Emily Kerben – Travel Manager

The places I’ve visited:

Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Egypt, Greece, India, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Guatemala

The year I started in the business:

2007

The year I joined Travel Beyond:

2007

My favorite travel destinations:

India – India is an amazing and overwhelming country. The culture and history are fascinating, and it is a destination you will never forget.

Brazil- It’s a country the size of the continental US with as much geographical and cultural diversity. The northeast has some of the most stunning beaches in the world, and some of the nicest people.

Greece – History and modernity live together side by side – you go out for an ice cream and you end up finding places you’ve read about in Greek myth or the Bible that are almost three thousand years old.

My most memorable moment:

In Brazil I was staying in a small, rural town with a local family, and my visit coincided with the 2002 World Cup. On the day of the final game most of the town was crammed into our living room with the rest squeezed in at the windows and door to see the match. Everyone had painted their faces and found a soccer jersey or pair of flip flops with the Brazilian flag and the national colors in honor of the game. We all got more and more tense and excited as the game went on, and when Brazil won we all streamed outside and danced around with a giant Brazilian flag shouting “Pentacampe!” (Five time champions!) People celebrated for over a week, and there were parades for the national team all over the country when they brought the cup home.

My most embarrassing moment:

In Egypt I was feeling slightly sick so I lay down on the long row of seats in the back of the tour bus and fell asleep. When I woke up, the rest of the group was gone and the driver was on his way to park the bus. Once the bus was parked, the driver was kind enough to walk me back, through the streets of Cairo, to the rest of group – and they hadn’t noticed I was missing!

My favorite meal while traveling:

Thali – these are found at most restaurants throughout India. You get a large pile of rice on a large metal tray with smaller bowls of dhal (sauce), curd (yogurt), chutney, and pickle to mix with it along with papad and chapatti (bread). The waiter comes by every so often with a big bowl of rice and you just keep eating until you are full.

My favorite quote:

“There is only one thing for it then: to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.”

T. H. White (The Once and Future King)