meet our retail staff
Samantha Staples
I have always had Itchy feet; I think I inherited it from my grandparents who I would watch time and time again coming back from holidays with a fabulous suntan. I took my first holiday at the age of six to Salou in Spain. Many years later I would return to Salou working as a holiday representative and meeting my husband to be there.
My first solo travel adventure was at the ripe old age of 19, when I threw in my sensible job to go and work in the Greek Islands. A summer of cocktails, Zorba dancing and a love of Greek food followed. However, rather than settling back in to the UK life, I went on to work on the North Sea ferries between the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Next up was a trip to Australia to meet with my family who had emigrated there. I spent time working at the airport and when my study visa ran out I took my backpack, hairdryer and false nails across South East Asia - taking in the sights and sounds of Bali, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
The Canary Islands were next, followed by Barbados, Spain, Italy, Fiji and most recently my partner and I guided a trip through Vietnam. This year we were married in Cuba and we've just tasted Queensland. Rather than my "to do" list getting shorter, it seems to grow every day! Pop in to the Perth store to talk about your "to do" list - let's start crossing some of those dream destinations off!
Grace Masias-Melendez
When I was a little girl growing up in Peru, the words 'travelling' and 'overseas' instigated a thousand and one discussions around the dinner table. I grew up with a thousand images of exotic places that I wanted to visit and experience.
When my family and I moved to Australia, travelling was still on my mind. In order to pull together my travel funds, I did all type of odd jobs - trust me cleaning raw prawns for a living is as glamorous as it sounds! Nevertheless, it was all worth it when I was able to book my first round the world trip. The best advice I received was from my well travelled aunty when she said, “Take the pictures with your heart, that way they will be with you forever�.
After so many journeys I’ve learnt that travelling is more than a postcard, a stamp in your passport or a nice tan. It is about opening your mind to new ideas, customs and traditions and yes - they can stay with you forever.
Marja Gibbons
My family has always instilled in me a strong desire to see other parts of the world, whether it be close to home or continents far away. When I was nine my mum took me on a trip to Bali, and ever since, I have been hooked on travel. The impact that this holiday had on me was so profound and I can remember coming back home and just crying and crying because I missed the different people, food, landscape, and culture so very much.
Growing up I was extremely lucky. My parents have always been keen travelers so my sister and I were taken on amazing overseas trips to places like Indonesia, Thailand and Europe and in between we would spend many a school holiday exploring other parts of Australia, camped under the stars on some remote beach for weeks on end, enjoying the sun and the sand.
So as you can imagine, all I wanted to do when I finished school was to take off on an amazing adventure. My dream was to travel throughout Central America and believe it or not I was inspired by the great trips found in an Intrepid Travel brochure! My boyfriend and I worked through the freezing winter down south pruning grape vines to save for our trip which, tough as it was, was well worth it. Since then I haven't stopped and certainly don't intend to! I believe that travel opens your eyes to a different world and awakens your senses from the hum drum of the every day. Helping others to experience this for themselves is why I love working for Intrepid!
Jacqueline Donaldson
Over 40 countries and many years later, I never stop dreaming of my next adventure. Diverse landscapes, turbulent histories, unknown foods and cultures, the simple act of sharing someone's life - just a few reasons why I will always travel.
From friendships made on long bus trips through South America to playing frisbee with hundreds of locals in Africa. The incredible histories and architecture of Europe, to the fabulous food and friendly women's train carriages in India. Desert skies and inshallah in the Middle East, the warmth and courage of people in beautiful Vietnam – these are some of the incredible places and experiences I've been fortunate enough to have seen and had.
I'm really excited about being part of Intrepid in my home town of Perth and look forward to sharing some of the magic of travel with you.
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