Africa is more than a destination. It is a feeling. It is something different to every visitor, but it is home to people, places, and wildlife unlike anywhere in the world. This powerful continent has been my home and work space all my life and I banished my high heels in 2010 to move to Malawi – a corporate refugee, copywriting for a British ad agency from a stump during the midday siesta.
In exploring more and more of the continent, I have noticed a severe shortcoming in how lodges and tourist attractions describe themselves to an international market. With more and more of the same catchphrases used over and over again, potential safari-goers are inundated with ‘endless vast horizons’, ‘mighty rivers’, and ‘untouched wildernesses’. Apart from being confusing, it lacks the African sincerity I cherish so much.
I have set up On Elephant Prints to change this. This is a service for travellers and lodges alike. Using the skills accumulated in over a decade of work as a copywriter, I aim to build safari and African travel businesses from the brand up. I also want to profile my very unique experiences of Africa as an informative, inspiring resource for people looking to travel the continent.
The Big Name Safari
Where did the name come from? I have had the very rare privilege of living under canvas in Southern Africa for extended periods of time – and this has included some rough camping in some rather remote places. Often, I have found myself setting up my tent on great, rippled elephant prints and never have I felt more acutely a sense of being, a sense of belonging.
A creature of words, I have come to search for prints wherever I go in wild Africa – an exciting tale told in the dust. I look forward to sharing my safari stories with you and tales of extraordinary sightings in print of my own.
