Traveler Magazine Andrew Harper Traveler Summer 2019 | Page 40

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JOE
SANDILLO
ALMAZ JOURNEYS
M E E T O U R PA R T N E R S
Almaz Journeys is a luxury travel agency and
tour operator that specializes in unforgettable
excursions in Latin America. These customized
private journeys give travelers an insider’s
view of the cultural landscapes and natural
beauty of destinations such as Colombia and
Peru. Founder Joe Sandillo, who first fell in
love with Latin America on his study abroad
travels to the region, shares the benefits of
traveling with Almaz Journeys.
HOW DID ALMAZ
J O U R N E YS B EG I N ?
JS: I started working in the travel business
20 years ago with Exeter International,
specializing in Eastern Europe, but I’ve always
been in love with Latin America. Growing
up in Tampa, the huge Cuban community
sparked my interest initially. Then as an
undergraduate, I majored in Spanish and
Portuguese and traveled to Brazil and Latin
America. As the sales director for Exeter my
focus was Russia and Eastern Europe, but I
wanted to devote myself exclusively to Latin
America. The founder of Exeter and I began
Almaz Journeys together, to bring Americans
to this part of the world that I really love and
show them why I love it.
W H AT W A S I T A B O U T
L AT I N A M E R I C A T H AT
A P P E A L E D TO YO U S O
M U C H W H E N YO U F I R ST
T R AV E L E D T H E R E ?
JS: There’s a real feeling of the region being
alive. There’s a vitality and energy that I
haven’t felt other places in the world. Europe
SUMMER | 2019
C O N TACT YO U R T R AV E L A DV I S O R TO DAY
is beautiful, but it never lit a fire in me the
way Latin America did. These are countries
that have a tremendous amount of history, but
because of what’s happened with colonialism,
they’re still finding their way, and that makes
for a really interesting travel experience.
Part of the reason we travel is to see things
that are different from our lives, and Latin
America offers a really good mix of being
both challenging and enjoyable. You’ve got
everything from rainforest to desert to jungle
to mountainous regions to coasts and beaches;
it’s got everything.
W H AT D O Y O U O F F E R
IN TERMS OF CUSTOM
ITINERARIES?
JS: We specialize in custom private travel,
so everything from families or couples to
large private groups. I’ve had families of 30
people on a cruise ship who wanted a private
shore excursion everywhere they went. The
itineraries are culturally focused, but because
Latin America offers so much in terms of
natural beauty as well, there’s always a good
nature element.