Introducing Gary Smith...

If there is any truth in the saying that to be truly successful you need to make your passion your career then I have little doubt that it won't be long before Consider Africa becomes a formidable force in the African travel industry. For as long as I can remember I have been completely passionate about this amazing continent and the things that make it so different, so unpredictable and so diverse and exciting! The thought of being able to promote and showcase this immense continent and to help create travel experiences of a lifetime is hugely exciting and an amazing opportunity that I am ready to grab with both hands!

Being introduced to some of the wonders of Africa from a very young age on family trips to the then Eastern Transvaal (current day Mpumalanga and Limpopo), the Kruger National Park, the Drakensberg, parts of Zimbabwe and Botswana and the reserves and beach getaways on the Kwazulu-Natal north coast, it's not difficult to see how my initial fascination and sense of adventure was sparked. Whether it involved trout fishing on an uncle's farm in Belfast (a few hours outside Johannesburg), exploring the rich tidal rock pools on the South African east coast, trying to photograph the Kruger Parks abundant wildlife with a fully manual film SLR camera or spending many hours wandering through the coastal forests of local nature reserves, I have always had a deep love for Africa's natural beauty and the huge variety of plants and animals that literally live on our doorstep. So deep was my infatuation with the African wilderness that from my early teens I had the dream of finishing school and moving up to the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana to live off the land - seriously! Needless to say, that didn't happen and after finishing school in Durban I started a BSc degree, majoring in Zoology. Always having been quite an introvert (hence my dream of living in the Okavango...on my own!) the move to study in the small university town of Pietermaritzburg, about an hour inland from my hometown of Durban, was a huge change from the familiarity of home. Not knowing a single person at the university meant that the first few days and weeks were guaranteed to be a bit of a challenge but with the help of a few beers (as is compulsory in first year university!) it didn't take long to settle in to what was to become some of the best years of my life. A small university town, plenty of great friends, the freedom to come and go at will, enough student pubs and clubs (with associated student nights) to fill the week and a very relaxed and social atmosphere was a recipe for a brilliant 3 years that would no doubt change my life. After completing my degree I stayed on for a fourth year to study a BSc Honours (Zoology) degree with the aim of moving into the conservation and research field once I had finished...and then I got sidetracked.

The 1990's saw a massive trend of young South Africans moving over to the UK, and specifically London, to work, save and travel. Not something that I had planned at all I found myself caught up in the ‘migration' and by mid 1997 I was living in a commune with 2 Australians, a New Zealander and 2 South Africans in northern London. Another hugely life-changing chapter, my 2 and a bit years in London involved a vast amount of socialising and exposure to a completely different way of life with a mix of people from around the world. Contrary to what I thought, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and loved meeting, working, and living with, amazing friends from around the world. Progressing from a data input junior through to a series of back office jobs in some of the top investment banks I never really had much of an opportunity to use my Honours degree (?!) but it did give me the opportunity to learn many new skills and interact with a wide range of people.

By late 1999, after a good stint in London and a series of short getaways to places including Greece, Andorra, Scotland, Ireland, France and Egypt, the UK lifestyle started to take its toll and the idea of heading back to Africa had taken a firm grip on me. I decided to call it quits and head back to South Africa, with the plan of doing a final round-the-world trip before eventually settling down for good. By mid 2000 all the plans and bookings were in place for what promised to be an unforgettable year-long journey travelling around the world. 99% of the money that I had managed to save in London went into funding a 12 month holiday that included 6 weeks on the Canadian and US west coasts, 2 months road-tripping and camping the entire length of New Zealand's north and south islands (with a few of the legendary Kiwis that I had met and lived with in south-west London), 2 months on the Australian east coast, approximately 3 months in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and the balance spent in Hawaii, the idyllic Cook Islands and friendly Fiji. I admire those friends who were able to come back from the UK and were disciplined enough to put down deposits on houses, flats and cars but those 12 months travelling to places I had only ever dreamt of will be with me forever. Watching an actual Rodeo in Canada, diving on the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with dolphins at a remote beach on New Zealand's south island, camping at the Grand Canyon, exploring temples in Thailand, drinking Kava in Fiji, sailing in the Whitsunday Islands of Australia, watching the sun set over the Aitutaki lagoon in the Cook Islands (below) and so much more - it was a totally unforgettable adventure and worth every jam-packed bus trip, bed bug bite, relentless hotel room salesman and mosquito-ridden backpackers hostel...okay, maybe not the bed bug bites!

Returning to Durban, South Africa, in June 2001 I was confronted with an empty bank account, no job and the prospect of moving in with my parents after almost 10 years of living under my own rules...My early passion for photography had grown immensely while travelling and the boxes and boxes of slides that I brought back with memories of very early mornings and unforgettable destinations and experiences encouraged me to look into a career that would allow me to develop my passion while at the same time allowing me to do a fair amount of travelling within South and southern Africa. My idea grew further when I studied a very basic web development course that would allow me to focus on doing graphic and web work for the ever-growing tourism industry in South Africa. By offering a complete digital design service that incorporated everything from photography through to brochure design and web development I would be able to escape to some of the regions best tourist destinations and wildlife areas while at the same time being able to return home to spend time with family and friends. The years of university and travelling certainly changed my general introversion and spending fun times with friends and family is by far one of my favourite things to do. As with many new ventures, especially when it comes to graphic design where you are up against large established advertising agencies, it was difficult to focus directly on the tourism market and I ended up growing my customer base with everything from corporate clothing companies, restaurant brokerages and tool companies through to catering suppliers, event management companies and most things in between?! Running the company on my own for almost 7 years I went through stages of feeling a little trapped and swamped with work that didn't always inspire me and when the opportunity arose to start a brand new online travel company I can only say that I threw myself at the opportunity! What could possibly be better than focussing all my energy on a single large-scale and ongoing project aimed at showcasing Africa's special places and encouraging international travellers to visit this exceptional continent? And who better to take the plunge with than the industry-renowned Sally Moon, a highly experienced, well-travelled and respected expert of the African travel industry - opportunities like this don't come along too often! Together I know we've got a great partnership and the various skills that we bring to the table, combined with an overwhelming passion for Africa, bodes really well for the future of Consider Africa...

So that brings me full circle: from the early days of dreaming of subsistence living in the Okavango through daily tube rides to London's banking centre and from backpacking around the world to setting up a very special travel company, I can now put everything into creating a website and company that will promote Africa, its awe-inspiring places and its colourful and vibrant people. This is a unique continent with diverse and fascinating destinations and experiences and I look forward to bringing people (lots of them!) here to witness it for themselves...

Latest Blog Articles by Gary

Happy Holidays...and Hoping to See you in 2012! Posted by Gary Smith on 23 December 2011 No comments yet We'd like to take a moment to wish all of our friends and colleagues from around the world a relaxing year-end break and a fantastic start to 2012!...More

Wild Dogs Playtime...?! Posted by Gary Smith on 22 December 2011 No comments yet It's always going to get interesting when wild dogs decide to 'play' with white rhinos. Last week guests at Savanna Private Game Reserve in South Afri...More

Baby Gorilla Captured (On Video) in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda... Posted by Gary Smith on 6 December 2011 No comments yet Incredible and unique video footage captured by a park guide in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda! Rukundo, the female gorilla of the Habinyanj...More