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Meet the Team

General Manager (currently on Maternity Leave) – Natalie Robinson
General Manager Ross Carrel
Sale & Marketing Manager – Mike McClanaghan
Marketing Coordinator – Liz Grossman
Outbound Program Manager – Lauren Johnson
Program Coordinators – Meg Cummins| Rebecca Clark | Myron Witham | Maddie Shears
STA – Katrina Savage

Natalie Robinson – General Manager (currently on Maternity Leave)

Countries visited:

UK, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Iceland, UAE, Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Australia, USA, Canada, South Africa, Niue, Fiji, Cook Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and The Dutch Antilles.

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

I’m originally from the UK and I’ve combined my travels over the last 7 years with working and volunteering in Malaysia and Australia before deciding to call New Zealand home!

Favourite places visited:

Anything involving nature and the outdoors – swimming with manta rays on the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, dogsledding with a team of huskies in Banff, horse riding at a cowboy ranch in the US, swimming with humpback whales in Niue, conservation work with orang-utans in Borneo and swimming with turtles in Barbados

Most memorable place visited:

A true traveller never has just one… Lisbon, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Seoul and London! The national parks of the USA are also AMAZING!

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

Say YES to every opportunity and give everything a go as you don’t know what you’ll find along the way. Sometimes the best experiences come from having no expectations.

iep-natalie

Ross Carrel – General Manager

Countries visted:

USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Cook Islands, French Polynesia.

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

Fiji for about three months to relieve the manager of a local tour operator.

Favourite places visited:

Any Northern Hemisphere ski resort with plenty of snow. Little villages with character all around Europe. The Greek Islands. Any South Pacific island with swaying coconut palms, blue sea and white sand.

Most memorable place visited:

Rangiroa in French Polynesia cruising for ten days on an 18 metre yacht.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

There is a never ending list of places to visit but after each trip it’s great to return and appreciate all New Zealand has to offer.

Ross

Meg Cummins – Program Assistant

Countries Visited:

USA, Canada, Germany, Austria, Italy, Thailand, Hong Kong, Norfolk Island, Australia

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

Canada for 1 year, Germany for 3 months.

Favourite places visited:

Big White in Canada and Stumm in Austria for the skiing. Vancouver and Hong Kong for the food.

Most memorable place visited:

Even The Grand Canyon definitely lives up to the hype, and the red rocks in Sedona gave me chills. Venice in winter was beautiful, and visiting Washington DC felt like stepping into a movie.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

Don’t be afraid to travel alone, it’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone. And a bigger budget means more freedom, you’ll always spend more than you think!


Lauren Johnson – Outbound Program Manager

Countries Visited:

Australia, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Andorra, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

London for 2 years and Australia for 10 months

Favourite places visited:

Oktoberfest in Munich in Germany (twice!), Croatia, Lake Bled in Slovenia, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Dahab in Egypt and Thailand

Most memorable place visited:

Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, Turkey for the dawn service on Anzac Day. You feel an overwhelming sense of admiration and experiencing this with hundreds of other Kiwis was an amazing and humbling experience.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

That you need to make the most of your time and get out there and experience all that you can. Don’t just stick to Kiwi’s and Australians, you need to get amongst the locals and experience the true culture of the country, this is what travelling is all about!



Michael McClanaghan – Sales & Marketing Manager

Countries visted:

Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, USA, Bahamas and New Zealand

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

I am currently on my first working abroad experience in New Zealand. I plan to be here for one year and so far I am having an amazing time! Kiwis have to be the friendliest people I have ever met.

Favourite places visited:

I loved Barcelona – the food, nightlife and people were great! I spent a month in Switzerland riding my bike in the Swiss Alps. What an amazing playground for an outdoor enthusiast!

Most memorable place visited:

Ireland has a special place in my heart as I got to meet family I didn’t even know I had.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

Never say no to an offer when travelling – you never know where it may lead! Loose the travel guide book, get off the beaten track and explore on your own!

Olivia

Liz Grossman – Sales & Marketing Coordinator

Countries visited:

Australia, Fiji, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Canada, USA, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Greece, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil and Argentina

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

USA for 3 months (Summer Camp), Canada for 12 months and the UK for 2 years!

Favourite places visited:

Vietnam for the history and food and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) for the nightlife, awesome beaches and crazy and friendly locals.

Most memorable place visited:

Too many to choose but if I have to pick one?.Hoi An in Vietnam. I only spent 2 nights there but I want to go back one day and spend a week there. It’s a charming town perched by a river where you get your clothes tailored within 24 hours, shop until you drop, get a $15 massage and eat scrumptious food for around $5. Plus the locals are some of the friendliest I’ve met..

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

I’ve learnt to be more tolerable of people, don’t sweat the small things and most importantly it’s made me more confident and social!



Rebecca Clark – Outbound Program Coordinator

Countries visited:

The big and beautiful US of A and our long lost cousin Australia.

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

USA, at Camp for 4 months (Twice).

Favourite places visited:

Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Washington Heights, South Beach Miami, St Louis Busch Stadium (home of the Cardinals Baseball team), Chicago.

Most memorable place visited:

New York City! That place is beautiful; the atmosphere, the people, the buildings, everything! There’s a quote to do with the love I have from NYC, “There’s an inherent energy in New York City that it is famous for. It makes you want to get up and do a million things all day and all night.” NYC will always have a special place in my heart.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

To live and work in another country is to experience the culture. It’s not just being an outsider looking in to what millions have already seen. .



Myron Witham – Outbound Program Assistant

Countries visited:

USA and Canada.

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

USA for 1 year, California for 8months & a nomad for 3 months

Favourite places visited:

The Big Easy (New Orleans) Amazing food, music and overall atmosphere.  
New York – Has everything you can ever want or need, whenever you want it, and New Yorker’s aren’t as rude as people think.  
Vegas – The place speaks for itself.  
Big White Ski Resort, Canada – Living on the mountain, snowboarding every day, deep powder led to a snowboarding dream world.

Most memorable place visited:

Would have to be my Camp in New Jersey – Camp Vacamas. This place changed my life and has become a second home for me. I have been there 3 summers now and some of my best friends have been made through camp. Seeing a camper who doesn’t want to be there on the first day of camp completely flip to not wanting to leave at the end of camp is something very hard to replicate anywhere else.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

Forcing yourself out of your comfort zone introduces you to some incredible experiences you might never had thought were possible.



Maddie Shears – Outbound Program Coordinator

Countries visited:

USA, Ireland, China, France, Italy, Wales, Australia, Croatia, England, Scotland

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

USA for 1 year, California for 8months & a nomad for 3 months

Favourite places visited:

There are too many too choose from but, most recently Chicago – such a diverse city to visit, there is something for everyone: sports, art galleries, architecture, food, history & if you’re a fan of pizza the deep dish is a must!

Most memorable place visited:

Mammoth Mountain, California – they say home is where the heart is & that is definitely true, I ended up staying for 8 months. It was a beautiful place to live that was filled with so many adventures and opportunities. I learnt how to snowboard, made some amazing friends & I got to live the “American” lifestyle for a while.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

Travel is the one thing you can buy that will literally give you happiness so go do it. Also it’s always best to underpack & overbudget!



Katrina Savage – In-house STA Branch Manager

Countries visited:

Cambodia, Canada, Vietnam, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, USA, Egypt, Scotland, England, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belguim, Liechtenstein.

Where Overseas Have You Lived & For How Long?

London for 8 months.

Favourite places visited:

Vietnam, Egypt, San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas.

Most memorable place visited:

Riding donkeys at daybreak up into the “Valley of the Kings” in Egypt.

The most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from living and working overseas?

How wonderful it is to travel and experience new places, cultures and people. It is really did broaden my horizons.



Katrina