Christina Valhouli

Christina Valhouli, the editor of iTravel iShop, is the former staff travel writer at Forbes.com, where she visited over 30 countries and stayed in hundreds of the world's best hotels. On her return journeys, her suitcases were often dangerously close to the airline weight limit because of too much shopping. Her favourite shopping destinations include Vietnam, India and New York, and she has a weakness for buying shawls, jewellery, clothing and housewares when travelling.

Christina has held staff positions at George magazine as well as Town & Country. She has written freelance articles for The New York Times, New York magazine, The New York Observer, The London Paper, The Wall Street Journal Europe Style Journal, Fodor's, Salon, The New York Post, and Town & Country. A native of Boston, Christina received her masters degree in journalism from Columbia University. In 2001 she was named one of Glamour's “Wow Women” for producing a documentary about plus-sized models, called Curve. She received an Overseas Press Club Award in 1997. Christina currently lives in London.

John Vipond

John Vipond, the founder of iTravel iShop, is a former managing director of Kenisys, a London based management consultancy he established in 2000. Specialising in internet and supply chain technologies, his clients have included Heinz, Royal & SunAlliance and Vodafone. The nature of his job meant he spent a good part of his time travelling but airline weight limits were rarely a problem because he knows how to pack light, even with a laptop. His favourite destinations include India, France and his beloved home country - Scotland.

Prior to starting Kenisys he worked for Deloitte in their consulting division. John received a Masters in Manufacturing Sciences and Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow where he was a sponsored student with IBM. When he's not working, you'll most likely find him up a mountain (on a bike, snowboard or plain old feet) or in the sea. Occasionally he's in the middle bit, relaxing on a beach or attempting a game of golf. John currently lives in London (with Christina).