My first trip abroad was to what was then the USSR. I was 13 years old and that trip gave me a deep understanding of how travel can open our minds and help us see the world in a clearer way. Since that trip I have traveled to 42 other countries, each trip has changed me, always for the better.
After working in arts enrichment programs for children for eight years, I decided I wanted a career change. Following my heart, I knew my new path would have to do with travel.
After speaking with friends who traveled with Audley (and seeing their well thought out and unique itinerary), I knew I had found the company I was looking for. Having sold Morocco, Spain and Portugal for many years, I am now excited to be selling Tanzania and Kenya.
Q&A with Sarah
What is your best piece of travel advice?
When on safari always try and wake up for the early game drive. Yes, it’s still dark but what you see and hear on that drive will make the early rise well worth it. You will hear the birdsong that starts with just one or two birds but as the light turns from ink black, to lavender and indigo, to tangerine, burnt orange and scarlet red — hundreds of other birds will join in. You will see all the animals waking, moving slowly across the savannah; coming down from their safe, high perches from the night before. This is also the time of day when many animals make their kill for the day, before the temperature gets too hot.
What is your most vivid travel moment?
While staying in Bangladesh I took a long train ride from Dhaka to Sylhet to visit the tea plantations. I arrived at Sylhet’s train platform late at night. The platform was unlit, the only light I could see was from the lanterns hanging from the bicycle rickshaws. I approached a rickshaw driver and he agreed to take me to the tea plantation where I would be spending the night. He began to slowly cycle up the hill; the night was so still, the only sounds I could hear were the soft breathing of the rickshaw driver as he pedaled up the hill, cicadas in the distance and the delicate jingle of the strand of small bells that decorated the rickshaw. As we crested the hill, I looked down at the most astoundingly beautiful sight. At the bottom of the hill was a snake-like irrigation river for the terraced tea fields; the river was illuminated by thousands of fireflies whose light pulsed in the dark valley — Mother Nature's light show. I travel to collect moments like the one I experienced that night.
Which book, film or artwork captures Kenya and Tanzania the most?
Nick Brandt’s photography book, On This Earth, captures Kenya and Tanzania the most. His photography shows the majesty of the animals that live in both countries but also reminds us that the environment that they live in is so fragile and precarious. He is capturing them at their most powerful but there is a sense of darkness encroaching, how long will they be able to roam free with drought challenging their existence each year and humans encroaching on their territory?