Destined to Travel

Two-headed Rhino Serengeti, Tanzania

Click here for DTT New Year’s 2012 Greeting’s

Destined To Travel

My fellow travelers,

As owner of Destined To Travel, I’d like to introduce myself and my company and tell you a little about me and my business.

I’m known in the business as Safari Kay, (Kay Trotman) mainly because the bulk of my business is derived from escorting groups to the finest safari destinations in Africa. Several times per year, I can be found in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana and other safari destinations. For the past few years, travel to Africa has been the main focus of my business. There is no way to explain to you why this is, I just have to say to you that, once you go, you will know what I mean.

I am not a big company, but your experience will be hugely unforgettable and memorable. Feel free to go to the testimonial page for comments from those who have traveled with Destined To Travel.

Since 1998 when I made my very first trip to Africa (Kenya), I knew I’d be returning, I just wasn’t sure when. My next trip didn’t come until 2003 when I traveled to Botswana and then late in 2005 when I made my first trip to Tanzania. Since those trips, I knew I had found my calling. Africa is definitely more than a vacation, it is an education; an experience, (….) etc., and a lesson in life.

From that last trip in December 2005, 2006 started my journeys to Africa. Since that time I have escorted several groups each year to Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa. In that short time I’ve both booked and escorted many groups throughout the year. I’ve made my SILVER anniversary now, with over 25 trips throughout Africa, and if you count the safaris individually, it goes way beyond that. All I’m looking to do now is to escort you and/or your group, because I know, even after just one trip, you will see how amazing this destination can be, and soon you too will become an Africa aficianado, an Africanphile, or an Africa fanatic, just as I am.

Some ruins in Italy - 2007: Click image for larger view

I am not from Africa, though by now it has become my second home because I feel very welcomed and very at home in every country I have visited and have many friends in Tanzania and Kenya, where I seem to return time and time again. Many of my travelers are repeat, they have found the same joy, the same excitement and the same motivation that has kept me going back again and again. I believe that you too will feel the same, after your first visit.

Why should you use a travel agent? Why not just go shopping on the internet. There are many reasons I can cite to you to use a travel agent. If you’ve seen any of my previous newsletters, you will know that ‘internet specials’ are not always ‘specials’ and some of the accommodations leave a lot to be desired. Using a travel agent, such as myself, who has been there, done that, experienced it, and does so on a regular basis is a great benefit to you. The worry falls in my lap, not yours, the trip is hassle-free, just follow my tips, pack your bags, and leave the rest to me. International travel and travel to Africa can sometimes be very daunting – but you will feel quite at ease upon arrival in Africa when traveling with Destined To Travel.

My ‘tours’ are quite personalized, customized with you, the traveler in mind. I can do this because my groups are exclusive. I am the one who arranges the excursions, the accommodations, and everything in between. For you, that means some flexibility in what you do or the time you do it in. Compare this with a larger group with a dedicated itinerary and schedule, where there is no flexibility because the tour components are pre-scheduled, pre-designated and from which, it would be difficult to deviate.

Destined To Travel will generally, time and routing permitted, allow time for visiting a local community, orphanage, school and/or village. Under its Operation Backpack, it allows the traveler, at their discretion to bring a backpack filled with school, household, and community supplies that can readily put to good use to these organizations. Time is allowed to physically take and present to them and converse about their lifestyles and their ambitions. This often bonds travelers with the locals in more ways that one might think.

At Restaurant in Costa Rica - 2008: Click image for larger view

This has been a highlight of many of my tours and it will certainly be part of yours as well. Our rangers, guides and spotters/trackers are keenly aware of the needs of all of Destined To Travel’s groups, and like others, you will be spoiled and pampered beyond compare in the bush.

In short, travel to Africa can and usually is, life-changing.

In keeping with the motto of Destined To Travel, travel to exciting, exotic and adventurous destinations, I have also escorted groups to China, Thailand, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Ireland, London, and Paris. We certainly are looking forward to including more exciting destinations to come in the future. So, if you’re inclined to travel to any of these exciting, exotic and adventurous destinations, why not give us a call. You never know where in the world we may be traveling next.

Read more about how and why I got into this business…

Continued Below

LinkedIn Recommendations

Eli Weiss has endorsed your work as Owner at DESTINED TO TRAVEL.

Dear Kay,
I’ve written this recommendation of your work to share with other LinkedIn users.

“When Kay Trotman and I met, it was an instant affinity- our love of Africa, our love of wildlife and culture, and our mutual desire to make a difference. Kay has introduced a whole host of people to Africa and elsewhere through her travel safaris and her art and photography. Kay has been a tremendous help to WildiZe Foundation. Kay has an undaunted passion for life and new experiences and the energy of 10 people, and that shines through in everything she does and to anyone she meets. She has helped to build my organization’s strengths and outreach, she’s one in a million.”

Continued from above

Why I got into the Travel Business

I have always been in the travel business it seems, for some twenty-five years. My career as a Human Resources Director with a government agency came to an end a bit sooner than I had anticipated, due to some very unfortunate circumstances in my life. However, it was with my experience in this field which helped me to prepare for my new opportunity, though I didn’t know it at the time.

I am often asked how I ever got into this business, as not many do it. Precisely!!!! I’d like to devote a few paragraphs to respond to that question. How I came to do what I love and love what I do is quite a personal and emotional response.

The decision to retire ‘early’ from my Human Resources position happened as I was on medical leave from two back to back terrible motor vehicle accidents and had been off work for months rehabilitating. Hit by a drunk driver and then being rear ended while still healing puts life in perspective enough, but it wasn’t until the tragic and sudden death of first my younger brother and six months later, my next youngest brother that both put my life on hold and brought forth more meaning to the adage.. ‘life is not promised’ …than I’d ever thought of in that way before.

The loss of my mom the previous year was a life changing event, but now, coupled with the combination of the loss of two brothers in the same year, and recovery from being ill, all in a period of only three years was, one event per year, for me, a heavy weight to bear, and although I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be forever life-changing, in a good way.

My mom at 83 lived a good life and her death though sudden and heart-breaking, ultimately made me a stronger person. My brother’s lives were cut short, far too early, and struggling with my health too, I didn’t know what or how I would cope with the rest of my life. I was struggling, struggling to regain some control of my life to figure out my new ‘normal’, my new life’s plan.

A trip to Tanzania offered me that opportunity as getting away should not only help clear my mind, but hopefully, create a path back to ‘life’. This was not my first trip to Africa, but it was my first trip to Tanzania. That was in 2005, months after the loss of my youngest brother in February 2004 and my next youngest brother in December 2004. It was the best thing I could have done in my life.

When I returned, everything was crystal clear. I retired to concentrate on a travel niche market. I haven’t looked back since….and now I couldn’t imagine doing anything more rewarding in my life. Africa beckoned to me and I knew others would feel the same. This is much more than a ‘job’ to me; it has instilled a passion in me that I never would have known and could never have imagined, had I not had those experiences, tragic as they were.

I have come to realize after so many trips, so many unforgettable experiences, meeting so many new friends and establishing so many business connections that combining unforgettable and unimaginable wildlife encounters with local cultural and traditional values creates positive influences for both the traveler and the locals. It leaves an indelible mark on the traveler, which only adds to their already rewarding experience.

Those of us who have become Africa aficionados are beckoned back time and time again, no matter how many times. This had to be true of others too, those not in the business, perhaps those who always wanted to go but were reluctant to do so. That has been proven with Destined To Travel’s many repeat travelers. Personal Relationships are built in trust and I hope you will trust that traveling with Destined To Travel will provide you that. And that is how tragic events inspired both my passions and my strength to start Destined To Travel in a more personalized way by escorting groups. More importantly, it is how Africa has changed my life, in so many ways and it may change yours too!