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All About Viva Expeditions' Rachel Williams

Thursday 28 May 2015, 4:47PM

By Beckie Wright

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Rachel Williams is the Managing Director of Viva Expeditions - South America Travel & Tours which she set up with her partner, Brendan in 2008. Rachel’s has been an exciting and enlightening journey since she first left New Zealand in 2001 and headed to the UK on her two year OE (overseas experience). Six years later Rachel returned to New Zealand having worked for five years as a tour guide in Africa and South America and having also travelled extensively through the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Pacific.

Rachel says she loved all of the places she visited but South America was the place that really captured her heart. As Rachel puts it, “I knew I wanted to give others the opportunity to experience the wonders of Latin America so they may feel the same excitement and passion that I do.  It became apparent that there were limited adventure travel options for active, mature travellers in South America and myself and my partner Brendan had plenty of ideas of how to fill this void.”

Back in New Zealand Rachel worked for a time in the South America department of a large wholesale travel operator and  was surprised to find that no-one in the department had actually travelled to the continent  which is when she realised there was a great need for true South America travel expertise and that she and Brendan were the perfect people to provide this and Viva Expeditions was born, with the aim of providing quality small group expeditions and custom designed independent tours to South America.  Since that day in 2008, they haven't looked back!

As the company has grown Rachel’s role has changed from tour guide, to travel consultant, to a managerial role where she looks after a team of incredible South America experts who all share as much knowledge passion as she does. As Rachel says “I am so proud of every one of them and so very grateful to have them on my team.”

Rachel still travels to South America every year as it is important to keep in touch with their crew who are based there, to travel on Viva Expeditions tours and meet the guests, and to check out new hotels and excursions that are emerging each year.  And, as she says, also, most importantly, to satisfy her lust for life back in South America - a life of colour, culture, music and dance, of majestic landscapes and unspoilt vistas, where she has made so many wonderful friends that she calls them her family.

Viva Expeditions specialise in travel and trekking throughout Latin America, Antarctica and Cuba, offering unique small group expeditions and custom made tours to suit all travellers. LAN airlines have daily flights from Auckland to Santiago, Chile, and from there you can connect with destinations all over Latin America. For the trip of a lifetime with Rachel and her team go visit the website at http://www.vivaexpeditions.co.nz today.