Seminar Title: Overlanding meets Lodge safari with Encounters Travel
Speaker: Penny Hooper
Company Name: Encounters Travel
Topic: We have all dreamed of visiting Africa as children, we had a vision of what the trip would be like, seeing exotic animals up close and personal, falling asleep to the sound of lions roaring in the distance and experiencing a culture very different to our own. Come and hear Encounters own Penny Hooper talk about all the do’s and dont’s of travelling in East and southern Africa
Why do you love to travel?
To see and experience new things and to meet new people that have lived very different lives than me. And to get a suntan.
Who would be your ideal travel partner and why?
Shakespeare. Funny, witty, pretty insightful conversation. Imagine what he’d make of travel in Africa.
What was your favourite destination last year and why?
Zambia. Delightful people and spectacular safari, especially the walking safaris. It’s where I fell in love with Africa many years ago.
Describe the most unusual situation you’ve found yourself in while travelling.
I lost a camel called Jimi Hendrix while working as a guide in Morocco. It ran off for two days, with everything: over £800 in cash, my passport, my mobile phone, the beer, the chicken, the sun cream, my shoes… we drove around tracking it for two days.
Name two up-and-coming destinations for 2013 and why.
Malawi, now with a Big 5 game reserve, and good links between bush and beach.
Zimbabwe – tourism is coming back, hotels are refurbishing, shops are full and businesses are beginning to see the visitors they need to start moving forwards.
If you could return to any country you’ve been to, what would it be and why?
Madagascar. It’s huge and I barely scratched the surface. There are so many wildly different areas I have yet to see there.
What’s the one thing you can’t travel without and why?
A sarong or several sarongs. In Africa they are called various things –Kitenga, Kikoy, Kanga, and have literally hundreds of uses.
Give us an overview of what you’ll be discussing at the TNT Travel Show:
A brief insight into the do’s and don’ts of travelling in Africa as well as the advantages of overlanding and lodges.
Who will find your talk relevant?
Anyone who is interested in travelling to East or southern Africa and wants a little more info or suggestions of what type of trip would work for them.
