The ability to travel around the world, experiencing new cultures, people and places is one dream many aspire to, but few are ever able to make a reality.

Determined to bring your travel dreams to life, however, is resident traveloholic and Jamaican entrepreneur Royanne DeSilva, owner of the luxury travel concierge, Dream Aloud Travels.

Hailing from the parish of Clarendon, DeSilva is a past student of the Belair and Glenmuir High schools and a proud graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona.

A lover of all things travel for as long as she can remember, DeSilva recalls the excitement that surged through her veins upon boarding her first-ever plane at the age of seven, an experience marred only by her terrible air sickness.

She never imagined, however, that her love for travel would later fuel her career path, having majored in Economics while at university.

The travel concierge owner says, when presented with the chance to become an air hostess for an airline in the Middle East, it was an opportunity she could not pass up.

“I did Economics in university with the aim of a career in corporate social responsibility,” DeSilva told Our Today.

“My friend recommended me to attend a recruitment day in Jamaica for an airline in the Middle East in 2016… less than 10 of us were chosen so I strongly believed I had to take the opportunity.”

Having visited 70 countries to date, she said one thing that has really stood out for her in all those nations – and what she loves most about traveling – is that “on surface level we may seem different but deep down we share many similarities”.

Wanting to ensure that other travel lovers like herself could also be given the opportunity to bring their travel dreams to life, DeSilva started her Dream Aloud Travels in 2018.

Dream Aloud Travels provides services including personalised travel itineraries for honeymoons, family, group or solo trips, luxury accommodation bookings, private jet charters, flights, and cruises.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the international travel trips her business has become known for, DeSilva said amid the challenges she has been able to pivot.

For the time being, the travel nature of her business now focuses primarily on curating unique getaway trips for her clients within their own countries.

More than just your ordinary travel brand, in fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, Dream Aloud Travels has hosted motivational workshops in India, Maldives, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

As we wait with bated breath for the world to reopen again, we can’t help but look forward to seeing all the people who’ll finally be able to ‘Dream Aloud’ when it finally does.

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