What is your favorite travel memory?
I have so many, I don't know where to start but some of my highlights are walking Machu picchu & hiking rainbow mountain in Peru, to paragliding in Brazil and over the favelas, to seeing sloths, snakes, monkeys and toucans in Costa Rica, to all the beach walks from coogee to bondi walk in Australia and finally volunteering at our rescue dog centre in Thailand.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
Yes I would say I have grown massively, in cofidence professional but a passion for travel! I've worked for the company for nearly 9 years, and have grown the team, have managed to travel to Canada/Australia/Costa Rica/ Thailand/ Spain to meet our partners and really enjoy helping people see the world and in a meaningful way.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
I had a young traveler who had never left the UK and when she returned she said that the trip had changed her life. She went to South Africa on a game reserve and was able to see all of the big 5 wildlife animals and she said this trip changed her life for the better and ended up doing another 2 trips with us. Make what we do all worthwhile!
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
As I have done quite a few of them, I would say our elephant sanctuary in Thailand would be next on my list. Elephants that are used for tourism purposes are against our values as a company and is classified as animal cruelty, so this trip has dozens and dozens of elephants that live freely and that have been rescued, all the photos and feedback we get from travellers is amazing, so most definitely next on my bucket list.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
We are a one stop shop and help our travellers from start to finish. We offer a wide range of trips from Teaching English, Volunteering, Studying, Internships, AuPair & Tutoring, Working holidays, Summer camps and offer lifetime guarantees also, so gives our travellers the flexibility. Biggest achievement is staying open during the pandemic and being able to navigate through all the challenges and coming through the other end much bigger and better and offering some amazing new trips post pandemic.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
There are a lot of factors, I think an important one is customer service, focusing on what a customer wants and listening to feedback! We listen, learn and take feedback on board. We also are constantly developing our trips, tech, and systems to ensure as we progress as a society, that as a company we also do, especially with technology.