I started writing about Africa in 1998.
Guide books, in the days when you still had to fax to confirm a booking, and the only way to research a place was to actually visit it. Tourist sites, restaurants, side trips, shops – I loved it all, but researching accommodation in particular became a bit of an obsession, because where you rest your head is in many ways your most important decision.

With the advent of the internet and peer-reviewed advisory sites, I already knew my destinations, and I knew that the number one recommendation online was rarely the best. Hidden algorhythms, vindictive competitors, anarchic guests – too many variables. It’s why, for five years, I wrote a monthly accommodation feature, combining intensive online research with up to 50 on-site inspections every month to ferret out the best in a particular region, for romance or family, opulence or bargain, seclusion or vibe, solo or party.

I’m not entirely sure I can go on a traditional holiday anymore, one that doesn’t involve investigating, comparing, moving. Point is, I love working while I travel, so you don’t have to.

We all are touched by different things.
Not everyone wants to sleep under a canopy of stars, be swept along by a crowd’s religious fervour, thrill to see a lion kill. Sometimes we want to be an active participant, other times we need to kick back. Relax.

I want to know more about you. Where you're currently at, and what you want from this particular trip. What intrigues; what irritates; what awes. And if you've been before, how to make the next trip even better!

What I do know: Everyone wants the best room and restaurant for their money. No one wants to visit a site only to feel it was a waste of time, or feel they’re on a treadmill, visiting places where all others go. You can only learn so much online.

Armed with considered choices, personally vetted, and your specific brief, we work collaboratively to prune into shape, filling with as much or as little detail as you want.

Saving you time, because that’s really the most priceless part of any holiday.

Africa is Nature writ large.
In a world increasingly overrun and trampled, it is a spiritual balm to enter the 3D artwork that is Namibia’s vast and humbling landscape … Animals in their thousands across the gold-pelted plains of the Serengeti … The fragile watery wonderland of the Okavago Delta … A footprintless beach on an undeveloped coast ... Gazing into the eyes of a silverback under the dense tangled canopy of the African rainforest ...

Even Cape Town offers this balm, with its precipitous mountain range plunging into the sea, slopes carpeted in delicate florals or braided vineyards. Add to this cool contemporary art, the world’s most undervalued wines, excellent restaurants, and fabulous shopping. And shot throughout the continent, a level of authentic hospitality that can become addictive.

Similarly so India, where the guest literally is a god, and spirituality is stamped into the DNA of all experiences. Best experienced on a road trip, exploring at your own pace with a car and driver, staying in a curated mix of homestays and palaces, experiencing first-hand the unparalleled hospitality and spellbinding architecture, music, food, temples, crafts…

Great value doesn’t mean cheap.
Seeing a lion pad across a floodplain from a bath tub; watching pilgrims wade into the holy waters of the Ganges from a palace rooftop; bedding down in a cool and comfortable cocoon in a desert of surreal beauty… Priceless experiences, but they come at a cost.

What I can promise is that you will be getting the best possible bang for your buck. That, wherever possible, you are staying in the best place in whichever budget, in whatever region. That we will weave together different experiences at various price points to create a journey you will never forget.

If you’d like to start planning a trip with me this is how it works...

I don’t do cookie cutter programmes.
I will be spending real time on your brief. If you are asking several agents, or not really convinced you want to travel, please let me know so I can prioritise my own time accordingly, or discuss a consultation fee.

Otherwise, it works like this:

1) I get to know what you want, then get to work.

2) A draft itinerary with rough costs is prepared. There are usually a few options, a Plan B, maybe C. If there is very limited availability and time is short, parts of the itinerary will be booked immediately to anchor the trip. It goes without saying that I want the best room, in the best place. That the pace of a road trip or ease of transfer is carefully considered.

3) We fine tune the programme together.

4) Once we have an approved plan, I make the final bookings and prepare the invoice. Deposit amount – varying depending on the accommodation – is stipulated on the invoice.

5) I make domestic flight bookings on your behalf. (International flights: I am happy to research and make recommendations, but the booking is best done with your travel agent or by you directly with the airline for more flexibility.)

6) Accommodation bookings cost you no more than what you would pay if you booked direct.

If your trip involves a great deal of research, and/or daily detail (restaurant bookings, prebooked activities, all transfers) a small additional fee may be applicable for the time required to do this; please feel free to negotiate if you are unhappy. My aim is to offer the best value service.

I can’t wait to start.
I am usually on the move, looking for new gems, but check in regularly. Let me know your requirements, and I’ll get cracking on where to stay, how to get there, what to do, and when to go.

Whatsapp +27 82 465 6645
pippadebruyn@mweb.co.za
34 Belmont Ave, Oranjezicht,
CAPE TOWN, South Africa