Not many businesses begin with a coma, but the story of Hands on Journeys does.
Simla Sooboodoo, born in Mauritius before immigrating to Australia, founded Hands on Journeys in 2014 after two close-calls to death following a brain aneurysm. When she woke up from the 42-day coma, she knew that her life needed to be different, the world needed to be explored and that the luck she felt from recovering deserved to be paid forward to others less fortunate. As she discovered countless countries and gave-back through various community projects, she knew that her nine years of experience in the travel industry with impact was her calling and Hands on Journeys was born. Simla didn’t want to create just another tour company; she wanted to create journeys that transported travellers to the heart of a destination.
Our first ever tour itinerary started in Cambodia, and since then we have expanded to include six destinations, various extension options and additional countries on the horizon. Our game plan isn’t to expand to every corner of the globe; it’s to focus on creating sustainable change and invigorating travel moments in the destinations we serve. With each one of our tours being built by hand, in person, it takes a long time for us to launch a new tour as getting it right is more important than getting it on sale.
Now, with various award nominations, media coverage and a continually expanding team we look forward to taking you on a journey, a once in a lifetime experience, and continuing both our story and the stories of those we impact on our way.
One traveller from our first ever Cambodia tour summed up the trip as ‘The best way I have ever travelled, I can’t imagine ever exploring the world in any other way’, and until this day, everything we do is focused on you saying the same thing at the end of your tour.
SIMLA SOOBOODOO
Founder & CEO
Simla, originally from Mauritius, relocated to Australia as a teenager. As a young girl, she always dreamt of one day getting on a plane. Now, she uses them like buses as she heads up the Hands on Journeys team, putting together all the itineraries and working with each empowerment project closely. With a long career in travel, Simla knows the industry inside out, but it was a brain aneurysm and two very close calls with death that finally made her start Hands on Journeys.
ROWENA
Operations Manager
Behind the scenes, Rowena looks after the bookings/admin side of things for our travellers as soon as they have booked one of our tours. She’s only been to a handful of Asian countries however a tropical island is definitely on her bucket list.
DANIEL JAMES
Brand & Marketing Manager
With a love for traversing the world, our Brand Manager Daniel has racked up nearly 60 countries. Working as a professional photographer he loves capturing the personal moments in travel and lives by the motto ‘the best way to know the world is to see the world’. When he’s not exploring our incredible planet he’s managing our website, editing videos or writing freelance for various travel publications.
SARAH
Sales Manager
Sarah, our Sales Manager, is an intrepid traveller. With a career in advertising-sales and travel management spanning 23 years in London and Australia, Sarah loves the adventure of exploring new places and meeting new people. Fostering a long-term working relationship with clients and business partners, she’ll use her destination knowledge to offer you tour choices that meet your needs.
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