TravelManagers’ Top-Selling Advisor Wins Bucket List Trip to Antarctica
Featured photo: PTM Kerry Cleasby was one of just eight top-selling travel advisors to join Chimu Adventures on its exclusive Antarctic expedition agent famil in 2023.
TravelManagers’ Kerry Cleasby has a passion for wildlife and wilderness experiences which has taken her to some of the most remote and spectacular parts of the globe, while enabling her to build a career that revolves around helping her clients to do the same. When Chimu Adventures announced that her exceptional sales performance in 2023 had secured her a sought-after spot on their Best of Antarctica Expedition famil, she was thrilled by the prospect of ticking off another experience on her extensive travel bucket list.
The early bird gets the worm, but the early photographer gets the bird. PTM Kerry Cleasby jumped at the chance to join the onboard photographic program
“My most life-changing travels have always involved spending time in the wilderness, with wildlife and nature,” explains Cleasby, who is a personal travel (PTM) based in South Brisbane, QLD. “I have been to Africa many times and, as a result, have a following of clients who also love to travel to Africa. During the incentive period, I had some incredible Antarctica and South America bookings with Chimu, which were enough to win me a spot on this amazing famil.”
Cleasby was one of eight travel advisors invited to experience Antarctica with Chimu Adventures during its 2023/2024 season. They spent three nights in Buenos Aires and a night in Ushuaia before boarding the Ocean Endeavour for an eleven-day expedition cruise to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula.
Humpback whales and penguins accompanied TravelManagers’ Kerry Cleasby and her husband on their evening kayaking expedition.
“I’d always dreamed of visiting Antarctica, but until now, my fear of getting seasick on the Drake Passage had always held me back. I realise now that I need not have worried: we encountered calm weather in both directions, and some new seasickness medication meant that I felt completely fine,” she smiles.
Cleasby’s newfound confidence in her sea legs is just one of the insights she intends to share with clients that may be considering an Antarctic experience. She also took advantage of the opportunity to participate in an onboard photography program, which was run by three professional photographers and included ten days of instruction and assistance in photographing Antarctica.
Home base for PTM Kerry Cleasby during her 11-day Antarctica adventure: the Ocean Endeavour
“I took more than 1000 photos in four days, but even they can’t convey the vastness, the silence, the freshness of the air and water, the unpredictability, the preciousness, and the inherent danger.”
“Now I understand why everyone describes Antarctica as ‘indescribable’! It is the most incredible place and it’s hard to find the words to explain. No one could come here and not be changed by the experience.”
