Meet David Kane
LOCAL FOREIGNER’S TEAM OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
This post is part of our series celebrating our Independent Contractors and Hosting Program. The Local Foreigner's Hosting Program provides a platform of systems and support for independent travel advisors.
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feet on the ground
David Kane has got it figured out. Currently, he’s based in Paris, but he’s just back from overwintering in Brazil. He spent much of early Covid in a casita in Careyes, Mexico. He’s the type of person that makes you say, “Wait, why is my life not like that?”, but if you can’t be him, having him plan your travel is the next best thing. “In September 2020, I went to Mexico for three weeks and ended up spending 10 months. I wanted to skip Chicago’s winter, and it was also so helpful during that time to be able to speak to Covid protocols and the realities of what travel was like in a country that so many people wanted to visit. There is nothing more valuable as a travel advisor than being on the ground, but getting to live and really dive into a place, especially during a time when there was so much confusion around travel, was invaluable and transformed my outlook.” Living in Mexico made him realize that not only could he work from anywhere, being in in-demand locations actually strengthened his business. “After Mexico, I moved to Paris – every country in Europe still had different entry and health protocols, and it was so advantageous because I could speak to the actual experience. And by then I had just fallen in love with living abroad.”
“There is nothing more valuable as a travel advisor than being on the ground…getting to live and really dive into a place has transformed my outlook.”
-David Kane
Wunderkind
David’s status as a global citizen may be a post-Covid development, but his connection with the travel industry goes all the way back to his teens. “In high school and college, I interned at a very established high-end travel agency in Chicago. I was this sixteen-year-old kid, calling restaurants and beach clubs in Ibiza and Mykonos to get tables for our clients. Being in that office also rubbed off on my personal travel tastes, and I started expanding my family’s travel repertoire beyond beach resorts and into places like Thailand and Morocco. That internship really inspired me – I was this teenager saying, ‘There’s a whole world out there!’”
After college at Emory and study abroad in Hong Kong – which afforded him the opportunity to travel to all corners of Asia, including Burma – he joined the sales and trading desk at Citibank, but quickly found himself more interested in side projects. “I started planning all the managers’ honeymoons, and I realized I was more into travel than learning about the foreign currency exchange.” When he decided to make his side gig full time, his old-school agency background was a major asset. “There’s a learning curve to planning travel like there is in learning a language, so having the foundation in my youth made it feel like I wasn’t starting from scratch when I started building my business.”
tastemaker
It also helps that he has impeccable taste. “I am into fashion and design – how I dress is important to me. I’m a big fan of Rick Owens and Comme des Garçons, and I am also very interested in contemporary art, which is something that is continually developing as I am traveling – I prioritize travel to places where the design scene is really good. Modern and contemporary art galleries and museums are always on my personal itineraries, because visual expression is so diverse and has such a connection to a destination – art in Mexico City is so different from art in Istanbul.”
His appreciation for beauty extends outside museum walls as well. “When I am thinking about where I want to travel, the visual appeal and atmosphere of a place is important – I like going places that feel like I’m somewhere else. And when I plan itineraries for a client, I try to get to the soul of a place – if you’re in Paris, I’m not going to suggest you go to Nobu.” The client base that David has developed values his thoughtfulness and the depth of his knowledge. “I am very comfortable with clients who have very high standards – people who have excellent taste and keep me on my toes. When we are planning a trip, there’s always a VIP greeter, there’s frequently a separate vehicle for luggage. I am not just passionate about travel – I am passionate about hospitality, and about creating a holistic experience. And my wonderful assistant Cordelia, who is based on the west coast and speaks four languages, is a big part of that as well.” All this, and he’s a self-described aviation geek. “My father worked in private aviation, and I work frequently with private air. But I also know the airlines, the planes, why you should take that later flight to London because the lie-flat product is newer, which flight is on the A380 and which one is on the Dreamliner.”
“I work frequently with private air. But I also know the airlines, the planes, why you should take that later flight to London because the lie-flat product is newer, which flight is on the A380 and which one is on the Dreamliner.”
Mr. Nice guy
It’s all a pretty impressive scene – David in his fabulous wardrobe living all over the world, keeping his clients happy and still finding time to be a font of knowledge for his colleagues (when a new hotel opens in Paris, we can count on David for the full Day One report.) He makes it look easy, but it’s built on years of hard work and that foundation in good, old-fashioned travel industry know-how. “I am very passionate about travel and hospitality, and conscientiousness is very important to me. This is an industry that seems so glamourous, but once you get into it, you realize it’s hard work and you have to love it. I love it.”