Jeanie Fundora – Travel Consultant

The places I’ve visited

South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania & Zanzibar, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Seychelles, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Italy, Germany, France, England, Holland, Spain, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba

The year I started in the business

1999

The year I started with travel beyond

2010

The things I enjoy most about consulting

There are so many facets of planning travel that I enjoy.

Being part of what begins as a dream, a trip-of-a-lifetime safari to Africa, and making that dream a reality for my clients.
Dreaming up multi-generational family trips with something for everyone is incredibly rewarding.
Working with repeat clients, who thought that they would only visit Africa once, only to find themselves “hooked” on Africa and going back for more.
Having past clients refer their family, friends and colleagues to me, which is the biggest compliment to my work.
The amazing relationships I have developed over the years with both clients and local staff throughout Africa and worldwide make me feel more connected to people all over the globe.

My most memorable travel moment

I feel incredibly blessed and privileged to have visited some of the most breathtaking sites and natural wonders of the world, from the Taj Mahal to Victoria Falls. From each of those trips I have always come back a slightly changed person, having taken away something and also feeling that I left a part of me behind in each place. I refer to travel as my second education and I have spent a third of my life in the travel industry. Travel has taught me, molded me, changed me, opened my eyes, opened my mind and developed my palate. Travel has further developed my passion for photography, wildlife and cultures. It is Africa that has truly gotten under my skin and has become a part of my life. Without doubt, this is because Africa is the place I have visited most and explored extensively in 15 trips to the region over the last decade.

Yet my most memorable travel moment involved a short 30-minute flight from Miami. In 2004, I visited Cuba with my grandparents and father, who had not returned in 40 years. Our three-generation trip was a lifetime in the making and orchestrating the emotional family reunion was a life-changing experience. Seeing my grandmother reunite with and embrace her three surviving brothers (from a family of eleven siblings) after their separation of four decades, made me feel for that split second that all was right with the world.

My most embarrassing travel moment

Involved a three-hour flight from Windhoek, Namibia to Maun, Botswana in a 6-seater, single engine Cessna 206 aircraft. These little workhorses of Africa, the Cessna C206, are fantastic planes that can land just about anywhere. However, they lack bathroom facilities. Also, the pilot will not land simply due to a passenger needing to use the restroom. Repeatedly asking, “are we there yet” and staring at the GPS watching it countdown does not do much good either. One empty water bottle, a magazine as funnel and one very red-faced passenger exiting the plane… enough said. Thankfully there were only a few of us on the aircraft allowing for some privacy for my mid-flight engineering. It was my first time to Africa and I was making sure to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water. Lesson learned: Always use the facilities before any light aircraft flights even if you think you don’t need to!

My favorite meal while traveling

I love food. I don’t discriminate and will try most anything at least once. Food is an intricate part of culture and being open-minded to cuisines all over the world is, in my opinion, part of truly experiencing a destination fully. My favorite foods to eat while traveling are spicy curries. I especially enjoy Cape Malay food in South Africa, which is truly “fusion cuisine” with the most amazing, aromatic spices. Chicken Biryani, Rotis, Boboties, it would seem that the harder to pronounce, the more interesting the flavors, which is often the case with South African wines also. South African desserts are not to be missed either! Never turn down milk tart nor malva pudding!