About Tim, Emma and Speke Travel
Tim
My love of Africa started on a first trip to Tanzania, over 13 years ago, and on that first visit I immediately knew that this would be a forever relationship. I caught the Africa bug; it is part of me now and I can’t shake it. Within six months of visiting Tanzania, I was back, and I have visited at least once a year since (apart from 2021!).
It wasn’t long after visiting Tanzania that I wanted to explore more of Africa and further trips include Mozambique, many visits to South Africa and Namibia and a number of times to Botswana as well as the Seychelles and Mauritius. I don’t have a favourite from these incredible countries, it would be like picking your favourite child, but I have learnt that each offers a very different experience of the beautiful wildlife, scenery and the amazing people, that Africa has become famous for.
It was that first trip to Tanzania, 13 years ago, that brought me to the travel industry and since then I have worked for two of the top companies that specialise in tailor-made travel. The experience and insight gained in these roles underpins my work with Speke Travel, including extensive personal experience, exceptional customer service, and enthusiasm for this incredible continent.
Emma
Emma’s journey into the travel industry began with a dramatic career change from law to tour leading. After guiding expeditions across East, Southern, and South Africa, she was inspired to spend the next 15 years crafting bespoke adventures for others.
While her expertise lies in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe, her own travels have recently taken her as far as Antarctica. Though it’s difficult to choose, her most cherished travel memories are of the majestic dunes at Sossusvlei and the untamed wilderness of Botswana’s remote reserves.
She returns to Africa regularly to explore new destinations and accommodations, sometimes sharing these trips with her family, a wonderful privilege.
We are very lucky to have two young children and have travelled to South Africa and Namibia a number of times with our little ones in tow. This was certainly a different experience, we learnt a huge amount about what works for them, and for our family, when travelling (we learnt quickly not to try and squeeze too much in!). If you are thinking of travelling with children just let us know and we will design your itinerary accordingly, making sure that your travels are a perfect fit for everyone.
We really love Africa and are very fortunate to have travelled to many places around the globe, but the draw of the amazing people, phenomenal wildlife and unique scenery keeps us wanting to visit again and again and keep delving further into this phenomenal continent. Our aim is to help our clients achieve a special connection with the destinations we offer, and through Speke Travel make planning and booking your special adventure a pleasure.
Why book with us?
Financial Security and Protection
Speke Travel are proud members of the Travel Trust Association (TTA) (membership number Q9471) which offers 100% financial protection for every penny that you pay to us. All of your money goes straight into a trust account which can only be used to pay suppliers directly for your arrangements. The TTA also offer a further guarantee of your funds should any fraudulent activity appear on our trust account. In addition to this we also hold an ATOL licence (no. 12075) with the Civil Aviation Authority, to protect you while you are travelling and finally, we have comprehensive tour operator insurance to protect us should any of our partners fall into financial difficulties.
How it works
You can decide how you would like to discuss your plans with us, phone, e-mail, WhatsApp, video call, in person, carrier pigeon, whatever works best for you. Once we have an idea of your plans, interests, likes, and dislikes, we will get to work on crafting your perfect holiday. Once you have looked through the arrangements, we will be on hand to answer any questions and make any changes. We are absolutely committed to getting everything right for you and will happily make as many changes as needed to get your plans perfect. Once you have booked your adventure, we remain on hand to answer any questions that you may have and give advice on your holiday, right up until you return.
