Presenting: Chris Ronneseth – Journey Journey Knowledgeable!

I not too long ago 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 undoubtedly want 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 differently than the norm, we had the chance to journey to international locations that have been thought-about unique at the moment and to some extent nonetheless are right now. Venturing out by myself touring whereas attending College I grew to become an increasing number of 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 firms through the tech growth. Having realized the talent of gross sales in an business exterior of journey however backed with an upbringing rooted in journey journey, I made the development to heading up gross sales in Jap Canada for the household enterprise the place I now present help to our community of journey brokers throughout Jap Canada in addition to compiling our month-to-month e-newsletter on journey journey developments.

2. What international locations 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 prime 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 bike and stumbling upon a hidden and rarely 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. Some of the tranquil moments of my life.

4. What’s journey journey and the way has it developed over the previous few many years?

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 have been largely invented alongside the way in which. At the moment 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 every day life.

5. Who goes in your journey journey excursions and why? What’s the age, gender, nationality and revenue degree of the people who go in your excursions?

Journey journey is essentially concerning the ardour to do it. For that reason it crosses boundaries of age, gender and revenue because the frequent aim of the vacationers is the expertise no matter their life at residence. Nevertheless the biggest 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 international locations and the odd Asian traveler.

We provide greater than 120 international locations worldwide usually nearly in every single place. Nevertheless international locations at present deemed to be unsafe for journey (eg. Iraq, Afghanistan) should not included however we anticipate they are going to be within the years to return because the scenario stabilizes.

7. What kind of lodging is obtainable?

We provide usually talking something from 2 star funds lodging to six star lodge experiences in Africa and every little thing in between. Nevertheless what’s frequent to all locations we keep is that they have to be clear, comfy, centrally-located and most necessary 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 favor single lodging?

Our excursions are designed with single travellers in thoughts. In reality 50% of all our travellers come by themselves. We match folks up of the identical gender and like age to share and keep away from charging them a complement. If purchasers favor their very own room, we are able to do that on roughly 60% of the excursions, often the extra upmarket ones, however at a fee that’s honest and inexpensive.

9. What about meals?

Relying on the journey we usually embrace breakfasts and a few dinners however nearly by no means lunch as many individuals prefer to be out at noon making their very own discoveries. Nevertheless when trekking or within the countryside or the place 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 varieties of journey?

A way of feat, high quality of expertise, touring with a small group of simply ten folks on common, usually higher worth than comparable bus excursions, camaraderie with people that share a ardour for one of these journey.

11. What kind of actions are provided in your excursions?

Sightseeing is a serious a part of each tour however past that we wish to embrace as many cultural experiences as attainable equivalent to homestays with native households, village visits, and many others. We even have many non-compulsory actions accessible 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 massive demographic of ‘late-starter’ households who by no means had kids till of their 30s. Many of those folks traveled with us of their 20s or backpacked independently and now wish to give that have to their kids. They don’t seem to be excited about introducing them to the ‘coca-cola’ tradition pervasive in right now’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 way of thinking. Most individuals who elect to not journey to unique locations achieve this due to a concern for his or her security whereas within the vacation spot. Should you heed the recommendation of your tour chief and be sensible nearly any vacation spot on the planet can present a secure, safe and memorable expertise. The place we’ve got had issues with security it has nearly all the time been a disregard for frequent sense and recommendation. Don’t be afraid of experiencing different cultures, you’ll nearly all the time discover that your curiosity would be the greatest information although all of it and that very same curiosity shall be reciprocated by the folks we meet alongside the way in which. It’s about studying and understanding different folks as a lot as they should perceive us. It actually does shrink the world. Our second greatest downside can be dehydration, when touring to sizzling, dry international locations or the place exercise is concerned equivalent to trekking make sure you drink a number of water!

14. How a lot time do you journey your self today?

Usually 5 or 6 weeks a yr. It’s crucial to my gross sales data and expertise and I owe it to my clients to be the skilled in what we do! All of our staff are given great journey alternatives which matches straight to our firm motto: Knowledgeable 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 approach to Turkey and the Patagonian outside In Chile & Argentina.

Thanks, Chris, for all of your data, and have enjoyable in your journeys!