People often ask how Global Nomadic got started and where the inspiration came from. The short answer is that it came from travelling the world looking for my own career break in Conservation. The long answer goes something like this.

After studying Sociology at the University, I was geared up to start a career in International Development. I decided to follow an experiential route and impulsively booked a one-way ticket to Senegal.

I arrived in the country and started knocking on doors of NGOs until through an unlikely chain of events, I was hired on a voluntary basis by an organisation in the Gambia. Wide-eyed and believing I could save the world, I launched a project to build an agricultural school. I worked with the local community to agree the school design, wrote funding proposals, met with village elders, and slowly saw the project get off the ground. Meanwhile I was running out of money and needed to return to the UK to work for a few months. Two months back in the UK turned into two years, as it seemed the school project was not going ahead.

Disappointed but not defeated, I went to South America. I discovered a fantastic NGO in Bolivia focussed on agricultural technology, and worked there for a year. I returned to London to complete a Masters in Latin American Development, to expand my knowledge and skills and create greater impact.

I realised one of the biggest hurdles for people like me was identifying projects to work with. I could help people build meaningful careers through robust volunteering around the world – not just in development but in Medicine, Micro Finance, Journalism, Human Rights, Conservation, Sustainability and more. Global Nomadic was born, and has gone on to support thousands of people find purposeful experiences abroad.

And now we have evolved. As I have grown, both professionally and personally, our client base has grown too. Many of our clients have careers  they love but seek greater purpose. Or perhaps they want time to rest and recover. And some are simply looking for adventure, to give back and learn. I relate to them all!