Jenny Strand – Travel Consultant

The places I’ve visited:

Alaska, Egypt, Aruba, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mexico (Baja Peninsula), Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Spain

The year I started in the business:

1995

The year I started with Travel Beyond:

1995

The things I enjoy most about consulting:

Three things that I enjoy most:

Designing the perfect trip for my clients.
Hearing the excitement in their voices before they leave.
Sharing their travel experience when they return. Great satisfaction!

The most interesting trip I’ve designed:

Each client and itinerary is unique, therefore it is difficult to choose just one. But if I had to pick, it would be a five week driving itinerary in South Africa. Because of our collective knowledge and experience in the agency, I was able to suggest areas to visit that my clients were not aware of.

My most memorable travel moments:

Spiritual: Bobbing in a raft with a slight fog in the Pacific and suddenly a 36 ton gray whale put her head on our raft close enough for me to touch! I will never forget this. – Lindblad Expeditions, Among the Great Whales

Beauty: Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. The combination of the baobabs trees, giraffes and elephants was magnificent. – A&K
Life altering experience: Terizen Concentration Camp in Czech Republic. – Perfect Package

My most embarrassing travel moment:

While on safari in Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe), I was in my tent getting ready for dinner. Suddenly, there were small termites everywhere and I thought to myself that I would NEVER send any of my clients to this camp. Unbeknownst to me, what I was experiencing was a natural phenomenon called a termite hatch. The termite hills literally explode which excite birds, animals, and humans alike. In fact, one of the nationally recognized cable broadcast shows was out the week before waiting for this to happen to capture on film. They left before it happened – but I got to witness it! I am embarrassed to think that I was thinking of not sending people to this camp!

My favorite meal while traveling:

My favorite meal was in Prague at Il Panoramo in the Stahov Monastery. This restaurant has outdoor seating with a fantastic view of the Prague Castle and city of Prague.