Sande Kouba – Travel Consultant

The places I’ve visited:

Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Belize, France, Germany, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Hong Kong, Fiji, Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad, US Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Grenada, Martinique, Curacao, Dominica, Barbados, Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil

The year I started in the business:

1982

The year I started with Travel Beyond:

2002

The things I enjoy most about consulting:

I love the excitement of the clients building before departure. I often feel like I am going with them because I get excited too. It’s like kids at Christmas, you love to watch the excitement on the kids’ faces; this is the same thing only we don’t always get to see the faces.

The most interesting trip I’ve designed:

A Tanzania trip that combined chimpanzee tracking in the Gombe Forest near the Jane Goodall Institute along with the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

My favorite travel destinations:

Botswana – I love the camps and the remoteness of it.

South Africa – so much diversity in one country, from the cosmopolitan feel of Cape Town to the rolling green hills of the Natal and the big game and wonderful private game reserves.

Jamaica – the laid back feeling, blue ocean and the most amazing frozen drinks

My most memorable travel moment:

On a trip to South Africa our guide let my 9 year old son Cliff ride up in the tracker’s seat of the land rover. He drove very slowly through an open area and Cliff got to point out the animals nearby.

My most embarrassing travel moment:

On my very first trip to Africa traveling with Audrey, the game reserve we stayed at had tented accommodations with the “privy” located below. I had to go to the bathroom very badly by the time it was light out and while sitting on the toilet I could see a large lizard head from behind the power box on the wall next to the shower. Needless to say I skipped showering that day.