Inspiring Authentic Experiences: Elizabeth Gordon of Extraordinary Journeys
Image courtesy of Elizabeth Gordon / Extraordinary Journeys
Born in Kenya, grew up in France, educated at Stanford, owned a business in Argentina — Elizabeth Gordon’s story is anything but ordinary. Today, she leads a company helping travelers have authentic, transformative experiences in some of the world’s most extraordinary places, while traveling the world with her young son.
How did you get into this business? I was born in Kenya and raised in Paris — my parents loved to travel and they took me with them to a lot of places around the world. After college, I moved to Buenos Aires and managed vacation rentals before Airbnb. I’ve always been passionate about authentic travel experiences but noticed that a lot of travel was so luxurious that people weren’t connecting to the place (sure, we can book you a 5-star restaurant every night but you’ll be bored to tears — why not do a neighborhood bistro or a picnic instead and take some chances?). My mom and I started this business together, and we now have a team of 30 people, all of whom are women. For us, it’s all about helping people really connect to the culture and places where they’re going. We don’t want people to go somewhere and feel like they could have been anywhere — we want people to come back and feel like, “wow, that changed my world.” We’re also focused on making a powerful impact on conservation travel. While we initially specialized only in travel to Africa, we have expanded and hired specialists with passion and deep destination expertise in other parts of the world — now we have a South America team.
You specialize in safaris and adventure travel — what are some of your favorite family safari destinations? Kenya and South Africa are great family safari destinations, and there's so much to do in each of these places with children. It's easy to start traveling to Africa with kids by age 5 or 6. People in Africa love kids — children are very important in the culture. If you go to a lodge, the chef, the gardener, everyone you meet will want to start playing with your kids, and I think that makes a huge difference when you go places knowing that, culturally, your kids are always going to be welcome. Also, most places here are fully-inclusive, and it’s easy to get inexpensive childcare if you want to go to dinner as a couple, for example.
You were born in Kenya and travel there often — what is it like for families visiting Kenya? What I like about Kenya, and the reason I think it's really fun for children, is there are a lot of different activities to keep children busy at different ages. Typically, on safaris, you spend a lot of time in vehicles — game drives in the morning and afternoon to see animals, you come back at lunch, relax, but that tends to be the rhythm. For some families, that can mean really long days spent in a car, which can be especially hard on young kids. But in Kenya, there are a lot of options where you do not have to be in the vehicle all day — it’s almost like staying on dude ranches in national parks, many of which are family-owned, where the owners have their own kids on premises. Kids can go out with the Maasai or the Samburu to learn about the culture, and they make it fun. They'll do jumping competitions, Samburu Olympics, running with Samburu warriors, mountain biking, horseback riding — kids can just go out and be wild all day, and play like Kenyan cowboys.
Any can’t-miss places in Kenya? The animal viewing in the Maasai Mara is so incredible and kids are mesmerized seeing the lions, elephants, and other animals up-close and in the wild. A lot of the guides are great with families and young children, and kids can engage in conservation activities like meeting the anti-poaching units, where they can play with the dogs and learn about what they do. You can also go to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary or Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where you can see the elephant orphanage and learn about the elephants, or the Giraffe Centre and get close to the giraffes which just makes it so much fun with kids.
Where are some of your favorite family lodges in Kenya? There are a ton of really good kid-friendly properties. Ol Malo in Laikipia and Lewa Wilderness in the Lewa Conservancy are two of our favorites and work really well for families. There’s also Sirikoi Cottage — an exclusive-use 2-bedroom property, also in the Lewa Conservancy — and House in the Wild — a boutique safari lodge in the Mara — both of which are great for families.
Any places you recommend for families who want to spend time in Coastal Kenya? Kinondo Kwetu is a great boutique lodge with cottages and villas on Diani Beach. It’s a really fun place with activities like kite-surfing, and it attracts a lot of families. That said, I wouldn't go to Africa just for the beaches — there are great beaches much closer to the US in the Caribbean and Mexico. But if you want to add time at the end of safari to relax at the beach, that works well.
You mentioned South Africa is another great family safari destination — what do you recommend for families there? When you're in South Africa, you can go on safari, and go to Cape Town and the Winelands. There's hiking, mountain biking, boating, and family-friendly wineries with huge playgrounds. Cape Town is a really friendly, fun city. A lot of the safari lodges in South Africa are well-equipped with great kids programming. I just took my son to Ant’s Nest, they are horseback riding-focused and have great activities for children, and he loved it — he was more interested in the horses than the rhinos. Sabi Sabi is also great with kids and has excellent children’s programming with a conservation focus. For example, kids can participate in animal tagging and tracking.
Any essential tips for families going on safari? Find places that have swimming pools — not all safari camps have them. Kids have a lot of energy and having a pool makes a huge difference.
You have a 5-year old son — what do you never leave home without when you’re traveling with him? His stuffies, a notebook with crayons and — yes, I hate to admit — his little iPad.
Images courtesy of Elizabeth Gordon / Extraordinary Journeys
——
DISCLOSURE
As a travel advisor, Elizabeth receives special rates from travel properties, including some of those shared in this profile. Her opinions are her own.
Related Content
MORE TO EXPLORE
