Picture above: Zebra at sunset in the Serengeti National Park. Tanzania.
Q: What was your first job and what did you learn from it that you still use today?
A: Office helper (photocopies, etc). Sounds cliché but respect will go a long way. I really appreciated being recognised and thanked for my work, albeit menial and being a cog in the wheel surrounded by people who did much more impactful work.
I try to show gratitude to anyone who helps me, no matter how ‘small’ the job may be.
Picture above: Alex Fayan, new Business Development Manager for NSW for Bench Africa
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you start a new position?
A: Spread the word and take lots of notes… which I then must try to decipher!
Q: What advice would you give someone wanting to start a career in travel now?
A: The future is bright, lots of opportunities and companies waiting for you. It may be hard work but getting to do something you’re passionate about every day is very rare and special and let’s be real, there are some pretty amazing perks.
Q: What did the pandemic teach you about yourself?
A: Walking 10,000 steps a day for a month can be done, spending more time exploring in nature is healing, my cooking skills aren’t so bad and time I get to spend with my family overseas is very precious to me… wish they’d bring back a safer and cheaper version of the Concord.
Q: If you hadn’t gone into travel, what career path might you have taken?
A: Working for an Embassy/Consulate or as a Translator and Interpreter
Q: How do you think the travel industry is looking at this moment in time?
A: We have seen a significant growth in Africa bookings which is fantastic as it is also why I was hired by Bench! People are still seizing the holiday, less reluctant to spend for the right experience while increasingly embracing sustainability.
Q: Who would you most like to sit next to on a plane, living or dead?
A: A pilot, so he can teach me to fly my own. Failing that, my grandparents.
Q: What are some of your favourite spots around the world and why?
A: Africa, for the wildlife, culture and the ‘out of this world’ landscapes.
Antarctica, it humbles you, it’s pure, it’s away from the crowds and I may be a bit of a penguin fan. Greece, for the history, the people and the food.
Closer to home, enjoying bubbles outside ‘my’ bubble after a fire heated bath and the most incredible views of mountains bathed in the sunset light, while prepping a BBQ before roasting marshmallows staring at a million stars.
Q: What is your best travel story?
A: My first time camping was in Cornwall in the UK and we went to several campsites but kept being turned away. My friend’s dad ended up having to intervene and offered to act as a ‘guarantor’ in case we were to misbehave.
I would like to add that this assumption was based on no evidence, just a strange rule about two female friends not able to share a tent!
The second night our tent almost got blown away by the wind and when packing up the tent, we found a tunnel underneath made by a little mouse who had nibbled on our floormat.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about working with Bench Africa?
A: Finding my feet, going on the road with my new Explorer’s hat to see our trade partners and their clients, planting the Africa seed and making my ‘Pride’ proud.
I can’t deny that I’m not counting the days until I make it back to this huge magical continent where I still have much more to discover…so I can share my own stories!
Did you know Kruger is similar in size to my home country Belgium?! Or that the African continent is almost FOUR times larger than Australia!
