Jamie Pallin

Nice to meet you

It was an extraordinary year travelling overland from Spain to Cape Town: twelve months, twenty-eight countries, and experiences that will last a lifetime. This journey ultimately led Jamie to pursue a career in travel. While he holds a master’s in Environmental Consultancy, the pull of travel proved too strong.

Over the next nine years, Jamie worked in two independent, award-winning consultancies, gaining a depth of insight into East and Southern Africa. First-hand experience gave him not only an understanding of what makes each destination distinctive, but also helped him establish relationships with a network of exceptional people he continues to work with today.

When the culture at his previous company began to change, with an increasing emphasis on sales numbers and profit percentages, and even a bell to mark each new booking (a scene he likens to The Wolf of Wall Street) it was the nudge he needed to create something different, guided by integrity rather than targets. In 2017, he founded Hide & Seek Travel with a simple ethos of putting people ahead of sales: listening closely and shaping journeys that are perfectly unique. It is this ethos that has allowed the company to grow organically ever since, year on year, through repeat and referral business, without the need for marketing.

Over the years, Jamie has established not only trusted connections across the world, but also genuine friendships with many of his clients. These relationships bring him the greatest satisfaction and spur him on that little bit more — because, as he says, “when a friend entrusts you with their journey, or refers their own friends or family, you simply cannot let them down.”

Looking ahead, Jamie is focused on expanding Hide & Seek while staying true to its founding ethos. The aim is to become known for journeys without compromise, supported by a team of exceptional specialists whose insight spans destinations and experiences worldwide, whether that means a multigenerational safari in a private conservancy, heli-skiing with an Olympic guide, an after-hours museum visit in Florence, or the seclusion of a private island in the Indian Ocean.

Away from the desk, Jamie is married and the father of a young son who has just started primary school. Family life brings energy, endless questions, and the occasional Lego underfoot. The family have yet to explore Africa together, but it is firmly on the horizon. In the meantime, Jamie hopes that a steady stream of David Attenborough documentaries will provide a little inspiration.