Meet Milady: Building a Travel Business on Her Own Terms

After more than 18 years in the travel industry, Milady Tshandu-Limetyeni was ready to take the next step: building a travel business of her own.

With extensive experience in luxury and corporate travel, a deep knowledge of Southern and East Africa, and a passion for creating highly personalised client experiences, Milady brings an impressive background to the Travel Counsellors community.

By becoming a Travel Counsellor, she now has the independence to shape her business around her clients and her family, while benefiting from the technology, infrastructure and support of an established global travel company.

We spoke to Milady about her career, what inspired her to start her own business and what she hopes to achieve as one of our newest Travel Counsellors.

What is your background and where did you work before becoming a Travel Counsellor?

I've spent 18+ years building my career in the travel industry, specialising in luxury and corporate travel across Southern and East Africa, and working closely with high-net-worth clients and premium aviation.

Along the way, I've had the privilege of working with some of the leading names in African travel.

I hold a postgraduate Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in Tourism Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), before going on to become a Travel Counsellor in 2026.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

When I'm not planning trips for my clients, I'm living out my own love for travel.

I'm a busy wife and mother of two energetic boys, and as a family, we cherish any chance to be outdoors, exploring new places and meeting new people – whether it's a hike, a quick weekend getaway or a longer trip further afield.

I've personally travelled extensively through East and Southern Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana's Okavango Delta, Zimbabwe and Zambia, to name a few. These experiences continue to shape the passion and insight I bring to every itinerary I create.

What does becoming a Travel Counsellor mean for you?

Becoming a Travel Counsellor means finally running my own business, on my own terms, after 18+ years of building expertise in the travel industry.

I have the backing of an established company behind me, so independence doesn't mean going it alone. As a wife and mother of two busy boys, the flexibility to structure my own days means I can be present for what matters at home, without compromising on service to my clients. I am not torn between competing demands; I choose how I show up for each.

For my clients, it means one dedicated point of contact who knows them personally, is reachable when needed and takes full ownership from the initial brief to their safe return – not a call centre or a rotating desk.

This step brings more presence with my family, more ownership of my time and deeper client relationships. That alignment is what becoming a Travel Counsellor means to me.

What motivated you to start your own travel business?

What motivated me was simple: after 18+ years of mastering this industry inside other people's businesses, I was ready to build something of my own.

Starting my own venture meant I could finally shape the client experience my way, without diluting it through someone else's processes, while still leaning on the infrastructure and support of an established company to do it properly, not alone.

There was also a personal pull. As a wife and mother of two boys, owning my time felt like the missing piece – the chance to be fully present at home and fully present for my clients, rather than stretched thin by someone else's schedule.

Mostly, though, it came down to accountability. I wanted clients to have one person who genuinely owns their journey from end to end, instead of a queue or a rotating desk. That kind of relationship only works when it's your name on the door.

What are you looking forward to most about being a Travel Counsellor?

What I'm looking forward to most is the depth of relationship I get to build with my clients, both leisure and corporate.

Whether it's a family planning their dream safari or a business managing a demanding travel schedule, I get to really know the people I work with and design around what actually matters to them, trip after trip.

I'm also excited by the problem-solving side. When plans change or something goes wrong, I get to fix it immediately, with full context, instead of passing someone along a chain – whether that's rebooking a delayed business trip or rescuing a family holiday.

After 18+ years of watching that gap cause real frustration, being the one who closes it feels genuinely rewarding.

And personally, I'm looking forward to building something that's mine, while still having my family front and centre in how I structure my days.

Have you set yourself any goals or milestones for what you want to achieve in your first year?

Yes, I have a few clear milestones for my first year.

On the corporate side, my priority is securing and successfully onboarding a small number of anchor accounts, where I can prove the value of a dedicated, single point of contact managing their travel from end to end.

On the leisure side, I want to build a solid base of repeat clients, particularly around my specialist area of Southern and East African safari travel, so referrals start doing some of the work for me by year two.

Beyond the numbers, my personal benchmark is response time and follow-through. I want every client, corporate or leisure, to say their trip felt effortless because I handled the details before they even had to ask.

If I've built that reputation by the end of year one, I'll consider it a strong start.

Have you started planning how you will grow your business and find new customers? If so, how?

Yes, I've already started laying the groundwork on both fronts.

For corporate clients, I'm approaching businesses directly with tailored proposals, focusing on companies where a single, accountable point of contact would genuinely solve a pain point they're currently experiencing.

For leisure clients, I'm building out my personal web presence around my safari specialism, so prospective clients can see my experience and favourite destinations before we even speak.

I'm also leaning on my existing network and referrals from past clients I served before becoming a Travel Counsellor.

Beyond that, I have the backing of Travel Counsellors' wider network of over 1,900 colleagues worldwide, which opens doors to leads, local knowledge and collaboration I wouldn't have access to on my own.

Growth, for me, is really about consistency across all these channels rather than one single tactic.

Ready to build a travel business of your own?

Milady’s story shows what is possible when industry experience, personal ambition and the right support come together.

As a Travel Counsellor, she has the freedom to build a business around the service she wants to offer, the clients she wants to work with and the life she wants to lead. At the same time, she is supported by an established business, a global community and the tools and infrastructure she needs to grow with confidence.

For experienced travel professionals who are ready to become independent travel agents without having to build everything alone, Travel Counsellors offers the opportunity to take ownership of your future while remaining part of a supportive community.

Your experience has brought you this far. Becoming a Travel Counsellor could be your next step.