The San Francisco Issue

Leopard in San Francisco

I left San Francisco recently feeling inspired by how much Americans want to travel to my beloved continent. For most, a journey to Africa is an escape and an experience beyond that which is familiar. Africa is a place of incredible beauty, warm and friendly people, fascinating traditions, world-class food and wine and of course, vast wilderness areas filled with iconic African animals.

I’d travelled to San Francisco in March, where I hosted two events; one in the city and one in the East Bay area. It was a pleasure to meet with Leopard clients in their beautiful homes, speak with potential clients at our events and revel in this amazing city.

It was impossible to cover everything that Africa has to offer in a short 15-minute presentation, as it’s three times the size of the USA. I decided to highlight nine destinations grouped into three themes. The first theme was safari. I shared the three top destinations to experience a safari: Kruger National Park, the Okavango Delta and the Serengeti/Masai Mara. The second theme was the ocean, where I spoke about the paradise islands of Seychelles, Zanzibar and the Bazaruto Archipelago. Lastly, I presented three hidden gems in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

After a presentation on safaris in Africa a potential client said, “I feel so inspired to take this bucket list trip with my family, it’s one of my goals in the next two years!”

While some people were very enthusiastic, others hadn’t worked with a travel agent before and wanted to know how it would benefit them to use Leopard.

People were surprised to know that it doesn’t cost extra to use a travel agent – we receive commission from the hotels we work with and so it will cost the same as booking yourself, but with the added benefit of access to our expertise and support.

There is so much choice available when planning a trip to Africa, that it’s advantageous to have someone with intimate knowledge of the lodges, hotels and guides to help you select the best fit for you. We plan and curate each holiday meticulously and we’re there to remedy any issues you may encounter, even though this is rare.

I was able to share how Leopard’s personal and highly tailor-made service (which is very different from what you’ll experience dealing with a big travel company) is what really sets us apart.

Besides the wonderful people, two of my favourite experiences in San Francisco were driving over Golden Gate Bridge and having an ice-cream at Salt & Straw.

Happy travelling,

Diana

P.S. Contact us on [email protected] to experience unique moments in Africa and feel free to share your favourite travel moments with us. We love hearing from you.