Well Connected Travel

Barry Poole started in travel & tourism 1979. He developed & 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.

On the other side of the world the Soviet Union was imploding & the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia & 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 tourism connections in each of the newly independent countries. The expertise gained in the Baltic, Nordic & Scandinavian region remains to this day.

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

Claudia Silvester senior consultant who had worked in the travel industry since 1994 is now developing both the retail & corporate sector of the business. Claudia’s expertise of the travel industry has also lead her to teaching tourism to international students.

During 2002 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 as Tour Director using his great knowledge of Chile & Argentina in order to lead Well Connected Travel’s rather special and personalized tours to both these countries.

In 2004 Janet Edmonds joined as a specialist Tour Director. Janet’s vivacious personality, experience and training in the craft industry (teaching and organizing workshops and tours over the past 15 years) and in the airline industry has combined to make her a unique and knowledgeable tour leader.