Tom Marchant - Co-Founder of Black Tomato, the award-winning, tailor-made luxury travel company
Release Date: 07/09/2024
Assita Kanko - Member of European Parliament
The One Way Ticket Show
I’ve been following, Assita Kanko, Member of European Parliament on social media for quite some time, so it was a true thrill to welcome her into the studio as our latest guest on The One Way Ticket Show. Ms. Kanko was born on July 14, 1980, in Godyr, Burkina Faso. She grew up in a society where women's rights were severely restricted and was subjected to female genital mutilation as a child. At a young age, she began writing about human rights and women's rights. In 2001, she moved to Belgium, where she eventually became a naturalized citizen. She studied journalism and political...
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Joshua Hammer – Journalist & Author
The One Way Ticket Show
On this episode, we welcome back to the program, journalist and author, Joshua Hammer who was our guest back on episode 112 in September 2016. Joshua’s career has included serving as Newsweek Bureau Chief in, Nairobi, Buenos Aires, LA, Berlin, Jerusalem and Cape Town. His work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, National Geographic and the Smithsonian just to name a few publications. He is a New York Times bestselling author of six books, including The Falcon Thief and The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu (which we talked about in our last...
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Alberto Nicheli – Founder, TransAfrica
The One Way Ticket Show
Alberto Nicheli is the Founder of the travel operator, TransAfrica. For the last 40 years, Alberto, who was born in Italy, has made the West African nation of Togo his home. He knows Africa intimately, having done his first Trans-Sahara expedition in 1972 and having developed an expertise on West African tribes and art. Over the decades, he’s shared his knowledge with authors and filmmakers who want to better understand that part of the world. Our conversation with Alberto took place in a very lively New York City restaurant while he was in town for the Travel & Adventure Show. In...
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Madison Cox - Garden Designer
The One Way Ticket Show
Our latest guest on The One Way Ticket Show is world-renowned Garden Designer, Madison Cox. The interview was conducted in September 2024 in the Willis Pavilion, beside the house today known as Villa Oasis which was built by French Orientalist painter, Jacques Majorelle in the 1920s, and later owned by Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé. Adjacent to the home is the famed Majorelle Garden. Madison was born September 23, 1958, in Bellingham, Washington, and raised in San Francisco and Marin County, California. As a garden designer and author of books about gardens, he has traveled...
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Frédéric Sola - Founder and Owner of Fez’s Riad Laaroussa and Fez Real Estate
The One Way Ticket Show
On this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Frédéric Sola, the founder and owner of Fez’s Riad Laaroussa and Fez Real Estate. In our conversation, Fred shares his one way ticket journey to mental health stability which manifested in Fez. He opens up about his own experience suffering from depression -- which began in his mid 30s amidst a successful career in finance in London and Paris – and how he has worked to live with and manage it all these years later. He went on to describe how he fell in love with Fez on his first visit in 2003, so much so, that he bought Riad Laaroussa...
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Shai Davidai – Columbia Business School Professor & A Leading Voice Combatting Jew-Hatred and Israel-Bashing
The One Way Ticket Show
Given Jew-hatred and virulent anti-Israel rhetoric spiraling out of control, particularly on college campuses, we’ve invited Shai Davidai to be our featured guest on this episode of the program. Shai is Assistant Professor in the Management Division of Columbia University Business School. His research examines people’s everyday judgments of themselves, other people, and society as a whole. Born and raised just outside Tel-Aviv, Shai received his Ph.D. from Cornell in 2015. Before joining Columbia Business School, Shai spent a year as a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton and 3 years as an...
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Sebastian Copeland - Polar Explorer, Climate Advocate, Award-Winning Photographer & Author
The One Way Ticket Show
Sebastian Copeland is a polar explorer, climate analyst, photographer and author. In 2017, he was named one of the world’s top 25 adventurers of the last 25 years. Noted as a photographer “who has produced works that are of outstanding artistic merit and communicates messages of urgent global significance,” Sebastian has led numerous record-setting expeditions, documenting the endangered Polar regions while covering more than 10,000 km on skis over the ice. Since 2000, he has warned of systemic transformations taking place in the polar regions and their geo- economic...
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Aryeh Lightstone – CEO, Abraham Accords Peace Institute
The One Way Ticket Show
Aryeh Lightstone served as the Senior Advisor to U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, from 2017 to 2021. During his tenure as Senior Advisor, he played a critical role in advancing bilateral U.S. - Israel relations with a focus on economic development & technology cooperation. Aryeh was appointed as the Special Envoy for Economic Normalization. In that role he was an integral member of the Peace to Prosperity team, leading the inaugural Abraham Accords Business Summit, directing the Abraham fund, and serving as point person in the Middle East for the actualization of the...
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Dickie Arbiter LVO – Royal Commentator
The One Way Ticket Show
Dickie Arbiter began his broadcasting career in Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) in the mid-1960s. Following a return to the United Kingdom in the early 1970s he joined LBC News Radio/IRN (Independent Radio News) as a newscaster and program presenter. During late Queen’s 1977 Silver Jubilee he was asked to report on the British royal family. In 1981 he was responsible for organizing the UK’s commercial radio coverage as well as taking on as lead commentator of the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer. With the success of the Royal wedding coverage, he was appointed IRN’s...
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Lucas Peters - Travel Writer, Photographer & Owner of Journey Beyond Travel
The One Way Ticket Show
Born and raised on the West Coast of the US, Lucas Peters now makes Tangier his home. He’s a travel writer and photographer and the author of the Moon Guide Book for Morocco. Together with his very accomplished wife, Amina, they own and operate Journey Beyond Travel, one of Morocco’s most successful, sustainable tour companies. Lucas’ expertise isn’t limited to Morocco though. He also wrote Moon Guide Book’s Grand European Journeys: 40 Unforgettable Trips by Road, Rail, Sea & More. In November 2024, Lucas is releasing the Moon Guide Book for Sevilla, Granada and...
info_outlineTom Marchant is Co-Founder of award-winning, tailor-made luxury travel company Black Tomato. Described by Harper’s Bazaar as “having a finger on the pulse of travel that is incomparable” his experience shaping the business in the US and the UK has enabled a deep understanding of different markets and his innovative mindset has been lauded across the luxury sector, notably as a Game Changer in the 2021 Walpole Power List and for the past six years as a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist.
Recognized as a leading authority in the travel industry, Black Tomato’s world-renowned approach to bespoke travel, alongside pioneering travel products, like Get Lost, Blink, Bring it Back and See You in the Moment reflect the company’s unique ability to uncover rare ways in which to experience destinations and address burgeoning client needs. Their discerning clientele are inspired by handcrafted experiences designed to reflect every passion, obsession and desire, with an acute prowess in the family market – Black Tomato’s center of gravity – with immersive collections including Field Trip and Take Me on a Story, driving the company’s exceptional success in this sector.
This creative ethos has led to Tom and the brand being consistently named best in class, including Conde Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards 2023; a Travel + Leisure World’s Best Tour Operator 2023; and 2023 Travel Brand of the Year as the Challenger in the industry at the Travel Marketing Awards. And most recently, Black Tomato was awarded as a Master of Luxury, Travel – in the Robb Report Travel Masters Awards 2024.
An entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for travel was instilled in Tom from a young age, and it was channeling this that allowed Tom and co-founder James to identify a gap in the travel market for trips that were centered around experiences, and the pursuit of feeling, rather than destinations. With this in mind, in 2005, they founded Black Tomato, their aim being to create a business that reflected the needs and personalities of clients for whom the existing travel market had become moribund.
Their innovative travel products and services began with - groundbreaking at the time - diving tectonic plates in Iceland, and this philosophy has fueled consistent growth of the business and has led to collaborations with leading global brands. These include fashion and automotive powerhouses, and in 2023, a first of its kind partnership with EON Productions (producers of the James Bond franchise) to create trips centered around the iconic history of 007, with the launch of James Bond-inspired European travel itineraries.
Tom is regularly asked to provide commentary and thought pieces within the media and as a result he is regularly sought by brands, agencies and conference organizers (from the Financial Times Business of Luxury Summit to Bloomberg's Future of Luxury) to speak on the luxury and travel sectors. This has steered him to take a number of influential board positions at leading companies targeting UHNWs/HNWs.
Taking oversight of the creative direction, product innovation, customer experiences and business development strategies, he continues to work with his co-founder James on driving the successful growth of Black Tomato and he is now regarded as one of the leading voices and authorities within the luxury travel space.
Tom’s accolades and awards are numerous including:
· Named ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ by the British Travel Industry Hall of Fame
· Conde Nast Traveler - Named World's Best Travel Specialist in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
· Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
· Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2021, 2022, 2023
· The Guardian Future 500 List
· Winner of Pure’s ‘Contribution to Experiential Travel’ Award 2019
On this episode, Tom considers two one way ticket options. The first is to Belle Époque Paris, where his great-grandfather was a noted gallerist. The second is to Iceland where he'd embrace the landscape, culture, attitude, light and adventure of the island.
Apart from his one way ticket journeys, Tom covers the unique services that Black Tomato offers. We focus on: Get Lost, Bring it Back, Blink and the Journey into the World of James Bond. Tom also highlights where luxury travel is today and where it’s headed.