As Christopher Hyland tells it, the first day he sallied forth on his bike alone, his fate as a globe-trotting entrepreneur was sealed. It was just a short pedal from his home, in the harbor town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, to the Peabody Essex Museum, in nearby Salem, but the Asian textiles, artifacts and art he discovered there—curiosities from New England's days of trading with the British East India Company—transported his boyish imagination to far-flung places and conjured heady notions of a merchant's life. Before long Hyland was off to prep school in Switzerland, from where, during holidays, he was able to make jaunts to India and the Holy Land. By his mid-twenties, he was an inveterate world traveler and trader. His casual sale of some hand-painted textiles bought while "mucking about" in the bazaars of Rajasthan quickly blossomed into a business. Today, Christopher Hyland Inc. is one of New York's leading decorator showrooms, carrying fine fabrics, trimmings and furnishings imported from all over.
"Travel should have an element of romanticism," Hyland declares. But that doesn't require journeying to the Thar Desert in the private railway car of the maharaja of Jodhpur or sailing about the Dodecanese islands on a chartered sloop, although he can regale a listener with tales of doing both. For Hyland, being an accomplished traveler means being open to what's around you, wherever you are.
You've been a sailor since childhood, haven't you?
Yes. I'm completely enamored of the sea. To be behind the wheel or at the tiller of a boat, heeling in a brisk wind, is to be close to nature in all its excitement, with its delightful aspects and its potentially terrifying ones too. Cruising in Greece, for example, can be very problematic when the Meltemi winds come and the sail suddenly goes parallel to the water and every hand on board slips from one side to the other. Or it can be simply wonderful. For a particularly enjoyable day trip, start in Patmos and sail to Arki, where you can go caving and climbing; continue on to the pure white rock island of Aspronisi for a swim, and then watch the sun set as you return to Patmos.
What advice would you give to someone interested in a sailing vacation?
Always anchor in deserted coves, away from marinas, and eat on board and at local cafés. Schedule a healthy dose of activities: row to nearby islands, climb peaks, explore monasteries and castles, swim and water-ski.
How have your trips inspired your work?
The rocks I found while swimming along the Turkish coast, the geometric patterns I saw in the Blue Mosque, in Esfahan, Iran, and the Baroque paintings I studied in Rome have all influenced the colors and designs I've used in my fabric and furniture collections.
Who is your favorite travel writer?
Over the years I've read a lot of Jan Morris. Her stories inform you about a place by immersing you in its past, and the effect is phenomenally engaging. Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere is one of the best accounts of a city I've ever read. Morris's three-volume history of the British Empire will make you feel as if you were living a postscript to her book if you are lucky enough to go to Hong Kong or Sri Lanka.
What leisure activities do you relish, besides the usual water and mountain sports?
I love to sketch, draw and take photographs. And I like to mine for stones, little ones that I can have a local craftsperson fashion into cuff links.
Aren't you something of a ski fanatic, too?
I ski in Austria every winter. If you're into off-piste skiing, as I am, it's a dream to go from Zürs to Zug, up to Oberlech, then down to Lech and all the way back to Zürs.
You also like to mix up locales?
Oh, yes. A dream vacation was visiting the island of Gozo, in Malta, for a long, dry, sunny month followed by a short stay at the Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel, by Lake Geneva, in Lausanne. That trip put the two classic grand-tour experiences of sea and mountain in splendid juxtaposition. And when it comes to lodgings, I'll take the impeccable service of old-world hotels, like the Beau-Rivage, over the new boutiques, with their Zen-like atmosphere.
You've had so many exotic adventures. Do you have any tips for someone who aspires to be a consummate traveler?
Taking a trip is not about sequestering yourself in a resort and re-creating your life at home. Delve into the history of an area. Spend time there. A holiday should be a minimum of two weeks. If I can, I like to vary the experience, participating in many different activities and visiting a number of places. That's why I think traveling light is nonsense. The last time my partner, Constantino, and I went to Patmos, we took water shoes, fins and webbed gloves for serious swimming, all kinds of hats for sun protection, and hiking boots. Wherever you go, there is bound to be a special event—a gala or an opening—and if you want to see what's happening culturally and meet interesting locals, buy a ticket. Now, that function may require a dark suit, so bring one with you! What's the fun in packing only a leisure suit and jogging shoes?
Christopher's Travel Secrets
Yacht-Charter Companies
Camper & Nicholsons has offices all over the world, but the staff in London is especially warm and hardworking. 011-44-20-7491-2950; cnconnect.com.
Fraser Yachts Worldwide is another gentle giant in the often daunting field of yacht charters. 212-336-7841; fraseryachts.com.
Old-World Hotels
Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel When I was a schoolboy in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the sixties, it was a magical place. Men were still wearing spats, and there was an exiled royal or two in residence. It has incredible charm even now. Rooms from $392. 011-41-21613-3333; brp.ch.
Hotel Edelweiss This enchanting lodge, in Zürs am Alberg, Austria, is great for dinner après-ski and for a nightcap and some fun in the Edelweiss Bar. Be sure to go when the Arlberg ski club is meeting. Rooms from $470. 011-43-55-83-26-62; edelweiss.net.
Hotel Zürserhof We like to ski in and out of this fantastic hotel (also in Zürs am Alberg), which has absolutely superb service. Rooms from $905. 011-43-55-83-25-130.
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