Hard day at the of f ice, Jeremy?
Globetrotting Scot makes a fortune out of his travels
HE has made a career out of travel and inspired millions to follow in his footsteps, from remote coves in the Greek islands to mist-covered castles in the mountains of Bavaria.
Yet for 31-year-old Jeremy Jauncey, who posts thousands of pictures on his Beautiful Destinations Instagram page, the journey began on a farm in Perthshire where he grew up.
Now based in New York, the Scot yesterday said he started the hit social media page back in 2012 with the aim of celebrating the beauty of the world and inspiring people to travel. Three years on, it now regularly receives up to 150,000 ‘likes’ within any 24-hour period.
The page aims to feature the most stunning travel photographs, along with helpful captions so followers can find out more about the area.
Through employing top photographers and closely analysing data from the page, the site has attracted a staggering 4.3million followers.
Mr Jauncey has worked with international travel businesses to boost their social followers, including Las Vegas’s iconic Bellagio Hotel, whose Instagram page doubled its web traffic.
The sail-shaped Burj Al Arab in Dubai also went from 6,000 followers to 65,000, thanks to Mr Jauncey. He said: ‘This year I’ve had some amazing experiences at the Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch, the Katikies Hotel in Santorini and had my first visit to Moscow, which I loved.
‘I travel solo for business, and with my brother Tom or friends for pleasure. I’m a big reader, so will always have a book or Kindle with me and, as my friends will tell you, my attention span is short, so I need something to keep me entertained or I bounce off the walls.’
With a Colombian mother and a childhood spent in Scotland, where he attended Glenalmond College in Perthshire, Mr Jauncey had originally hoped to be a rugby player, but instead moved into business. He said: ‘I was lucky to be given an opportunity to set up and run the UK arm of a US e-commerce company, and ended up running the company for seven years.
‘Aged 27 I left, sold my equity in the company and started investing in early stage tech businesses,’ he said. ‘A few years later a close friend and I formalised this and created our own investment fund, which provided the initial funding for Beautiful Destinations.’
Although the page does feature many professional photographers, amateurs also can get their pictures displayed.
‘Anyone and everyone can be featured on Beautiful Destinations and no, you don’t pay to be featured,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter if you are a National Geographic photographer shooting with professional equipment or an amateur enthusiast shooting on a smartphone, if we like your picture we’ll post it.’
Mr Jauncey says he is happiest heading off to the airport: ‘I know this is a little strange, but I also love the feeling in airports. I always have a sense of excitement and anticipation that I’m starting a new adventure.
‘For me, travel is all about people and culture. I really enjoy building relationships, learning and having new experiences – travel broadens your horizons and teaches you so much about yourself and others that I find it incredibly inspiring.’
‘Travel is about people and culture’