#TravelTuesday 5 Must Ask Safari Questions Post Covid19
As our world prepares to travel again, a lot has changed in the Travel Industry. Here are 5 Must Ask Questions for your Safari Designer, to prepare you for the best, post Covid19 African Safari Experience.
Please feel free to use these same questions for all your travels. I think they apply to most Luxury Destinations, worldwide.
1) Have you lived or worked in (or even been to!) Africa?
A lot of excellent, knowledgeable industry experts were let go during the Pandemic. A disturbing shift saw their replacement by inexperienced staff. While “Junior Consultants’” low pay may help a company’s financial bottomline, the loss of Senior Travel Staff my mean the difference between a calamity ridden Safari, or the Wildlife Experience of a Lifetime.
You want an African Expert to help you design your Safari.
2) Why are you an Expert in the field of African Safari Planning?
This is a bit different than the above question. Flyga Twiga has been honored to have many people, who live and work in Africa, seeking our Safari services. With trusted, in-country partners, keeping up-to-date on industry changes, and personally living, working, & traveling extensively in East and Southern Africa - all create truly Expert Advice.
3) How long have you specialized in African Safaris?
A little known “Insider Secret” is many Big Box “Luxury” Travel Firms will move successful Sales Staff around. One week a staff member may be working on Cruises, then the next on African Safaris. I love a good Salesman. I also know specializations mean knowledge of travel specifics which may make or break a Safari Experience.
Ellie & Babies, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda © Flyga Twiga™ LLC
4) Where are you headquartered?
Where the company is headquartered regulates business and banking laws. Your due diligence starts with knowing not only who, but also where, the professional accountability will be held. Consider this question an insurance policy – hoping for the best, while being prepared.
5) How long have you worked with your Destination Management Company (DMC)?
DMCs are our trusted, in-country partners. The DMC is the person(s) for whom your bespoke Safari Planner is vouching. They are telling you they know and rely on the DMC’s qualifications and professionalism. Why is this so important? I still get shutters thinking about the “Luxury Travel Expert”, who asked last year, on a Professional Luxury Travel Forum, if anyone had a DMC in Ethiopia. She was planning on sending clients to not only a place she had never been, but also with people she had never worked with.
You need to have faith that the people sending you on Safari, know and trust the people in charge of your Safari Experience.
As the questions suggest, you are really conducting an interview with the person you are entrusting with your African Safari safety and experience. These questions should assist in your traveling with confidence and the freedom to enjoy the amazing African Wildlife. Because our mission is for you to have a…
Happy Day! Safe Safari!
Two Brother Gorillas, Nyakagezi Group MGNP © Flyga Twiga™ LLC
#TravelTuesday Thanks USPTO for the Swift Trademark Renewal. See you in another 5 years!
Excited and Honored to be Invited to Attend Global Business Forum Africa Hosted by Dubai Chamber UAE
2019 Global Business Forum Africa
Under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Global Business Forum Africa (GBFAfrica) encourages international revenue flows into Africa by engaging leading decision-makers on the global investment scene. The Forum will involve prominent African stakeholders to engage in a dialogue at the highest level of implementation.
فعالياته يومي 18-19 نوفمبر المقبل، تحت شعار "أفريقيا الغد، نماء المستقبل"، مشاركة رفيعة المستوى من رؤساء دول أفريقية، و17 وزيراً أفريقياً، وعدداً من كبار المسؤولين الحكوميين ورؤساء كبرى المؤسسات الاقتصادية الأفريقية والعالمية، بجانب عدد من كبار الشخصيات الاقتصادية ورواد الأعمال من مختلف دول القارة السمراء، وذلك لبحث سبل التعاون الاقتصادي وتعزيز نمو الأعمال ومناقشة مختلف القضايا المتعلقة بالتجارة والاستثمار المشترك.
ويشهد المنتدى الذي يعد من أبرز منتديات الأعمال العالمية حضور فخامة جورج ويا رئيس جمهورية ليبيريا، وفخامة داني فوري رئيس جمهورية سيشل، بالإضافة إلى عدد من الوزراء وكبار المسؤولين الحكوميين والشخصيات الاقتصادية في أفريقيا.
We are ready to welcome heads of state, 17 ministers, high-ranking government officials and prominent business leaders from Africa to our 5th Global Business Forum on Africa, on November 18-19. Among the high-level attendees taking part in #GBFAfrica2019 are: H.E. George Weah, President of Liberia; H.E. Danny Faure, President of Seychelles; and 17 ministers from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Namibia, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Senegal, Uganda, Malawi, Congo, Tanzania, Niger and Liberia; as well as high-level public and private sector stakeholders from several other African countries, including former heads of state, CEOs, entrepreneurs, industry experts and economists. Under the theme “Scale Up Africa”, the forum will highlight the important role of cross border cooperation in supporting and accelerating’s Africa’s next phase of sustainable economic growth and development.
Thank you MOAA for the Awesome Interview. The Honor is Deeply Appreciated!
Uganda Bull Ellie ©Flyga Twiga LLC
Insider Secret - New Line Being Launched By KICHO Korea - 키초 코스메틱 Commleaf
Kicho CommLeaf © Flyga Twiga LLC
While attending the CosmoBeauty 2018 Show at COEX in Seoul yesterday, I learned from a KICHO Korea - 키초 코스메틱 Executive that they are launching a new brand, Commleaf, in the United States. KICHO Korea - 키초 코스메틱 is already sold at Sally Beauty and Duty Free JFK in the United States.
KICHO Korea - 키초 코스메틱 is one of the first brands I discovered over 3 1/2 years ago when I arrived in South Korea. They make some of my favorite products.
Full disclosure: I was gifted the new Commleaf Set. I purchased the new Tea Pot Brush Set at CosmoBeauty. I love the color! And, for animal rights activists, they are synthetic - no animal hair in the making.
Also, pictured below is my absolute favorite KICHO Korea - 키초 코스메틱 Product, their Argan Brush Cleanser, which comes in Travel Packs as well. Perfect for my Business Travel!
I have a lot more pictures and ideas from CosmoBeauty 2018- but wanted to share the Insider Secret asap!
Kicho Products © Flyga Twiga LLC
Travel Industry and Taxes
Gorilla Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Uganda © Flyga Twiga LLC
Living in Seoul, South Korea, I love spending time walking along the Han River and listening to podcasts. One of the podcasts I enjoy is Alexa Meisler's "Break into Travel Writing" podcast.
One day, about three years ago, I was listening to Episode 82 with Amy Northard, linked here. OH MY GOSH! This show saved my company!
Well, at the very least, the episode, “Bookkeeping for Travel Bloggers with Amy Northard” saved me from a heap of heartache with the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
My husband and I have, for well over a decade, had a brilliant accountant in Virginia who does our taxes. I had really great coaches and business advisers at the Alexandria Small Business Development Center. I even had an attorney, whose specialty is the travel industry, draw-up my legal agreements.
But…I didn’t realize, until listening to this episode, that I had to report to the IRS any and ALL “freebies” I was given for my business. In particular to my company, the travel and tours to Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa as a Fully Hosted International Buyer and the Travel Show Booths I ran on behalf of the Kenyan Embassy in Seoul. All expenses and costs paid for by Tourism Boards or Exhibition Companies are INCOME! That’s right, taxable income.
So, while I love my business and wouldn’t trade the lifestyle it offers for the world, my Familiarization (Fam) Trips are work and they are taxable. But, we won’t tell the Gorillas in Uganda. They think I was there simply for pleasure and to visit their remote jungle. They don’t need to know about the IRS. ;-)
Disclaimer: I am not a financial or legal professional and the above blog is from personal experience and you should seek out a Certified Public Accountant or Legal Professional for your own business.
Where I might be permanently living had I not listened to this podcast….
Tented Banda Swahili Language School Arusha, Tanzania © Flyga Twiga LLC
When Companies Become Too Large
Etihad Airlines Office Seoul 2016 © Flyga Twiga LLC
I actually had an entirely different blog post planned for this #TravelTuesday . I promise two things. First, this won’t turn into a total whine fest. Second, it will end on a happy note.
In the past seven days I have had 2 large companies, with whom I have had long standing relationships, let me down. The first was a clothing company for whom I have been a “Pro Guide” for three years. The other is an airline to whom I have been exceptionally loyal for nearly a decade.
While the details are different, each instance of customer dissatisfaction was precipitated by the low level Customer Service Employee, with whom I dealt, not being able to go “off script.” In both situations, a loyal customer has been lost due to their inability to deal with serious issues arising their overly large, bloated companies due not equip them to handle.
And, while I have no proof of this, I have a hint that in each circumstance the employee was afraid of the giant corporation for whom they worked. They appeared to me less afraid of losing a customer, than they were about being perceived as unable to do their jobs, by “kicking it up" the pipeline. At a certain point both of these companies have fostered a “that’s not in my paygrade” institutional thinking.
On the upside, it proves there is a place in the world for more intimate businesses. These experiences reinforced my commitment to such clothing/gear companies as a ONE WAY™ in Kenya and Kathmandu™ in New Zealand. And, the experiences offer validation for my bespoke, personal Safari service.
As for the airline, I was able to receive excellent customer service from Etihad Airlines™. I was forced out of my comfort zone - maybe even what could be described as an “airline rut.” Additionally, I may have found an even better airline to service my clients.
No one wants bad experiences. But in business, there is always something to learn from them. I plan to take these experiences and make sure they reinforce how valuable not only my client relationships are, but also my B2B relationships as well. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing out of all our relationships – to be treated with respect and fairness. That’s exactly what I intend to continue providing in my business relationships.
Happy Travel Tuesday!
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