Today Liezl is talking to friend and Co-Founder of Expat Explore, one of Europe's biggest travel companies, Jakes Maritz. Tune in to In the Spotlight to hear Jakes’ inspiring story on starting a business, his adventurous spirit, the journey he has been on, and how he ended up where he is today.
KEY TAKEAWAYS

• From 200 passengers in 2005, to over 17,000 passengers per annum in 2019, today Expat Explore offers over 100 tour packages to destinations across Europe, the UK, the USA and Canada, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. 
• Expat Explore Travel began in 2005 when Jakes and his friend Carl decided to take the plunge and start weekend trips to Paris. Working as the first tour leaders of Expat Explore, they took turns to take groups to Paris and later Amsterdam over weekends and create itineraries to suit the avid traveller’s needs and wallet.
• To launch the business, Jakes and Carl had £800 as a marketing budget and used all of it to throw a launch party with the intent of making sure people had a good time, reflecting what their business is all about. 
• Jakes quickly realised that once people had been with them to one place, they wanted to have the same experience again but somewhere new. This is why their list of tour packages is so wide and covers so many different places. 
• Jakes is also the co-founder of CreateFo, a team of professionals working around the world, including South Africa, the UK, Switzerland and Ukraine. Using their unique skills to create, build and deliver top-quality digital solutions with a dynamic approach to projects.
• Jakes also co-founded GroupTourShop providing efficient, ready-to-book and customisable group travel solutions to destinations around the world.

BEST MOMENTS
‘I’ve always been entrepreneurial in nature, it’s about wanting to find a solution’
‘We didn’t just want people to see the sights, we wanted them to experience the culture’
‘A lot of people sit and wait to adapt, we try to find a solution. It keeps us innovative’
‘Get in and do it’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Expatexplore.com
createfo.com
grouptourshop.com
Jakes on Instagram
VALUABLE RESOURCES 

ABOUT THE GUEST
When Jakes and Carl’s paths crossed again in the UK in the early 2000s, their mutual friends already saw a business partnership coming. Carl was the entertainer, a true tour leader and entrepreneur at heart, and Jakes had the MBA background and organisational skills to give the necessary structure to what was then only an idea at the back of their minds. Expat Explore Travel began (rather impulsively) in 2005 when they decided to take the plunge and start weekend trips to Paris. Working as the first tour leaders of Expat Explore, they took turns to take groups to Paris and later Amsterdam over weekends and create itineraries to suit the avid traveller’s needs and wallet. Since then Carl and Jakes’ dream of a travel company that would provide guided tours designed by travel experts came true; they have established Expat Explore as a trusted travel operator in Europe.
Jakes, who is based at the Cape Town office, loves travelling as much as ever. He is a firm believer that travel provides context and expands your world view like nothing else. To him, meeting new people and learning about the places we travel to is quintessential to human development. 

ABOUT THE PODCAST 

In the Spotlight was born as a platform to share, broadcast and promote the interesting, wonderful and inspiring things that some of the people who crossed Liezl’s path have done. She would love to shine the spotlight on them and share their journeys with you to hopefully inspire you to be the best you, not to give up and to follow your passion or dream.  And in that way, help to make a little difference and share some of the beauty of this world. 

ABOUT THE HOST
Liezl Colditz van Rooyen

Born and raised in South Africa, Liezl followed her dream to see the world at age 23 and twenty years on has now travelled to 50 countries and worked and lived in the UK, Belgium and Saudi Arabia. She is a mum of two boys, a chartered management accountant working in large energy projects, a musician, runner, a world citizen but proudly South African and now a podcaster.The incredible people she has met, the amazing places she has seen and the magic of life she has experienced, inspired her to start this podcast.

CONTACT METHOD
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inthespotlightwithliezl
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthespotlightwithliezl
Facebook personal: https://www.facebook.com/lcolditzvanrooyen/
Instagram personal: https://www.instagram.com/liezl_colditzvanrooyen/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/van-rooyen-liezl/