For as long as I can remember, going on a photo safari in Africa has been on my bucket list and we are heading to South Africa by way of a stop over in Boston...and then a connection in Amsterdam. There are direct flights from Atlanta to Johannesburg but the thought of an 18+ hours single flight was honestly not that appealing. This way we get to see our friends, Lisa & Scott, while in Boston and we can stretch our legs good during our 3 hour layover at AMS. Ever the planner and always thinking about possible challenges in logistics, we are going to arrive in Johannesburg on July 8 and spend 2 nights relaxing before heading to Hluhluwe for our safari.
It is fitting we stop off in Boston to see Lisa because if it was not for her, we would not be going on this trip right now. Lisa's beautiful niece, Alyssa June Fluet, sadly passed just weeks before beginning her senior year of college in August 2023. I had known Alyssa since she was a twinkle in her dad's eye and the news was just heartbreaking. Alyssa's parents, Michael and Diane, established an endowment at Salem State University in her memory to help other aspiring performing arts students. In April 2024, a fundraiser was held and they had an online auction where there was a 7 day African photo safari and we won! As fate would have it, we will be on the trip on what would have been Alyssa's 23rd birthday, July 18...it really was just meant to be.
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| Fabulous dinner with Lisa & Scott |
We decided since we are going so far (did I mention it was a long flight?!), we should extend our time and see Cape Town, Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Johannesburg. My company partners with Dragonfly Africa when we have programs in South Africa so I reached out to have them help with our arrangements as I am not familiar with this part of the world. They have been absolutely fabulous during the planning phase and so patient with my multitude of questions (a meeting planner always has a million questions!).
To say we are excited about this adventure is an understatement!
