Our success is down to the legendary team who are LIVE THE DREAM TRAVEL.
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Greg Close, Director + Tour Escort
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Although I’ve now lived in Australia for 25 years, when you hear my accent, you’ll immediately recognise my strong Lancashire accent that I’m pleased to say, will never leave me.
I was born and brought up in the beautiful Peak District, a place that gave me a passion for ‘rambling’ and a place that I still visit often on our bi-annual walking tour of England.
Coming from a small village where families are close knit, the coast is a lifetime away and (back in the 70’s and 80’s) a big holiday was to Butlins Holiday Camp in South Wales, travel was not something I imagined becoming my lifelong career when I left school in 1991.
But, when a week’s holiday on the island of Rhodes in Greece turned into a 4-year hiatus, travelling was definitely in my blood. I became very comfortable living in Greece but the urge to see the world made me leave my idyllic lifestyle to embark on a career working onboard some of the world's most luxurious cruise ships. For five years I experienced many destinations, from Aruba to Alaska, Maui to Miami, The Bahamas to Broome and many more. After disembarking my last cruise ship job in 1999, I called Australia home and settled here in South Australia.
After several years that included a variety of jobs including a mobile dog-groomer, croupier, fishing charter deck-hand and working on the car ferry between Inskip Point and Fraser Island, I decided to resume my career in the travel industry as a travel agent. I worked for one of the BIG travel companies for seven years, managing stores up and down the Queensland coast until the opportunity to purchase an agency in South Australia presented itself.
That was 13 years ago now and whilst there have been challenges along the way, going out on my own was the best decision I ever made!
Now, I’m part of an amazing team and working with my partner Jess at our fabulous business here in beautiful Strathalbyn. |
Jess Pressler, Manager + Tour Escort
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I have lived in many different places in my 30 ‘something’ years of life. We moved around a lot when I was little, following my Dad’s work, and I believe that is where my love of travel began.
My childhood was spent mostly in country mining towns. Andamooka, the town of underground houses, opal and scorpions was my favourite as my time here was filled with adventures and opal fossicking. In my later teens my family and I moved to Piccadilly in the Adelaide Hills, and I knew at that moment I was meant to be a hills girl, and that it would always be home.
I moved up to the Riverland at the age of 17 to pick fruit to save money for my grand tour around Australia. I quickly realised that to make good money picking fruit you had to be quick and good at it. Not to be deterred I saved enough money and off I went to Western Australia. I worked my way up the west coast of Australia before landing in Darwin.
The year was 2006 and this is where my career in travel began. I landed my dream job as a Travel Consultant with one of the big travel companies and I was in love with my new industry and career. I worked in many different agencies across the Northern Territory and South Australia before I decided to come home to the hills to raise my family.
I am often asked if I started in travel when I was 6, It does feel like that at times. It’s now been 18 years of adventures and amazing travel experiences. How lucky am I, right? I couldn’t be happier living here in Strathalbyn raising my 3 adventure buddies, living the dream with my partner Greg and managing our travel agency, Live the Dream Travel. I expect you will find me here for many years to come. |
Kayla McDiarmid, Business Development Manager + Tour Escort
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With a mix of English, Kiwi and an Aussie accent it might be hard to pick but I grew up here in South Australia. Now after eight years of living and travelling around the world I find myself back in our beautiful state living in Inman Valley, close to the beach and surrounded by gumtrees!
I originally began with Live the Dream Travel back in 2012 after completing my high school work experience. Working with Greg and Jess for five years until early 2018 when my now fiancé and I moved to the UK. We lived in the picturesque Lake District in-between travelling around England, Wales and Scotland in our self-converted campervan. Alongside taking full advantage of Europe and Northern Africa being on our doorstep, there were lots of weekend city breaks for good food and history!
In 2019 I accepted a job as a European Tour Guide. This had me guiding groups between 8 and 55 passengers through 25 European countries. A special time in my career, I’ll never forget!
During the pandemic I found myself “stuck” in Queenstown, New Zealand. Here I was lucky to keep my career in tourism alive, as the General Manager of a hostel. I was incredibly fortunate to see NZ without tourists, empty roads and hiking trails all to ourselves! During my four years in Queenstown, I still managed to get overseas, back to the UK, Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Portugal, Germany and Indonesia.
In 2024 upon moving from NZ back to Australia we couldn’t turn down a few months of adventure, backpacking our way through Vietnam, India and Sri Lanka. Driving our own TukTuk around Sri Lanka and experiencing Holi Festival in India are two of my favourite travel memories to date.
I’ve visited 52 countries so far but there are so many more incredible places to see!. Next up I’m thinking Africa, South America, Japan, Cuba, Mexico… The list goes on!
I look forward to getting to know you, assisting with your holiday, teaching you some travel technology and maybe even hosting you on one of our fully escorted tours. Pop in for a coffee and a chat. |
Jill Coombe, Business Development + Tour Escort
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Well if ever there was an apt name for a place to work, this is it – Live The Dream Travel! Hello, my name is Jill Coombe.
Originally from Monarto and going to school in Murray Bridge I landed my first real job at Murray Bridge High School, working as a laboratory assistant. Think scalpels and mice (eek), chemicals, pond water, pipettes and the odd ‘road kill’ echidna and you’ll know that life was never dull. I married the science teacher and we scooted off to the Riverland, taking our tiny camper trailer and love of road trips with us. Australia is a big place and we wore out a few sets of tyres on that little camper, along with a string of vehicles to tow her (doesn’t everyone tow their camper with an Alfa Romeo?)
Holiday times always fell, you guessed it, in school holidays, travelling with the rest of the nation it seemed. Once out of the school system we appreciated the flexibility of travel any time of year and managed some great trips (New Zealand in a motor home, the Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal, some train travel to Toronto, Niagara Falls, Hawaii’s natural beauty and history and many Australian GPs – Adelaide was always the best!). I’ve been fortunate to have a homestay with friends on Vancouver Island and in a beautiful mountain village out of Florence, Italy.
We returned to Murray Bridge in 2001 when I accepted the role of Manager at Bridge Clinic Medical Centre – a role I loved and retired from after 20 years (in 2021, mid COVID).
Retirement has been delightful and allowed me time for a few small trips hither and yon (Perth, Cairns, Broome, Melbourne) and a longer trip in 2023 with my sister. We checked out Amsterdam, looked up some family history in Edinburgh and took our first glorious look at London. This trip reminded me how much I love architecture, food, scenery sliding by on a train and walking around villages). Thanks Jess for getting us there and back!
When Jess and Greg advertised that they were looking for a new team member I knew I had to give it a go. I had joined the Women Only Travel Club early on and instantly felt an enthusiasm for the possibilities the group could bring. What a wonderful bunch of people I’ve met and will travel with in the future.
Now, as I join LTD, I feel a similar spark of excitement to be helping people with their travel dreams and making the possible happen. Can’t wait to meet you and help you to live your dream through travel! |