Dear Friends,

What a busy year for Absolute Travel – so much has happened, it’s difficult to know where to start! Perhaps the most important aspect of the year was that it marked our 20th anniversary in travel, a big achievement for a company that started in the New York City studio apartment of its founder!

Our staff had many too adventures this year to mention them all, but highlights included Brooke’s unforgettable journeys to Mali and Chile, Sasha’s exploration of Oman and Dubai, Katie’s visit with Uganda’s lowland mountain gorillas, Chloe’s time in China, and Jessica’s whirlwind trip through India. Additionally, we opened the doors of our brand new office in Cape Town, South Africa, and happily welcomed two tiny new travelers to our team: Leslie debuted fabulous Fergus in April and Daniela introduced adorable Vesper in June. And though we were sad to say farewell to some of our longtime staff members, we supported their decision to pursue new paths and they will always be part of the Absolute Travel family. We are also thrilled to soon be welcoming several new staff members who share our passion for travel.

Absolute Travel also continued to be active in supporting charitable causes in 2009. While in Uganda, Katie became involved with Conservation Through Public Health, an organization that works to save the lowland mountain gorillas. We have been so inspired by Katie’s passion for this cause and the energy she has put into spreading their message. Ken also continued his longtime involvement with the Program for Survivors of Torture, which provides a healing community for survivors of politically motivated torture; we are very glad that he actively supports this important work. In the coming year, we hope to continue our involvement with organizations and people that are so tirelessly working to improve the world.

As part of our foray into “new media,” this year we also launched a blog to further chronicle our adventures and a Facebook page. We will be updating these frequently and invite you to visit both for the latest news and information about Absolute Travel!

In closing, we’d like to toast to a happy holiday season for you – and, hopefully, 20 more years in travel for ourselves!