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| Comments
from Happy Safari participants |
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Kristina
Trowbridge, who has a love for and a first
hand knowledge of Kenya and its indigenous
people, the incredible Maasai, escorted our
group on a journey of a life time. Her
thoroughness made connections smooth and
timely while giving every care and
consideration to us as individuals.
She knows the accommodation operators on a
personal basis who then gave us 110% service
and at different times lunch, dinner or
cocktails with appetizers at safari
locations as surprises. Through
Kristina we witnessed the heart and spirit
of Kenya--its wildlife and people.
I'll never forget witnessing the three
Cheetah brother's taking a zebra--wow!!
Your thoroughness in handling the
accommodations and safari guides -- the
Maasai people were essential to finding
the game, in my view. It was a big plus
that you knew these people and there was a
bond of trust. You knew the territory well
enough to send us by small plane--kudos.
You enjoyed the experience with the
enthusiasm of a first timer. You seemed to
appreciate the trip as much as we did--in
other words you were not a burned out tour
guide. Linda T
Kristina you
look after every detail of an adventure.
You know what you want your travelers to
have and they get it. I have traveled,
a lot, but I never had every "T"
crossed and "I" dotted. All
of the goodies you sent to us to get us
acquainted and the trouble you went through
for every, and I do mean every thing we did
was very appreciated by me. Norma
Kristina had
everything under control. No real
glitches. The trip was very well
planned and the activities were varied
enough to make the trip very interesting.
Jan
Kristina is so thorough in her planning that
everything goes smoothly. She has vast
knowledge of the resorts and
personnel and the birds and other
animals. She is a walking book of
information and it is a joy to be traveling
with her. Kristina is so knowledgeable
and she is willing to do more research to
look into other alternatives. I really
appreciate that, Linda P
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Kristina
is the Featured Travel Agent in the July
newsletter for Ker & Downey , a
USA based luxury custom Tour Operator to
Africa, India and South America
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Meet
Kristina Trowbridge -
Not Your Average
Travel Agent
As a board
member for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of
APTA, Kristina Trowbridge is more than just
your average safari specialist. Her
long list of titles should tell
you of her passion for Africa. She is
an Africa Destination Specialist from the
Travel Institute, a Botswana Travel
Specialist from the Botswana Tourist Board,
an Egypt Specialist from the Egyptian
Tourism Board, not to mention a KATS diploma
holder, FUNDI expert, a Cape Town Specialist
and a Tanzania Tourism Specialist! With
such a long list of education, there is little
doubt about the expertise of this energetic
woman and even less doubt about her love for
this contintent - Africa.
Kristina hails from Seattle, Washington
where she runs her own agency WinWin
Vacations. Having been to Africa over
20 times, she can certainly call herself an
expert, but she also specializes in
destination travel to South America, Europe,
the South Pacific, India and Alaska.
Perhaps it is her Swedish heritage that
sparked her passion for discovery.
Having grown up in Sweden and immigrating to
the USA at age 20, travel was in her blood.
Knowing 7 languages and flying as a 'stew'
for TWA only fueled the passion and the fire
for adventure.
Click
on this link to read the entire article
about me:
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Dear
Safari Enthusiast,
Yes, you can.
You can travel.
Now is a good time to travel.
If you are like me, travel is part of
your psyche. It's not a luxury, but a
necessity.
I travel because I'm alive.
Travel takes away all
my everyday worries.
Travel instills in me a
love of life.
Travel is about how we interact and
enjoy the world around us.
Travel is about understanding.
Travel is all about YOU.
Kristina
Trowbridge
with Abu,
Tembo & Marula
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Kenya
Master KATS conference
Dec 1-16, 2008
"What's the
matter" asked Ledama, my driver-guide
at Little Governors Camp.
"Are you sad for the
wildebeest?"
he asked.
No, I was happy.
Honey's Boys
were devouring that wildebeest they killed
in front of me and their bellies were
growing rounder
by the minute.
Those were tears of joy.
Imagine my excitement when I spotted Honey's
three cubs again, now re-named Honey's Boys
by Jonathan Scott of BBC's Big Cat Diary
fame. There they were, all three nearly
grown-up cheetah male cubs and healthy. My
heart was racing 70 miles an hour, as fast
as a cheetah can run. My emotions were
running as wild as they are; that's when I
started to cry.
I was thinking
of their difficult beginning when their mom
Honey, made famous by BBC, accidentally died
and left them orphans. They were only 9
months old and totally incapable of hunting
for themselves. They depended on Honey for
everything. Now they had only each other ...
and the Kenya Wildlife Services.
I came to
Kenya to attend the Master KATS (Kenya Agent
Travel Specialist) conference. I needed to
visit some camps that I had not seen before.
Travelling alone, I was able to arrange my
own program with help from the Kenya Tourist
Board in Nairobi.
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I couldn't believe my eyes. My new
passport arrived in the mail within 2
weeks; before the green "Return
Request" card was returned to me!!!
WOW! And that was during the Christmas
and New Year holidays season.
What
a surprise!!!!!
Sure,
I paid the expedite fee and the one day
delivery fee; I feel absolutely naked
without my passport and I wanted it back
as quickly as possible. With that as it
may be, I still expected a two months'
wait. Surprise, surprise. However, don't
relax so fast; the race is on.
It's
Time to get that Passport now.
On
June 1, 2009 all arriving and returning
U.S. citizens must have a passport or
passport card to enter the U.S. by land or
sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and
Bermuda. One exception is U.S. and
Canadian citizens under the age of 16 will
be able to present a birth certificate
instead of a passport for crossing land or
sea borders between the U.S. and Canada.
There also will be special provisions for
children traveling in school, sports or
other groups, but my advice is to get a
passport. Things can change and often do.
What's the difference between a passport
and a passport card? The passport card was
mandated by Congress as an alternative
secure document but only for land and sea
entry. The card contains radio frequency
identification on an RFID chip, designed
to be read quickly by scanning equipment
installed at U.S. points of entry. One
very important distinction is the passport
card is not acceptable for air travel.
There is some cost savings in having a
passport card versus a passport, here's
what you need to know:
*Standard,
first-time passports now cost $100 and
are valid 10 years. U.S. citizens age 15
and younger pay $85 for a passport valid
for five years.
*The
new land/sea passport card costs $45 for
adults and would be valid 10 years.
Citizens age 15 and younger pay $35 for
a card valid for five years.
*Current
passport holders can apply for the card
as a renewal and pay $20. The card costs
$10 for those younger than age 16 who
already has a passport.
A number of border states are working on
enhanced drivers licenses containing the
RFID chip and other security features that
are acceptable for entry at land and sea
points. Currently, Washington state is the
only one with these licenses.
More
information, applications and forms can
be found here:
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Updates from the (un)Friendly Skies
Coffee,
Tea or Me?
Remember that slogan?
I
was a stewardess when they wore paper
dresses and hot pants and we "waived
our tails" for you.
Girls
getting some shade under the wing
in Namibia during a re-fueling
stop.
A flying safari.
Recent
Airline News:
For
those of us in Seattle, an era is
ending next fall when SAS pulls out of
Seatac for the last time and forever
closes the doors behind them. Our
community is still in denial, shocked
by this announcment. WHY?
They Early Bird Summer Discount
fares are out, but you must hurry.
They are due to expire on Feb 23rd.
However, I'm guessing they will be
extended to the end of the month,
just a guess!!
Now that
Delta owns Northwest Airlines, there's
been a lot of changes to the schedules
of both airlines and more are sure to
follow. Be sure to reconfirm your
flights. Some flights have been
cancelled, leaving you stranded!!!
United
Airlines has disconnected it's
complaint department and turned off
the phones. I'm NOT kidding!!!
What's
the next thing the airlines can charge
you for?
- Check
in with a human at the airport
- Seats
that are not in the middle or in the
last row by the lavatories where the
seats don't recline
- Pillows
and blankets ($7.00 on USAirways)
- Headphones
that blocks the commercials
- Boarding
first
- Coin
lockers in the overhead space
- Toilett
paper, soap and paper towels in the
lavatories
- Magazines
onboard
What
happened to the friendly skies? You
tell me!
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Feel free to contact me at
Refer your family and friends
Sincerely,
Kristina
Trowbridge
WinWin Vacations 
call
206-297-7179
or 877-297-7179
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