Travel Journeys by Design
If any trip calls for a specialist’s touch, it’s an African safari. The intricacies of identifying the best reserves and lodges — and the logistics of travelling from one remote camp to the next — demand that even seasoned safari-goers enlist an expert.
How one selects an expert is a simple matter for Will Jones, founder of the Uk-based safari outfitter Journeys by Design. “The true specialist is able to tell a story with nothing more than a map,” says Jones, who was born in Nigeria and raised in six African countries. “If he or she can tell you a whole story over the history, geography, people, culture and wildlife with just a map in front of you, then you’re in the right company.”
Not surprisingly, Jones prefers to meet face-to-face with clients before planning one of his journeys, which can range from family safaris through southern Africa to helicopter adventures in rarely visited regions of Kenya and Ethiopia. In addition to assessing clients’ needs and desires, the meetings serve to address any security concerns they might have.
“As safe as Africa is, it comes with some inherent risk,” Jones says. “When dusk falls and the night draws in, small problems can turn into fairly significant crises. We’re making sure that you’re not left stranded on an airstrip wondering when that little airplane is going to turn up out of the sky.” journeysbydesign.com