| Anne Kent Taylor, the founder of our company, was born in Ethiopia when her father was a Colonel in the British Army developing an officer-training program for Emperor Haile Selassie. She spent her childhood in the Aberdare Mountains of Kenya. Due to the high altitude and climate in these mountains, many British settled in this area and created farms and beautiful "English" gardens with plants from their home country. | |
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Early
days on safari, Anne, Geoff and John Kent. |
This region was later known for the Mau Mau fight for independence, which took place during Anne's early upbringing. After Kenya's independence, the family farm was redistributed to the people of Kenya. Refusing to abandon the country they had come to love, they moved to Nairobi where Anne's parents started Abercrombie & Kent, a photographic safari company that specialized in camping expeditions similar in style to big game hunting safaris. Anne's mother, Valerie Kent, was one of the first women to work as a safari guide. Valerie and John Kent led safaris all across the African continent, from the northern deserts of Kenya and Ethiopia to deep into the heart of the Congo jungle. |
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Valerie
and John Kent led safaris all across the African continent, from the northern deserts of Kenya and Ethiopia to deep into the heart of the Congo jungle. |
In the early 1960's, Anne began working for her parents and developed a knowledge and deep love for the wildlife and people of Africa. She became addicted to travel and worked her way across Europe, Mexico, Central America and the U.S. While traveling across the U.S., she met her future husband in Wyoming. They married shortly thereafter to start a family on a ranch in Montana. Meanwhile, Anne's only brother Geoff had taken over the reins of Abercrombie & Kent and were on their way to turning it into one of the most prestigious wholesale travel companies in the world. They developed a global company allowing large numbers of people to experience comfortable international travel. Anne decided to take her company in a different direction and began leading small groups of friends on highly personalized safaris. She did not let motherhood slow her down and was known to take her children out of school to expose them to international travel. She continued to operate her business as a sole proprietorship until her children were grown, whereupon she incorporated A. K. Taylor International Limited. Her company's operation is based on her parents' legacy of superior service and personalized attention to small details. In fact, several of Anne's original clients were the descendants of her parents' clients, some of the first intrepid travelers to visit the "dark" continent. Since starting her business, Anne has developed a network of operators to whom she can entrust her clients. As an independent agent, she is not bound to any particular operator. She carefully examines each clients desired time of travel, their interests and their budget and finds the best operator. Even when booking a group departure, Anne is able to request special services, activities and guides for her clients. In some cases, she uses larger companies like Abercrombie & Kent, in others she uses smaller "specialized" companies or individuals to guide her clients. The latter includes exceptional guides and companies that offer horseback, camel, and walking expeditions in many different countries. Early in her career, Anne decided that she would not sell any trip that she had not been on, or thoroughly researched. This keeps her very busy, traveling for 4-6 months each year, scouting out special new destinations. |
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A
camel safari is a perfect way to experience the wilds of Africa at the pace of an ancient creature. |
Due to Anne's love and knowledge of wildlife, she directed her energy to serve on several conservation boards, like Wildlife Preservation Trust, where she served for 15 years. Anne just rotated off this board to focus her time on her newly established fund. Anne continues working and leading people on trips because of the pleasure she gets from exposing people to the hidden wonders of the world and hopefully creating a 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip for them. It has always been difficult for Anne to expand her business. Few others have had her knowledge base and enjoy her passion for true ecotourism. Anne now has the assistance of Farley Taylor. Farley, Anne's youngest daughter, joined Anne in 2001, creating a team of highly knowledgeable travel consultants and guides. |
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