Dear fellow travellers and adventurers,
I haven’t exactly bombarded you with blog posts in 2021 and I apologise for this, especially as it has not been a quiet year at all. But it's already this time of the year when I first wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2022!
It may come as a surprise to some, but to answer this blog post title:
YES PEOPLE HAVE TRAVELLED!
African safari and other holiday bookings have followed the wave of travel restrictions: ups, downs and everything inside this trouble water. But those who had enough of being stranded took a leap a faith, albeit in safe hands, and made it.
Keeping up to date with country rules all over the world isn’t easy even for a travel agent. But it is my duty and joy to help you through the tumult that has evolved since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 2 years of it!
I am not immune to these ever changing rules: my attempts to travel to Africa failed when I lived in the UK due to lockdown followed by red listed African countries, and couldn’t materialise after moving temporarily to France towards the end of this year. I couldn’t get my temporary visa residency to South Africa, which has taken me on a 6 months rollercoaster but I am planning to live there with my son and partner for 3 months from early 2022. Will it happen? If you would like to know if we make it and hopefully how life is over there, you can follow me on both @rareencounters and personal @gm_wildnfree Instagram accounts for updates.
As I write, a group of 5 people are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to summit on Christmas Day and as every client, I have helped and followed them each step of the way to make sure they arrived safe following all the latest restrictions and requirements. I cannot wait to see them on top of the roof of Africa!
In addition to this mountain trek, I was happy to organise honeymoons for couples in Kenya and Tanzania, solo traveller safaris and a few short European breaks.
2022 is already very busy with a mix of new safaris for special occasions, family and solo travellers, holidays to destinations such as Florida, Germany and Jordan and rebooked holidays from 2020 or 2021.
I am so grateful for your trust, enquiries and bookings. It is a wonderful feeling to fulfil your holiday dreams and even better to hear about your wonderful experiences. This is why your testimonials are really appreciated.
I wanted to share a couple of recent ones that really touched me. I hope that this will give you the confidence to travel as well. I am very happy and proud of my 5 stars Google reviews indeed!
Geraint & Sarah from Abu Dhabi, Honeymoon in Kenya 2021:
“Geraldine helped plan our Honeymoon safari - and by help plan I mean handled everything - to Kenya this past July. It was the first time in 2 years that my wife and I could travel, so we were nervous about booking a trip to begin with as there is still uncertainty surrounding travel. But once we decided to risk it and go, Geraldine at Rare Encounters took over for us.
She worked extremely well within our budget and time frame, offering up suggestions based on her experiences and feedback from other clients, to drum up the perfect trip (location-wise and guide-wise) for us. The selection of camps she suggested was great, as was the detailed itinerary, including estimated times between camps as we were driving between each camp and not flying. As a couple who have been to Africa before, my wife Sarah and I know just how chaotic the roads can be, but it was great seeing the plan and map and finding out Geraldine booked us into locations to minimise time spent on the highway.
Even after we had booked and I inundated Geraldine with question after question, she was always kind, quick to respond, and where she could, willing to amend or add on some activities. Now I know this isn't always the case, and we were fortunate it could happen, but Geraldine had no qualms reaching out to us or the camps to make sure things were right.
Early on in the booking process I mentioned it was our belated honeymoon trip, and on the last night, Geraldine had arranged with the camp for us to have our meal in private, in one of the boma areas, away from the other guests with our own private fire under the stars. It really was a special touch.
I would definitely book through Geraldine and Rare Encounters again. You can tell when someone is passionate about their work, and about the places they are suggesting for travel, and this passion oozes out of Geraldine. I could not recommend her highly enough.
Once again, thank you Geraldine for the trip of a lifetime.”
Julie from the UK, Disneyland Paris 2021:
“Knowing that Geraldine can arrange any type of holiday, not just wonderful safaris, I asked her to organise a trip to Disneyland Paris for my daughter and I. The trip was excellent. Geraldine kept us well informed throughout the lead up, including checking that we were well prepared for what is required due to the current Covid situation. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her services. Thanks Geraldine.”
So if you feel nervous about travelling or if you usually do it all yourself but want reassurance and financial protection in case your trip is cancelled, a personal travel agent might be your next stop. Don’t hesitate to write to me, I look forward to hearing about your plans for 2022 and beyond.
Have a wonderful holidays and stay safe,
Geraldine
@rareencounters
+44 781 555 3834
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