Jayme Madson – Director of Operations & Finance

The places I’ve visited:

South Africa, Botswana, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Puerto Rico, Hawaii (Maui & Kauai), St. Croix, Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. Johns, Ecuador (Galapagos Islands), Belize

My favorite travel destinations:

Akaroa, New Zealand – Although I loved every place I visited in New Zealand, Akaroa is definitely my favorite because of its scenic location and laid back pace.

Kauai, Hawaii – Rainforests, waterfalls, warm weather and lots of sunshine – it doesn’t get much better than that.

The year I started in the business:

2009

The year I joined Travel Beyond:

2009

My most memorable moment:

I have two:

Sky diving in Australia. Jumping out the side of a tiny airplane was definitely a memorable moment! I still can’t believe I actually jumped.

My first game drive in Botswana. I had an idea of what to expect (I guess that comes with working at Travel Beyond), but was completely overwhelmed and amazed by what it was actually like on safari. Being right there, so close to the animals in their natural habitat, and so far away from home was such a memorable experience for me. I will never forget it.

My most embarrassing moment:

On a family trip to Hawaii many years ago I tagged along on a snorkeling expedition off the coast of Maui. I wasn’t very interested in snorkeling as I don’t particularly enjoy being that close to fish; so, when the trip was booked, I made sure everyone knew that I was perfectly content staying on the boat. Apparently, this was not okay with my family because half way through the day, I was picked up and thrown into the water with a pair of goggles and a snorkel following close behind. At first, I was okay tredding water, but as soon as I put the goggles and snorkel on and dipped my head under, I lost it. There were huge fish all around me, inches from my face. I instinctively tried to get away, and apparently was also screaming, which caused all of the crew members on the boat to rush to the side where I was swimming to see what happened (or so I was told). Before I knew it, I was scooped out of the water and placed back on the boat, only to realize that I had been at least 100 feet away from most of the other snorkelors who had ventured in closer to the reef, and instead, had been thrown in right by all of the little kids who were swimming with their parents. Embarrassing.