Unusual Destinations
Unusual Destinations was founded 12 years ago, offering packages to Madagascar and several other 'off the beaten track' destinations. Over the years Rita and her dedicated team have built up an extensive portfolio of exotic itineraries covering eleven African destinations. These are Ethiopia, Gabon, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Reunion, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Unusual Destinations prides itself on its staff, all of whom have unrivalled product knowledge and offer first-class service. Our depth of knowledge and the quality of our staff allow us to offer value for money, versatility, genuine smiles and warm African hospitality over our entire range of products. We work only with carefully chosen hotels and handling agents in each country in order to offer our clients the best possible service.
As well as specialising in tailor-made itineraries for individual travellers, we also arrange specialised group tours, guaranteed departure tours, adventure trips, incentive packages, health spa and wellness centres, business travel and of course beach holidays!
In keeping with modern technology we run an 'easy to navigate' website which is updated on a regular basis. It is the perfect tool to give our cyber guests the chance to gather in-depth information about each destination we offer. An added incentives are sample itineraries, weather reports, travel specials, references, 'tip a friend' facility plus a huge range of professional photographs - all at the click of a mouse!
Rita Bachmann, Director and founder of Unusual Destinations, has spent her life travelling and working on all the continents! When asked which is her favourite destination, the reply was an emphatic 'Madagascar!' Rita has been visiting regularly since 1992, and is now a leading expert. Those who know Rita will confirm that she has unbelievable energy, zest for life and a wicked sense of humour (plus unlimited patience when dealing with all the countries we offer). Besides all her other talents she has taken on the immense task of designing our website and keeping it updated with our latest destinations, specials and current rates - no small feat!
Janet McCloughan is one of the pioneer members of the Unusual Destinations team. Prior to joining us she worked for South African Airways and a number of other airlines for many years, and consequently has extensive knowledge of airline ticketing procedures. Janet has travelled extensively to many exotic and remote places to satisfy her interest in wildlife. Janet is an animal lover and is always prepared to go that extra mile to ensure that you get the holiday of your dreams.
Helen Mann started at Unusual Destinations in October 1999. Helen, a keen scuba diver, has worked in the travel industry since 1993, mostly for tour operators specialising in Africa and the Middle East. Helen has a fantastic sense of humour (desperately needed when dealing with some of our destinations) and loves people and travelling. She is also in charge of our advertising and marketing.
Elise Kreusch has worked in the travel industry for many years, seven of which with a leading tour operator specialising in Southern Africa. A keen photographer and diver, she is happy to be back in South Africa after living in Sydney for twelve years. She has travelled extensively through Botswana and has had some awesome 'up close and personal' encounters with elephants and hippos. She has travelled all over South Africa and has also had opportunities to visit some of the best game reserves in Southern Africa, namely the Sabi Sands reserve, Mana Pools National Park, Hwange National Park, the Okavango Delta & Moremi Wildlife Reserve, Etosha National Park and the remote Skeleton Coast. She has more recently visited Madagascar and Mozambique which she highly recommends.
Judy Harrison has been with us since April 2006. Judy is a keen diver and is incredibly well travelled. A woman of many talents, she has been following her calling as an artist, teacher, remedial practitioner and of course as a travel consultant. Life is a daily adventure with Judy and she never misses an opportunity to create fun in any situation, as well as being a very nurturing influence in the office.
Ian Davidson joined us recently as a consultant for our group tours. His background is in entomology, having worked at the Natural History Museum in London and thereafter with the South African Institute for Medical Research. During this time he carried out research in Namibia for his Masters degree in Medical Entomology. He has travelled extensively in Africa, leading tour groups to Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Gabon and Cameroon. Africa is his main area of expertise, having led more than 130 group tours! Ian has also travelled extensively in search of birds in the USA, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. While his primary interest is birds, he has a wide knowledge in the entomological, botanical and general zoological fields and has written over 40 scientific papers on entomological and bird-related subjects. On a more popular level his publications include Southern African Birds - a photographic guide co-authored with Ian Sinclair, and a multi-lingual guide 'Birds of the National Parks of South Africa' both published by Struik publishers. Favourite birding spots in Africa are the Nyika plateau in Malawi, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda and the forests and savannahs of Gabon.
Gayle Bannatyne is a fun loving, energetic, chatty, busy mum of twins. She loves the sun & sand, reading & spending quality time with her 9yr old "pigeon pair". She is honest, trustworthy, organised & passionate about her work, family, friends & colleagues and she will always go the extra mile for the people she cares about. She has been in the travel industry for 20 years, having worked for two International Airlines as a reservations & ticketing agent before falling pregnant, giving birth & taking 2 years off. She has now her own representation company promoting top class suppliers, including Unusual Destinations. She absolutely loves being part of our dynamic team in Cape Town.
