Founder, Father & Face
“Oops! A hobby that got out of hand 😉 It started by showing friends and family my life here in Africa and soon the rest of the world got wind of it: they wanted to experience the real Africa too! Our family of Africa lovers is growing, there are team members spread across this colourful continent.”
THANKS to everyone for making Charles dreams come true!
19-06-1989 / 29-12-2022
Lustrum Travel Consultant in Uganda
After spending many hours in the UB organising trips for my year club, committees and house, this boy – fresh from the student press – has fallen in love with the continent of Africa! Meanwhile, the UB has been traded in for the jungle villa and here I am turning things upside down with my enthusiasm for lustrum trips… GOTTA LOVE AFRICA!
Lustrum Travel Consultant in Kenya
After living in South Africa for six months, I was certain: I’ll be coming back here! Even when I was busy plotting beautiful routes for travelers, I noticed that my heart raced faster when those routes traversed the African continent. So, I made the decision, packed my bags, and hopped on a plane to Kenya! The coolest part is that I can now embark on my own expedition and truly share the most amazing experiences.
Travel Consultant in South Africa
“You can leave Africa, but Africa never leaves you”, and that is so true! After returning to the Netherlands in 2008 after 6 months in Zambia, I was immediately planning the next trip. A second trip followed in 2010 A third trip followed in 2015. Actually planned for 8-9 months, but this one got out of hand. Here I am now – many years later – sitting on a beautiful beach in South Africa! Happy as one can be!
Lustrum Travel Consultant in Kenya
Getting lost will be on my to-do list for the rest of my life. After spending a year doing an internship and living in Uganda, I knew I didn’t want to leave here. I grabbed a bicycle and explored East Africa at my leisure. At the time, I helped my family and friends discover the real Africa by organising trips for them to the off-the-beaten-track sides of Uganda. They were so enthusiastic about this that they pushed me towards Charlies Travels. I now live at the Jungle Villa in Kenya to help everyone experience the real Africa as I have been able to experience it myself for some time now.
Travel Consultant in Kenya
In early 2017, I took a road trip from the Netherlands to Cape Town via the west coast of Africa, all in a 1985 Land Rover Defender. Any route in this car would have been adventurous enough on its own, but I chose Africa! I often drove dusty, because no air conditioning so ARKO (all windows open), over the most beautiful routes, past the most impressive places, including special encounters with people and animals. By now I am also familiar with beautiful Kenya. I live in Zeeland, but I seize any excuse to travel back to Kenya or any other country on the African continent.
Travel Consultant in Kenya
Despite loving cheese and liquorice, I moved to Kenya permanently in 2021. My first visit to this country was in 2018, where I immediately fell in love with the country and its people. You’ll see me happiest when I’m cruising around on a motorbike, visiting local spots and exploring Africa’s most beautiful hidden gems. For instance, I travelled to Tanzania in 2022 and this is one of the most beautiful gems of the African continent as far as I am concerned. I am busy learning Swahili so that I can find my way here even better in the near future.
Travel Consultant in Kenya and Mozambique
Drawn to the continent partly by African reggae tunes, I love chilling out in our jungle with my djembe or guitar. Afriki Muziki gives positive vibes and energy, the perfect ingredients for (organising) an adventurous trip! After living in Nairobi for almost two years, it was time for my ultimate adventure: travelling from Kampala to Cape Town overland in six months. My roadtrip love was sparked and I am currently travelling and living in a camper van in southern Europe. Freedom = Happiness!
Travel Consultant in Kenya
It started for me at an early age, as a 16-year-old I travelled to Malawi, Africa. I immediately became infected with the African travel bug and after graduating in 2018, I immediately grabbed a plane to Kenya. From the moment I set foot in this country, I immediately knew I wanted to come back more often. I now work and live in Nairobi and prefer to spend whole days on my motorbike exploring all the beautiful places of this country. With my favourite African tunes in my ears and tearing through the tea fields and the bustling city, I am falling more and more in love with this continent.
Travel Consultant in Kenya
My love for Africa started early. Even as a small child, I was infected with the Africa virus through all my parents’ great travel stories. So when I was 16, I immediately packed my bags for a first trip to the African continent. I visited Uganda and immediately knew: I have to go back to Africa! Two years later I went to Kenya and now six years later I live in bustling Nairobi.
Travel Consultant Germany
In 1999, Namibia was the first African country I visited. For six months I worked as a local guide in the Namib Desert. Boring, you might think, what is there to see? Much more than you can imagine! From there I traveled for a month in a converted car via Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania to Kenya. The plan was to try it here for a year … 23 years later 😉 and I still live happily in this vibrant, exciting and intense country.
Senior Operations Specialist
I love reggae “Irie and Mellow”, the color yellow (that’s the Kamba in me), am a traveljunkie and an enormous bookworm. Charlie’s Travels is a different kind of company with a different view on travel in Africa. Adventure. Here I can use the skills that I have but also learn new things about myself when out of my comfortzone.
Operations Specialist
As a member of the Operations Team I’m working behind the scene to give clients the best African Experience off the beaten track!
Operations Specialist
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware”. That quote defines me! I can say that am a traveler still on a long journey and I still can’t guess my next destination. I love diversity and learning from new experiences and Charlie’s is one of the kind!
Operations Specialist
If I was to be renamed then Travel would be my other name. There is this thrill that comes with traveling to new places, meeting new people, learning different cultures — Africa got loads of this! But there is even a higher thrill, that of planning the trip details for other people and seeing the smile on their faces after fantastic experiences. And that’s exactly what I do at Charlies Travels!
Travelspirit Guru
My journey started in the Netherlands where I organised an activity week every year for a group of children from the slums of Kenya. This eventually brought me to this beautiful country. I was infected with the Africa virus and have since lived there for several years. It is something that gets under your skin and you never let go. The people, their culture, the beautiful country. The cows and goats roaming the streets. I love driving my car around Kenya and taking road trips. I work behind the scenes at Charlie’s Travels supporting the Team. Among other things, I take care of the stories and the most beautiful photos that warm you up for the ultimate trip.
Head of Marketing
A 3-month journey across eight African countries in 2020: from Nairobi to Cape Town. I fell in love with Africa. Two years later, an engagement in Lamu (Kenya) followed and I started as Head of Marketing to convince everyone to come and visit this continent, off the beaten track of course with Charlie’s Travels. An ideal mix of: Digital, Content, Travel, Growth and Enjoyment.
Content Manager
Ever since I was little, I’ve been shouting it around: “One day I’m going to Africa!” After three years of creating content for a market leader in the Benelux, I decided to pack my bags from the always cosy Groningen and look for it a bit further afield: It was time for Africa. I swapped my career from in front of the camera for one behind it and flew to Kenya in 2022 to make my girlhood dream come true. I now live at Charlie’s Jungle Villa in Nairobi, get to dispel stereotypes about Africa and show every day how beautiful this continent is. Will you come and admire it in real life?
Marketeer
It’s Crazy cool to see how fun can be created from places which are ”not so cool” places (off the beaten track), so I can say am proud to be part of the team that makes all these possible for the clients. As I work behind to contribute to the overall best experience of the client, am also making sure I am part of the fun! and Charlies Travels wouldn’t be any better!
Marketeer
Travelling is in my blood. From hitchhiking in Kazakhstan to Japan, it can’t get crazy enough for me. As a nerd, I am also always into computers and marketing-related activities. So when I heard of a job opportunity at Charlies that mixed travelling and marketing I grabbed my toothbrush and got on a plane.
Marketeer
After my first visit to Kenya in 2016, I already knew: this is where I want to be! 5 years and 6 visits later, the time had finally come: I moved to Kenya. Now I live and work in the jungle villa in Nairobi to show everyone how beautiful Kenya (and the other countries) really are.
Data geek
Experiencing different cultures, new spaces and vibe, not forgetting the rhythms and dances of different African communities, is what I love the most. With Charlies Travels I get to have customized blend of all these experiences.
Content Intern
In 2015, I set foot on African soil for the first time, and my destination was Uganda! The moment I disembarked from the plane and was greeted by the scents and sounds of Uganda, I knew I had found my place. In the weeks that followed, I got to know the country with its vibrant culture and stunning natural beauty. After another trip to Ghana a few years later, I’m now here on this beautiful continent for an extended period as a content intern with Charlie’s in Kenya. Over the coming months, I’ll be working tirelessly to provide you with the most captivating African content!
Numbers & Finance
When I am not arranging the trips for the clients, I am arranging them for myself! I especially love road trips, mountain climbing, and hiking. Charlie’s travels fulfill my passion as a travel enthusiast. Long live Charlie’s Travels!
HR Office Manager
I am a passionate people person and a connoisseur of culture and diversity, defining the interior design of ‘ME.’ Working and immersing myself in various cultures provides the nourishment that fuels my enthusiasm for collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds. At Charlie’s Travels, I found my calling. Strategically managing the workforce ignites my energy, and my sanctuary is always delving into the study and research of human relationships. My core essence is deeply rooted in forging meaningful connections.
Chef
When I heard Charlie’s Travels was looking for a chef cook, I couldn’t stay away: here I am! It’s amazing to get in touch with different cultures and every day we learn a lot from each other. Of course, sometimes I have to be strict when one of the team members sneakily picks an extra sausage. Too bad you can never beat the immodesty out of the Dutch, not even with a pan!
Gardener
The secret to staying young is to get out of bed happy every morning! Now I work as a gardener at Charlie’s Travels, and I’m happy to have made so many new friends. I want to keep working here for a long time, so I can save up and someday start my own company!
Housekeeper & Motherfigure
When I first came to work in the villa, it was mostly to take care of the house and Charlie. I became Mama Africa because the more team members came to the Villa, the more kids I got to take care of. They are all my children. Thank god!
Askari & Yes-man
I arrived here in early 2020 and worked for my previous company as an askari, with Charlie’s Travels as our client. In 2023, I became a member of the Charlie’s Travels team, now taking on a broader role, managing the area, and preparing camping gear for the trips. I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of this amazing group and can say that I truly love my job!
General Manager
Create your own adventure: With my wife and children in the car for a camping trip, riding through the wild landscape on my motorbike, hiking on the most beautiful trails or spotting animals while cycling: Kenya has so much beauty to offer. Let alone the rest of the African continent. Together with the whole team, I want to develop the best authentic experiences, grow Charlie’s Travel and create as much Happiness as possible for our clients and colleagues.
© Copyright 2023 – General Conditions – Sustainability Policy – Cookie Policy – Privacy Policy – Sitemap | Charlie’s Travels: customized adventure travel in Africa
