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Happy Holidays 2016

Happy Holidays from Outside GO

This year we celebrate by looking back on a legacy of travel with our founder, Phil Osborne. There is no time like the past. It shapes our future, humbles us, and if we let it—teaches us, too. In travel, as in life, the end of the year is always a time of reflection.

I am writing this as a dusting of snow starts to cover the trees outside my window and the mountains are shrouded in a misty fog. Winter in Santa Fe is a magical time and one I treasure deeply. This time of year I try to embrace what I have instead of what I want. I cannot complain; life is good, I am surrounded by an incredibly powerful team and a loving family, and these are the things which are neither promised or expected in life—the very things we so often take for granted.

A very wise man once said, “A stranger is only a friend I have yet to meet.” Phil Osborne was his name, and he was the founder of our company and one of the greatest visionaries of our time. His belief was one of “truth in travel.” He always preferred to support smaller, more intimate and conservation-minded people and properties. He looked remarkably like Hemingway and his legacy lives on in a similarly grand way. His vision of connecting people across continents in a meaningful way is still being imitated by just about every other travel company out there today.

Phil’s extraordinary personality and energy are legendary, and his friends around the world came to call him "Bwana Phil," an endearing Swahili title of respect and love. Phil's legacy grew from great friendships with our partners across the globe and his enduring relationships with his clients. In fact, many of the projects he helped start through his generous funding continue to thrive today. For instance in Namibia, Phil instigated the purchase of land for a cheetah preserve which has since become an internationally acclaimed success in the conservation world. In Kenya, he helped found the Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary (Lewa), now a model for other rhino conservation efforts in East Africa.

We continue to promote the conservation of both animals and culture into every Outside GO trip we offer today. Following in Phil’s footsteps, Chip and I helped co-found TUSK USA nearly 12 years ago. The organization has since gone from strength to strength under the brilliant leadership and guidance of the new executive director, Ellen O’Connell. But despite the efforts of groups such as TUSK, rhino and elephant poaching continues in Africa at an alarming rate. Lions and cheetahs face a myriad of problems too, as do so many other species such as giraffe. At times the news from Africa is so bleak.

Then, something happens which gives us hope. This year for me it was my oldest daughter and her best friend choosing to start a Young TUSK Ambassadors Club as part of their community and conservation program at school. Their goal was to start small and local, fundraising for wildlife and spreading the word throughout the USA to encourage other like-minded high school kids to join their club and get involved. We couldn’t be more proud of these girls!

We are also thankful for a busy year of travel for our team, too. This past spring Chip went heli-skiing in Iceland to visit one of our brand new outposts, Deplar Farm. I traveled to Alaska to visit some of our favorite wilderness camps, and later to Tasmania with the Australian Tourism Board. Both trips exceeded all my expectations and I have no doubt I will return someday! Robyn just returned from Peru where she explored Macho Picchu in every way possible, and then some. And lastly, Whitney journeyed to South Africa this year with her family on their first-ever trip abroad.

Now, it’s time to look forward to 2017 and where we're going next. For my family it will be southern Africa in March. Our girls are growing older and their imminent departure to college and adult life makes us realize just how valuable every minute is with them. Traveling allows us to really “get away” from the obligations of day to day life, and it won’t hurt to get out of town during peak allergy season Santa Fe, either. We will be retracing my family history (I grew up there), catching up with old friends and family, showing the girls where I lived and went to school. But we will also be exploring some new safari camp and lodges together finishing up on the beach in Mozambique—a country which I have not stepped foot on since I was a kid. It is these times together, away and unfiltered, that enrich our lives and give us a chance to reconnect and truly unwind.

Wishing you and all of your loved ones a very happy holiday season and all the peace and happiness for the New Year.

From our family to yours with love,

Sandy Cunningham



NEWSGirlie ValienteNovember 29, 2016HolidayComment