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Contact Details
Email: kent@grindrodtravel.co.za
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Ken Tweedie MD of Grindrod Travel in KZN is seldom desk bound. He’s out and about speaking to people, discovering exciting travel opportunities for his clients, and indulging in many of the holiday experiences he promotes. Even in the office, this bundle of energy is never still. An absolute stickler for detail, he’s constantly sharing travel tips with his staff, testing their knowledge and listening carefully to the way they interact with clients. He is passionate about the travel industry, mainly, he admits, because it’s all about having fun. “Its heady stuff knowing that you’ve played a role when clients enjoy themselves.
Ken enjoys himself as much as his clients do. His bags are always packed, ready for his next jaunt to exotic destinations. He has bungee jumped from the Victoria Falls Bridge over the Zambezi, and to top it all, did a microlite flip over the falls. “You have to live the experience before you can sell it,” he says. By funding or part funding incentive trips, Ken motivates his staff to take turns to live the experience too. Born in Ireland, but considers South Africa’s his home.
Travel has always been part of his life. Born in Northern Ireland, he quips that the travel bug bit when he was a boy scout on camping trips. With his family, he enjoyed typical British Holiday Packages to Europe and beyond. But a trip to South Africa when aged 24, convinced Ken, who is the “outdoors” type that this was not only a good place for a holiday but the place to live. "South Africa, for me, is a vast kaleidoscope of colour, diversity, spectacular scenery, marvelous weather and a great open air lifestyle."
Vast experience in travel gives Ken the edge. For 24 years Ken worked his way up the corporate ladder at Avis, a vehicle rental company, until he became its international sales manager. Working for Avis afforded him the opportunity to travel extensively, not only promoting his company, but selling South Africa as a tourist destination.
Years of travel education have given Ken the edge when it comes to understanding Murphy’s Law: if something can go wrong, it will. He knows where glitches are likely to occur and passes on insider information to staff, training them to prepare for the unexpected. He urges them to pay meticulous attention to detail, like knowing the exact time it takes to travel from, say Heathrow to Gatwick by road or train in order not to miss a connecting flight.
Clients have learned to appreciate this, and although many use the Internet for information and ideas, they come to us to execute their travel plans, knowing that they’re in the safe hands of professionals.
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