I just lately had an opportunity to speak to Chris Ronneseth of Trek Holidays (see interview preview) who gave me a very good overview of journey journey, an space of journey I positively wish to discover earlier than later…
1. Inform us how you bought into the journey journey enterprise.
I grew up round journey. My father, Allan Ronneseth based the corporate in 1972 and with a ardour to see the world otherwise than the norm, we had the chance to journey to nations that had been thought-about unique at the moment and to some extent nonetheless are at the moment. Venturing out alone touring whereas attending College I turned increasingly passionate concerning the world past North America. With a level in advertising, I ventured off first to New York and later to Toronto working in gross sales and advertising for expertise corporations through the tech increase. Having realized the ability of gross sales in an trade exterior of journey however backed with an upbringing rooted in journey journey, I made the development to heading up gross sales in Japanese Canada for the household enterprise the place I now present assist to our community of journey brokers throughout Japanese Canada in addition to compiling our month-to-month publication on journey journey tendencies.
2. What nations have you ever traveled to?
Africa: Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Egypt, Morocco
Europe: UK, Greenland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria
Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong
South Pacific: Australia, Prepare dinner Islands, Tonga, Fiji
Americas: Canadian Excessive Arctic, USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Cayman Islands,
Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
3. Please share with us your high three journey reminiscences of all instances.
A. Peru -The final descent into Machu Picchu on the famed Inca Path from the Solar Gate after seeing dawn over the positioning, being the primary to enter the positioning at dawn and having a sense of peace, concord and powerful magic within the air.
B. Vietnam – Travelling the countryside of Vietnam by motorcycle and stumbling upon a hidden and infrequently visited Buddhist Monastery leading to a three-hour go to with a younger Buddhist monk studying and understanding one another’s methods.
C. Namibia – Skydiving at sundown at Swakopmund on the coast the place the Atlantic Ocean meets the blood-red sand dunes for so far as the attention can see. Probably the most tranquil moments of my life.
4. What’s journey journey and the way has it developed over the previous couple of a long time?
Journey journey used to imply excessive journey again when the corporate was based within the seventies, it was time when the ‘hippie-trail’ was sizzling and buses used to journey throughout Asia from London to Kathmandu with itineraries that had been largely invented alongside the best way. Right now it’s concerning the small group expertise and about experiencing a vacation spot somewhat than merely seeing it. It’s about participation and understanding of cultures, historical past and customs and with the ability to take that have away as enrichment to your day by day life.
5. Who goes in your journey journey excursions and why? What’s the age, gender, nationality and revenue degree of the folks that go in your excursions?
Journey journey is basically concerning the ardour to do it. Because of this it crosses boundaries of age, gender and revenue because the frequent objective of the vacationers is the expertise no matter their life at residence. Nonetheless the most important demographic for us and crucial progress demographic is the baby-boomers who’ve skilled the standard seaside trip a number of instances over and now have the time and disposable revenue to journey to extra unique locations. Nationality is usually made up of largely English-speaking nations with the make-up so as of numbers being Brits, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Individuals, some mainland Europe, some Latin American nations and the odd Asian traveler.
We provide greater than 120 nations worldwide typically nearly in every single place. Nonetheless nations at the moment deemed to be unsafe for journey (eg. Iraq, Afghanistan) are usually not included however we count on they are going to be within the years to come back because the scenario stabilizes.
7. What kind of lodging is obtainable?
We provide typically talking something from 2 star price range lodging to six star lodge experiences in Africa and every little thing in between. Nonetheless what’s frequent to all locations we keep is that they have to be clear, snug, centrally-located and most vital have character that’s reflective of the vacation spot.
8. How do these excursions work for single travellers? Do you present a travel-mate matching service? What occurs if I want single lodging?
Our excursions are designed with single travellers in thoughts. The truth is 50% of all our travellers come by themselves. We match individuals up of the identical gender and like age to share and keep away from charging them a complement. If shoppers want their very own room, we are able to do that on roughly 60% of the excursions, normally the extra upmarket ones, however at a price that’s honest and inexpensive.
9. What about meals?
Relying on the journey we typically embrace breakfasts and a few dinners however virtually by no means lunch as many individuals wish to be out at noon making their very own discoveries. Nonetheless when trekking or within the countryside or the place alternate options don’t exist we are going to all the time embrace meals.
10. What are the distinctive advantages of journey excursions as in comparison with different sorts of journey?
A way of accomplishment, high quality of expertise, touring with a small group of simply ten individuals on common, typically higher worth than comparable bus excursions, camaraderie with people that share a ardour for such a journey.
11. What kind of actions are supplied in your excursions?
Sightseeing is a serious a part of each tour however past that we need to embrace as many cultural experiences as potential similar to homestays with native households, village visits, and many others. We even have many non-compulsory actions obtainable such rafting, crusing, jeep safaris, day treks, and many others.
12. Is there such a factor as journey excursions for households?
We now have excursions constructed particularly for households to journey with different households the place kids are age six and up. There’s a giant demographic of ‘late-starter’ households who by no means had kids till of their 30s. Many of those individuals traveled with us of their 20s or backpacked independently and now need to give that have to their kids. They aren’t fascinated about introducing them to the ‘coca-cola’ tradition pervasive in at the moment’s society. These have been met with nice success.
13. Please share with us sensible recommendation for somebody who’s by no means tried journey journey.
Security is a frame of mind. Most individuals who elect to not journey to unique locations accomplish that due to a concern for his or her security whereas within the vacation spot. If you happen to heed the recommendation of your tour chief and be sensible virtually any vacation spot on the planet can present a protected, safe and memorable expertise. The place we’ve got had issues with security it has virtually all the time been a disregard for frequent sense and recommendation. Do not be afraid of experiencing different cultures, you’ll virtually all the time discover that your curiosity would be the finest information although all of it and that very same curiosity shall be reciprocated by the individuals we meet alongside the best way. It’s about studying and understanding different individuals as a lot as they should perceive us. It actually does shrink the world. Our second greatest drawback could be dehydration, when touring to sizzling, dry nations or the place exercise is concerned similar to trekking make sure you drink numerous water!
14. How a lot time do you journey your self nowadays?
Usually 5 or 6 weeks a yr. It’s crucial to my gross sales information and expertise and I owe it to my prospects to be the professional in what we do! All of our staff are given great journey alternatives which works straight to our firm motto: Professional recommendation from those that have been there!
15. The place are you going subsequent?
I plan this yr on escorting a visit again to Egypt in April, to South Africa in Could to expertise a few of our new properties we work with and to hopefully take a facet journey to Mozambique. Later within the yr I plan to make my solution to Turkey and the Patagonian open air In Chile & Argentina.
Thanks, Chris, for all of your info, and have enjoyable in your journeys!