that you have overcome to reach where you are today?


I am expected to say being a very young female tech CEO in the 80s would have been a great challenge, but I am an eternal optimist and I just ploughed ahead with no idea or fear of what the future would hold, confident that I would always fall on my feet.
The biggest recent challenge was the recession in 2008-2009, and muddling through a year of receiving one or two phone calls a month (now we get one or two phone calls a minute!)

You once had lunch with the Queen of Bhutan in her palace. What did you eat?


Delicious Bhutanese food as I
recall - curried yak, chilli cheese and momos. But it was the company and the palace venue that were truly captivating, with a highly educated, intelligent, well-travelled, articulate woman.

How do you travel? Alone? In company? Any scary experiences?

I often travel alone or with my business partner Jay Tindall on very fast-paced reconnaissance trips to new destinations. For better or for worse, I was born with the trait of being quite fearless so I never really worry about my personal safety.

I have been told that, despite being a diminutive blonde, I carry myself like a “don’t-#*$%&-with-me” New Yorker so that probably helps. The scariest experience I have had was on my daily morning run in the countryside in Karnataka and being surrounded by a large pack of wild dogs who were very angry that I was invading their territory and looked like they were going to rip me to shreds. Somehow I got out of there unscathed but it was terrifying.

How much satisfaction did you get from licensing the Pink Panther character and using it to teach kids about foreign cultures?

The Pink Panther was the ideal character because he is global and, of course, very cool. My personal passion is learning about remote lands (culture, history, business, politics, religion, food, customs, rituals, lifestyles etc) so it was very exciting to have The Pink Panther as my travelling avatar.

You co-founded Remote Lands. What’s the remotest experience that has challenged you during your travels?

I spent a week traveling alone around North Korea with my private car, driver and two guides. The whole experience was otherworldly and surreal. I don’t describe many places as “mind-blowing” but DPRK would qualify.

You live in Manhattan’s Upper East Side with husband Donald and white labrador Burma. What’s your greatest indulgence when you spend time at home?

We have many wonderful friends and we love entertaining in the
city and on our farm in Sherman, Connecticut - small dinners as well as very large parties. I inherited this from my parents who threw one or two parties every week well into their 80s at their home in Naples, Florida and they had so much fun.

My mother just died in June and was described as “spreading joy wherever she went”. My father lives on and is still throwing parties!