MEET KERRI & STIRLING
Hi and welcome to Beer and Croissants, a place for travel inspiration, tips, guides, advice and a celebration of international food.
We are Kerri and Stirling, a travel-loving couple who have shared every minute of every international experience together since 1995. We are always thinking about “where to next?”.
We’ve travelled extensively across much of Europe and the UK. We’ve spent a lot of time winding our way across North America and some parts of Canada, on epic road trips. South America and Cuba have also been part of our travels, and in recent years we’ve started tripping into Asia. There’s also our home country of Australia too. But, as we all know, there’s always plenty more to see.
We travel as a couple and as two very ordinary people – no airs and graces with us – although we are still more than able to enjoy the finer things in life, especially where it relates to food and drink.
More often than not, you’ll find us in motorhomes, winding our way across Europe, driving cars and staying in local hotels in cities, or living like the locals in apartments in the middle of quaint villages, in the middle of nowhere. We can even be found completely on our own in vineyards, on farms and by incredible bodies of water.
Another thing that is certain…we’ll be doing it with a glass of local beer or wine in our hands, and we will always be enjoying the local foods. For us, travel is food.
Living in Australia means the majority of flights taken are true long haul. If anyone knows how best to do it, we do.
These are our stories, told “as it is”, with a heap of passion and some fun along the way. Hopefully, you will get buried in the stories, the images, and the beauty of food, inspiring you to head off again on another adventure, or find your inner courage to take the leap into travel for the first time. We think travel is for everyone. Find your own style and live your best travel life.
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About Kerri
With a business degree under her belt and an accounting career in her rearview mirror, Kerri went on to become a highly successful corporate executive for an iconic Australian company. With a proven track record in operational management, people leadership and engagement, retail, sales, marketing and change management, Kerri is the ultimate professional.
Read Kerri’s Linked In profile here
As a travel writer, this level of professionalism is present in every interaction with her audience, her clients and prospective business partners. She knows how to deliver exceptional return on investment for her clients, all of which speak incredibly highly of her and the synergy they have created.
With experience across finance, sales, marketing, product development, safety, HR, property and retail, Kerri is able to work with people with diverse backgrounds, and knows the right questions to ask.
Kerri has also been a small business owner of both a physical and online business, adding to her expertise and being able to “walk in other’s shoes”.
Kerri has a strong community focus and a particular love of working with disadvantaged students. Kerri recently served as the President of the QUT Alumni Board, the President of QUT Learning Potential Fund Friends and Alumni Chapter, a was a member of QUT Council and a regular contributor to the QUT Learning Potential Fund Committee.
She is also a former non-executive Director of the Australia Post Licensee Advisory Council (APLAC) and a current Justice of the Peace (Qual). Kerri also won the Laurie Cowled Women in Leadership Scholarship in 2012 and attended Harvard University to further her leadership education.
Having travelled as a premium frequent flyer for years, Kerri understands and appreciates the value of some of the finer things in life. But, a country girl at heart, she also understands that not everyone can afford to travel in the same way.
Kerri has a connection with her audience because she’s travelled in many different ways: camping, long trips in motorhomes, luxury accommodation, cars, trains and buses, with a little money and with enough to travel more generously. All of this comes together with her authentic writing and ability to be down to earth.
She’s a notoriously heavy packer and refuses to leave her travel iron, hair straightener and pillow behind – ever! Travelling is not about being without her creature comforts! In a strange contradiction, she’s a planner and an organiser, ensuring as little as possible goes wrong in getting to the destinations, but often once there, no planning is done at all. Kerri is also a major lover of bubbles, especially the French variety and is a self-confessed beer snob, having learned to drink her craft in Europe.
Kerri is also a Board Member, Treasurer and Digital Publisher member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers and Honorary Barge Lady for Barge Lady Cruises.
About Stirling
Stirling is the quieter one. The one who is always there in the background, planning the road trip routes, the best places to park, keeping them safe, and usually making sure Kerri doesn’t overpack. As a career engineer and people leader, he’s had to travel a lot too, with CBD highrise apartments, silos and even an IKEA in his project portfolio. He worked in London on the building of Canary Wharf and in some incredibly remote locations in Australia.
Stirling was also the head of their property development business. As the working director, Stirling has bought and sold property built houses and renovated them too. He is also an avid investor in shares.
Stirling loves travelling in motorhomes, where he can best combine his love for travel and eating and drinking well. Usually, he’s the onboard chef.
At Beer and Croissants, he’s the drone pilot and second photographer, helping with the visual content creation.
Stirling is the six-footer that wriggles constantly in his economy seat, but still prefers to see their money spent on the actual travel than getting there! Eating duck in France is something he can’t get enough of, and it’s never hard to twist his arm to stop for a cold beer at any time of the day. It’s always drinking hour somewhere after all.