Well Connected Travel

Barry Poole started his travel and tourism venture some 27 years ago. He developed and ran Hideaway Island Resorts Ltd., Port Vila, Vanuatu, before selling the island in 1990.He then concentrated on the travel agency side of the business through Well Connected Travel Pty. Ltd - based in Forestville Centre on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. The contacts gained in The South Pacific stood him in good stead and the business expanded to thirteen South Pacific country destinations.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world the Soviet Union was imploding and the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were gaining their freedom (again!). As Barry’s wife, Külliki, was Australian of Estonian descent … it was decided to join the Baltic Sea Tourism Commission in order to establish new travel/tourism connections in each of the newly independent countries. The contacts and the expertise gained in the Baltic remains to this day – even to the extent of employing a young Latvian consultant Inga Madzule (to compliment the existing expertise in Estonia).

The most senior consultant Linda Gaden, (who had worked with many different airlines - including Thai Airways) was then able to concentrate on her own specialist area organising vacations with a purpose and arranging volunteer and community project travel.

Some 5 years ago Well Connected Travel undertook another expansion,…this time to South America. Retired Australian, Seymour Major, (previously bank manager in Santiago, Chile) joined Well Connected Travel using his great knowledge of Chile and Argentina in order to lead Well Connected Travel’s rather special and personalized tours to both these countries.