Jennifer and her husband, Phil, set up Travellers
together back in 1994, driven by their mutual enjoyment of travelling
(between them they had lived and worked in many different countries) and
also their love of animals and their desire to help disadvantaged children. When Phil died unexpectedly in
August 2004, Jennifer carried out Phil's wish and set up a non-profit
Trust whose objectives are to help threatened animals and to improve the
lives of disadvantaged children.
The photo is of camera-shy Jen
showing excited children on one of Travellers' projects in South Africa
the photo she had just taken of them. Jen's hobbies include messing
around on computers, music, writing, playing with her dog and trying to
find time to smell life's roses!
Countries visited: Australia, USA, Europe, Sri Lanka, South
Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia, Angola, Malawi, Sudan, Tenerife,
Minorca
.
Mike Ecclestone: Director of Operations
Joined
Travellers: 2002, after having completed a Travellers project in
Sri Lanka
Continents & Countries Visited: Africa: Egypt, The Gambia, Morocco, Tunisia., Asia:India,Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand., Australasia:
Australia., Europe:
Over 20 and counting! North America: Cuba, Guatemala, USA South America: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay
A Few
Favourites ... Country: Pass, that's just too hard as I love them all! Island:
Sri Lanka/Borneo/Team GB! Beach: Raleigh Beach (Krabi), Thailand. Town:
Antigua, Guatemala / Chang Mai, Thailand. Mountain: Le Grande Motte, French Alps.
Hobbies: Snowboarding/Scuba/Sport in general...
Ambitions:To gain my pilot's licence (PPL). To conquer the Himalaya's.
It might take some time!
.
Avin
Garemogg: IT Manager
Avin joined Travellers full-time in 2005 but had previously looked after
Travellers IT systems ever since the organisation began thirteen years ago. Prior to joining Travellers, Avin was
an IT consultant specialising in large scale Citrix deployments. He also has
more IT qualifications than we could possibly fit on this page!
Avin has two children and a cat
and has recently started to learn to play guitar. His weekends are usually
spent with his kids messing about on his recent purchase, a 26-foot sailing
boat ... and keeping his fingers crossed that he won't crash it into the
shore. We all hope he soon starts learning how to sail it properly!
He also enjoys motorcycling, reading, music, tech geek stuff - and all
things Brazilian, including one particular lady!
Countries Visited:
Avin has visited Bognor Regis.
(He has also been to the USA, Morocco, Egypt and a significant amount of
Europe.)
.
Paul White: Marketing
Manager
Paul had long
been a friend and associate of Travellers before joining the company
full-time. He has taken part in four voluntary placements and visited at
least 12 more. He is the trainer for the Travellers teacher training days
and TEFL Time courses.
Paul enjoys
travel (really enjoys it!) plus wildlife, scuba diving, music and food!
Paul has eaten in:
USA, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Singapore,
Borneo, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam, China, Japan, South Korea, Argentina,
Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru.
.
Vicky Boughton: Project Co-ordinator
Vicky got the travelling bug in 2001 and embarked on an adventure around
Asia and Australia. Her Travellers placement in Sri Lanka changed her life
in more ways than one and by 2002 she was working for Travellers in their UK office, helping
others to fulfil their volunteering experiences.
Vicky now co-ordinates
placements for volunteers in Malaysia, Brunei, Argentina, Thailand and
Australia.
She has just returned from a 6-month overseas stint in Travellers'
Australia office, avoiding the UK winter and suffering the hardships of
Down Under summer (!!)
This photo of her was taken looking after a Joey in Australia. (Lucky Joey)!
Countries visited:
Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Borneo
(Sabah and Sarawak) Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, Hong Kong,
Singapore, USA, Europe and the Ukraine.
.
Tom Brooks: Administration
Tom joined Travellers in February 2008 having
recently graduated in Philosophy.
'I’m greatly enjoying the opportunities given to
me working for this cheerful and caring company. Though I’ve not had quite
the same travelling experience as some of my colleagues, I’ve been about
Europe a bit and love learning about the exciting projects that are taking
place worldwide.'
Tom says music and comedy are his main inspirations. He loves writing,
playing the banjo and camping out and hopes one day to travel the world
doing the same.
Countries visited: Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, Austria, Italy,
Netherlands.
.
Richard Cowley: Project Development & Sports
Manager
Richard is our roving Project
Development & Sports
Manager and is continually on the rounds in our various destination
countries setting up new sports projects and ensuring that our existing
projects continue to develop and improve.
About me:
I
started working overseas in 2002 whilst doing a BA (Hons) Sports Management
degree at UWIC. During my time at university I spent a year in the United
States and a summer in Holland, France and Spain working within sports. After
university I decided to follow my passion of working overseas with sports
and spent 5 months working in Fiji and Tonga and afterwards went travelling
around Asia. In 2006 I joined the Travellers team and spent the year working
in Africa in South Africa, Kenya and Ghana establishing sports projects.
During 2007 I worked in Australia, New Zealand and China establishing sports
and other projects. I am now back in South Africa establishing many new and
exciting projects. I am sports mad and I love to coach, play and watch
sports. I have played sports for teams all over the world including rugby,
football, tennis, squash, swimming, water polo, and athletics, but my
favourite sports are football and rugby. My sporting
highlights include playing rugby in the Fijian premiership with players from
the national team, coaching children football and rugby in Africa, playing rugby in
New Zealand and having trials for Wales in Rugby and Waterpolo.
Years working abroad within sports: 4 and a half and counting
Countries Visited:
Europe:11 countries in total
North America: Canada, USA Africa: Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia,
Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia,
Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia Asia: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore,
South Korea, Thailand, Tibet Australasia: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga,
.
Kelly Day: Project Co-ordinator
Kelly joined
Travellers in 2004 and is the Project Co-ordinator for Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania
and Argentina. She is rapidly becoming the 'Office Mother' and organises our
social events and cooks a mean
pasta which she often shares around at lunchtime.
Her skills and
knowledge (and also her sweet smile and infinite
willingness to help anybody do anything)
have made her a very valued and well liked part of the team,
but she's shy and modest and so she blushes furiously every time we tell her
that!
Ambitions: To see the wildebeest migration, and to climb Mount
Kilimanjaro eventually.
Countries visited: Cyprus, Mexico, Kenya,
India, Malawi, Tanzania, Egypt, USA, Barbados, The Gambia, Tunisia,
Turkey, Malta, and amongst other countries in Europe, the Ukraine.
.
Katie Day: Project Co-ordinator
Kate joined Travellers early in 2006. She is Project Co-ordinator for Zambia
and Zimbabwe (with Liz Tratt), as well as Conservation Co-ordinator for
South Africa.
She enjoys
wakeboarding, snowboarding, surfing and being outdoors
"I haven't done that much travelling but I have been lucky enough to visit
Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa over the last couple of years and have now
fallen in love with Africa, the people, the scenery, the culture and the
amazing wildlife"
Ambitions:To run the
marathon one day "(although I am not sure if this will ever happen!)"
Countries visited: America, Barbados, South
Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Egypt..... so far.
.
Marie-Renee Derouard : Administrator
Marie is the latest addition to our family. She deals with admin and
insurances. At home when she isn't playing her guitar she likes to brave the
elements Kite-surfing at the local beach.
Countries visited: France, USA with a view to
do a LOT more travelling in the future.
.
Rachel Finch: Administrator
"I joined Travellers in March 2007 and love it! I'm a film mad Film Studies
graduate and love to watch documentaries and films of all sorts.
I love everything about Maori culture (as you can see from my picture!) and
I'm captivated by the Polynesian world and history. I also love snowboarding
and skiing as well laying on a hot beach!
Its great working for Travellers because all the staff here really care
about their projects. I get to talk to people from all over the world which
means I'm learning a lot.
I haven't done much travelling yet, but working for Travellers has
definitely given me the craving for it!
Countries I want to visit: New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Fiji, Vietnam,
Japan, Peru......the list is endless!
Countries Visited:
So far just France (Lyon, Le Touquet, Meribel and Motteret) for
Snowboarding, Skiing and practising French....but watch this space!"
.
Rob Hampson: Volunteer Liaison and Asst. Project
Co-ordinator
After
finishing Uni I decided I wanted to do something completely different and
volunteered in Sri Lanka with Travellers doing football coaching and
teaching English. It was fantastic and did indeed change my life.
After coming
back to the UK I became a primary school teacher but all I really wanted to
do was to be involved with Sri Lanka and Travellers. Eventually I did just
that and I went back to Sri Lanka as an on-the-ground Volunteer Liaison for
Travellers ...so I was pretty chuffed!!
I am now back
in the UK again, and my free time is mostly spent watching Shrewsbury town
F.C., playing football. I also enjoy most sports, cooking, going on
‘adventures’ and planning my next work destination abroad, which will
hopefully be in Guatemala! I can't wait! Oh…and giving my cat lots of
attention!
Countries
visited:
USA (Alaska), China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and, of course, Sri
Lanka.
.
Andrew
Kemp: Project Co-ordinator (Currently working from New Zealand)
Andrew's first
volunteering placement with Travellers was in South Africa, teaching English
and Design Technology at Percy Mdala School. His love of Africa has taken
him back there over eight times
Andy now co-ordinates placements in South Africa,
Bolivia, Peru and Ghana. He also assists in many other areas, including
country development, risk assessments, marketing and turns his hand to a
host of other essential work.
Andy loves
travelling - and he falls in love with every country he goes to. His latest
passions are for China and Egypt, plus a few countries in Central America.
Countries
visited: South Africa,
Ghana, China, Egypt, Colombia, Swaziland, Argentina, Bolivia, Indonesia,
Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Tanzania, Singapore and New Zealand.
.
Amanda Lawson : Administrator
Amanda joined the Travellers team in February 2008. Her interest in
traveling culminated when, after an almost lifelong obsession with
everything about Africa, she had the opportunity to fulfill a dream of
camping in the Masaai Mara, falling asleep to the howling barks of baboons,
being introduced to the fascinating culture of the Masaai, coming
face-to-very-close-face with her first wild elephant, and bungeeing off a
cliff over the Nile.
Amanda is also a bit of a perpetual student, and possibly incapable of not
studying for very long - in her spare time she is s-l-o-w-l-y working
towards an Art and Design Diploma and a Degree in English Language with
Philosophy. Her list of 'things to learn before she dies is also
ridiculously long, and ever-expanding!
Amanda absolutely loves painting; and also enjoy writing, learning
kickboxing, fiddling with computers, chatting with a friend or two until
hoarse, and indulging in the occasional bout of *doing nothing*.
Countries visited: Kenya, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, USA
.
Elizabeth
Nolan: Project Co-ordinator
Elizabeth
had her first taste of the travelling bug when she taught English on a
Travellers project in China. This began her love affair with all things
Eastern, particularly noodles and the hairstyle of one particular Yak she
met. She then journeyed around Asia, spending time meditating up a mountain
in Tibet, befriending camels in the Gobi Desert and teaching a bit more at
an orphanage in Cambodia (pictured here with some of the children). She sees
China as her soul-home, has lived there for over a year altogether and is
currently trying to master Mandarin Chinese.
She loves going to music festivals, writing & photography and being
outside. Back at home in the UK, she discovered
Capoeira, which changed her life to such an extent that she ran over to
Brazil as soon as her pennies would allow. It was here that she truly
discovered the meaning of the word ‘relax’ and was won over by the Brazilian
axe (energy), while learning Capoeria on the beach and sipping
caipirinhas under the sun!
Elizabeth
co-ordinates and develops Travellers' Projects in Brazil, China, Guatemala
and Sri Lanka.
Countries Visited: Argentina,
Brazil, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Paraguay,
Sri Lanka,
Thailand and Tibet.
.
Shappa Perkes: Head of Security
Shappa, the Dog - our resident
Head of Security, a loveable Doberman who insists on running off with our
shoes, papers, and anything he can get his teeth on!
Shappa's security instincts are
appreciated by everyone - except the postman, delivery men, meter readers,
Kate's chickens ......
His hobbies are varied and
include eating, walking, exploring, chewing stolen shoes and testing
equipment, such as the heaters.
Countries Visited:
England.
Shappa would love to visit more countries, but they would make him fly in a
box and, as he says, "If I can't sit on a seat like everyone else, I just
ain't gonna do it!"
.
Ben Pryce: Marketing
Ben studied
Photography at university and enjoys all things creative. He is part of the
Marketing team and is our expert on tubes, spaces, pods, etc.
He loves
cooking and can rustle up a mean veggie curry (even if he does say so
himself!). Another of Ben’s passions is Music and he loves his ipod and
watching live performances and
going to music festivals.
Ben also designs a lot of our
materials and processes the videos that we receive from our volunteers for
our website.
Countries
visited:,
Cyprus, India, Europe and the USA. He would like to have the opportunity to travel and
see more countries.
.
Liz Tratt:
Project Co-ordinator
Liz joined
Travellers in 2005 and co-ordinates the teaching placements in South Africa.
She is also Project Co-ordinator with Katie Day for Zimbabwe and Zambia.
A
fair chunk of her day is spent trying to stop Travellers' Head of Security
stealing papers out of her wastepaper bin and chewing the fluffy blue
slippers she likes to wear in the office!
This picture
of her was taken when she visited the Travellers project at eMakhosini
primary school in a small Zulu village in South Africa. She was overwhelmed
by the welcome she received from the kids at the school and tears still come
to her eyes when she thinks about them (Liz is a big softie!).
Countries
visited: Thailand,
Singapore, Bali, Belize, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, USA, Canada,
South Africa, Egypt, Zambia and Zimbabwe
.
Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring
Road, Worthing,
West Sussex, BN12 4AP, England
Tel: +44 (0)1903 502595 Fax: +44 (0)1903 708179
Email:
info@travellersworldwide.com
.
+44 01903 502595
