Travel Managers
You may be half way around the globe, but you couldn’t be in better hands than with a Discovery Student Adventure Travel Manager. From the moment you step through customs, your travel manager will take charge of the trip. Schedules, meals, luggage, tips, hotel check-ins, transportation, tickets, and itineraries—your travel manager is on it. Rather than worry about the planning and scheduling, you can do what you came for in the first place: to have an amazing adventure.
Our travel managers come from all backgrounds—professional soccer players, doctors, scientists – to name a few—but they all share a passion for travel, a high energy personality, and the organizational skills to make your trip run smoothly. To the students, they are a friend and surrogate parent. To the teachers, they are the point person throughout the day. To the parents back home, they are the guardians of your child’s safety. They are committed to a smooth travel experience for teachers and students. They’re there if you break your glasses on the Great Wall, lose your wallet in the Outback or need to make a phone call in the middle of the Amazon. They’ve even been known to work miracles, like finding a jar of peanut butter for students who’ve eaten Chinese food for ten days straight!
Meet just a few of our expert travel managers:
Natasha “Tash” Nugent, Australia
Tash has a great love for the outdoors that started during her childhood in rural towns in New South Wales province. She has eight years of experience leading travelers throughout Australia and other countries. Tash is a certified diver and loves introducing students to the Great Barrier Reef.
Richard Harker, Scotland / London / Paris
A native of South London, Richard has served as a travel manager for four years. When he’s not leading students through his home country, he’s a student at Emory University in Atlanta. Richard’s favorite parts of his job are “traveling to some of the coolest places on Earth” and “seeing students change from shy and nervous teenagers at the start of the journey, to confident and outgoing young adults.”
Germán Rojas, Costa Rica
Germán loves his home country and always seeks to give students a memorable experience. His many years of experience have also helped him become an expert on natural history, local geology, and sustainable tourism.
Alan Petersen, South Africa
Alan spent several years as an educator and principal before entering the travel industry in 1999. Since then, he has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience about his country, and he is passionate about sharing South Africa’s history and development with the students he guides.
Betani Salusalu, New Zealand / Australia
Betani brings a wide range of experience to his travel manager role, having worked for Fiji’s Ministry of Education, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. His vast knowledge gives students a truly unique perspective into life in the South Pacific.
Zhang “Riley” Liang, China
Born in Shanghai, Riley holds an MBA from the Macau University of Science and Technology. He has spent 14 years as an interpreter and travel manager and his knowledge, humor, and personal stories instantly endear him to students.
