Mariette joined us in May 2023, although this is not her first time as part of the ATI team! Way back then, our office was based in the converted garage at Rivendell Guest House, and there were only a few of us. A lot has changed since, but our core values and passion for sharing Namibia with the world are the same, so we hope it will feel like coming ‘home’ for Mariette. This is our first foray into remote working since Mariette is based in Otjiwarongo, so won’t be able to enjoy our office coffee very often.

Mariette is married with two boys under 10 whom she home-schools while running a marketing business. Mariette is also a professional photographer and is available for holiday photo shoots while our guests are in Namibia; honeymoons, elopements, families… it’s the perfect way to remember your holiday of a lifetime.

Mariette also writes regular blogs and stories about her travel experiences, sharing travel tips, and making recommendations based on her own personal experiences. Follow @travellingnamibia for more inspiration!

Mariette says:

What are your ‘must have’ travel items? Camera, a book, a notepad, a scarf… and always sunglasses.

What are the most unusual antics have clients got up to? Stolen duvets and mossie nets from a lodge…. Is that unusual?

What meal could you eat every day? Coffee and rusks.

Tell us something that most people don’t know about you? I’m scared to death of spiders, but will protect them because they eat mosquitoes.

How did you get into tourism? I landed a job in London in customer services and then later marketing for SkiWorld. From there I came back to Namibia where I started working at ATI Holiday as a junior consultant. And I haven’t really left tourism since then. 18 Years this year… gosh! Am I that old?

What is your favourite book and/or movie? Book: Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels.  Movie: A Good Year starring Russel Crowe

What is your favourite Namibian destination and why? There are not a great many places in Namibia that I don’t like, but if I have to choose, it’ll be somewhere close to water. The exception to that rule is Desert Rhino Camp.

A quote to live by? T. E. Lawrence: “All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of day are dangerous men. That they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.”