It is hard to imagine, that we are only 45 days away from the festive season. Now, I know what you are likely thinking… another festive post about space…well yes and no. Many of you have asked us to do a festive check-in around this time as this is the window when some space that was previously unavailable has become available for a variety of reasons. It’s for the last-minute procrastination warriors, the ones who never get talked about in those funny beer commercials.
As our dedicated partners, you asked us to let you know where possibilities still exist, not just for space, more importantly, where the on-ground experience is not compromised. Well, we created an amazing list of regions, where Big Five can still deliver the innovative, off-the-beaten path journeys we have become known for, equal parts social responsibility, and life-changing connections to the place and the people.
We’ve never been about “more people, more arrivals.” Instead, we focus on the right arrival, the right tour, the right client, and the best part, the right partner
Watch the video to explore where pockets of space remain, including Patagonia, Uruguay, Bolivia, The Galapagos Islands, Nicaragua, Egypt, East Africa, and South Asia, specifically India and Sri Lanka.
Dear Advisor Partners,
Life is about learning, laughing and sometimes even crying. Above all else, it’s about trust. We have worked tirelessly the last 12 months, and every year before, for your trust, and will continue to do so every year forward.
We hope you get a good laugh from our final video of 2022, filmed in Egypt, just for all of you. We wish you all a Happy Holiday season and a prosperous New Year. We cant wait to collaborate with you in 2023. Thank you for another memorable year.
By the way, if anyone knows Mr. Ramsey of the LA Rams NFL team, please can you let him know I have gone into witness protection incase he sees this video.
Big Five Offices will be closed on Monday, December 26, 2022 and Monday, January 2, 2023.
Dear Advisor Partners,
You know I love numbers, even arbitrary numbers. So, how’s this, what do 72, 73, 15, 17, 35 and 36 have in common? All of these numbers tie together the heritage of my family and my wife’s family and why this blog is extra special to me. One of the reasons I love to tell stories, is that they can be powerful, inspiring, and illustrative.
In 1972, my wife’s family was forced out of Uganda. My father-in-law left long before that in 1964, to attend the prestigious India Institute of Technology and never came back as he never had the chance to go back, ending up instead in London and later in Canada. 1936 was when my grandparents on my father’s side left India, migrating to Kenya. This is where Big Five was born in 1973, and where I was born a few years later. My grandfather on my mother’s side left India in 1935, migrating to Sudan, where my mother was born and where I used to visit frequently as a child. All this heritage allowed for a rich story of struggle and perseverance to be shared, which I share time to time, however it also afforded me the ability to explore the other regions of Africa from a young age. I even had to ask my mother while writing this about the exodus from Sudan, which required help from my aunt so writing this blog gave me a chance to retrace steps back to the periods surrounding WWII, which make this blog even more important for me.
That’s where 17 comes in. It was in my late teens, that is when I first got the chance to visit Egypt, which at the time seemed like a mysterious country, too far for me to ever visit, but dreaming of it from a young age. I still remember that first visit, seeing the pyramids for the first time I thought two things. First, I couldn’t believe how huge the pyramids were and began imagining what they must look like from space (Google Earth didn’t exist back then). Second, I could not believe the symmetry at every site I saw. The sheer geometry of it just boggled my mind and I don’t mind sharing that I borrowed a protractor while there just to see the acute angle myself. I even remember in the temples, defining where the isosceles triangles existed!
You likely now understand my excitement when Big Five Tours & Expeditions team member Volker Altvater showed me this amazing Africa program, he had curated for guests that began in Egypt, carried on to Uganda, and ended in Kenya. As I read through it, I kept thinking back to my heritage, and the steps those that came before me took, so I could be here writing for you. We select our most creative programs to be part of our President’s Picks, and this was by far the easiest choice. Not only because of the unique combination, but rather because this program tells my origin story.
Enjoy the accompanying video and come back in time with us on a Journey through Africa.
