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Directors
Sarah Bradley: Managing Director
Sarah is eminently qualified for her role as the company’s Managing Director: not only does she know Latin America like the back of her hand, but she has also worked for us across a number of departments and even spent several years as a Journey Latin America tour leader.
Like many of our staff, Sarah opted for Latin American Studies at university, and followed up theory with practice by travelling widely in a time when Latin America was far from the tourist trail. Back then the destination had a frontier feel, with a reputation as a volatile land where travel was difficult and politically fraught. Sarah thrived on the adventure. However, she has seen many positive changes since those days: as infrastructure has strengthened, governments stabilised and perceptions changed, Latin America has become far more accessible and this captivating part of the world has been enjoyed by ever more visitors.
Having spent many years in Latin America she has amassed more travel memories than most, but for her those that really stand out tie into her love of immense and remote landscapes. Camping in Peru’s Colca Canyon was one such experience, where the sense of space and complete removal from everyday life was breathtaking. Others include an arduous journey through Manú, an area of pristine jungle in Peru’s Amazon basin, and taking her son to the Copper Canyon in Mexico where they trekked between isolated communities. Sarah is eminently qualified for her role as the company’s Managing Director: not only does she know Latin America like the back of her hand, but she has also worked for us across a number of departments and even spent several years as a Journey Latin America tour...
Chris Parrott: Marketing Director
Chris met fellow company founder Brian while they were both teaching in Rio, and through a shared sense of adventure and a curiosity about what was then a little-travelled part of the world, they formed the friendship that is still at the heart of Journey Latin America.
Chris first set foot in Latin America as part of a degree in Latin American Studies. He chose to spend his year abroad in Mexico, where it transpired that the university was unfortunately not quite up to European standards! Having obtained an attendance stamp from the university, Chris opted to spend his remaining time hitch-hiking around Mexico and Central America. After graduating, it did not take much deliberation for him to decide to return to Latin America. Tickets were expensive, so this time he got a job – teaching history, geography and PE in Rio.
Chris’s love for Latin America has not diminished with the decades, and nearly 40 years after his first visit, he has now been to every country in the region and long since lost count of the number of separate trips he has made. After all this globe-trotting, Mexico is still one of his favourite countries. He was lucky enough to get to know it well before it made its way onto the tourist circuit (indeed, Cancún did not yet exist!) He also rates Bolivia highly for its indigenous cultures and authenticity, and having lived in Brazil for a number of years the sole Portuguese-speaking nation in Latin America also has a place in his heart. Chris met fellow company founder Brian while they were both teaching in Rio, and through a shared sense of adventure and a curiosity about what was then a little-travelled part of the world, they formed the friendship that is still at the heart of Journey Latin America.
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Ranmali Sanmugam: Director
Over her 25 years at the company, Ranmali has seen Journey Latin America grow from a fledgling company to the UK’s number one specialist in travel to Latin America. A graduate in Geography, Ranmali joined at a time when Latin America was an almost unheard of holiday destination, and she vividly recalls mispronouncing Bogotá in her job interview! Business boomed soon after she joined and what started out as one small box of archives quickly grew to such an extent that at one point she had to keep the overflow in the bath upstairs! Ranmali’s favourite countries are unique and beautiful Cuba; Brazil, for the diversity of its people and culture; and Chile – she describes it as one country with the geographical diversity of a continent. Amongst her travel highlights are piranha fishing in the Amazon and drinking whiskey with glacier ice in Patagonia. When asked what she loves most about the region, she is unable to pick just one aspect - her reply is: ‘everything!’
Over her 25 years at the company, Ranmali has seen Journey Latin America grow from a fledgling company to the UK’s number one specialist in travel to Latin America. A graduate in Geography, Ranmali joined at a time when Latin America was an almost unheard of holiday destination, and she... Read more >
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