In the summer of 2016, Yampu decided to take more concrete steps toward growth and implemented a tour designer training program, which required trainees that would help to shape Yampu’s growing company culture. Maggie was one of the first people to complete the program and to be promoted to join Yampu’s tour consultant team. Now, she uses her creativity to make dream trips come true for her clients and shares her passion for travel with each and every one. Learn more about Maggie below!
Name: Maggie Dykshorn
Title: Tour Consultant
Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa
Time at Yampu: More than one year!
Q: Before working at Yampu Tours, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
A: EMT
Q: What advice do you have for prospective travelers?
A: Make the most of your trip! How many times are you going to fly to a country halfway around the world? Most people have one shot, so why not do everything you can while you’re there? Take an extra couple of days off so you can fit in one more site, one more restaurant, one more experience – because if you leave before hitting everything on your “must-do” list, you’re going to be asking what if long after.
Q: What is your proudest or most rewarding moment at Yampu?
A: Hearing a client come home and say, “You have inspired us and made us lifelong travelers!”
Q: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: A detective
Q: What is your favorite travel experience you have had so far?
A: There are so many! But it was especially amazing to see both the southern lights (in New Zealand) and the northern lights (in Iceland) all within one year.
Q: What is your dream travel destination?
A: South Africa! I want to cage dive with sharks on the coast, go on safari, and any of the other dozens of adventures to do there.
Q: If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be?
A: Michelle Obama
Q: If you could have coffee with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?
A: I don’t drink coffee but I’d have a beer with Jerry Garcia.
Q: Do you have a motto or personal mantra? What is it?
A: Do what you feel
Q: What is the last book you read?
A: Room by Emma Donoghue
Q: What is the last movie you watched?
A: Wonder Woman
Q: What do you always want to try but haven’t yet?
A: SCUBA diving
Q: What do you like to do on your days off?
A: Hike and camp
Q: If you could have any super power what would it be?
A: Teleportation
Q: What is on your travel bucket list?
A: Too much to count…but eventually I want to go to the South Pole
Q: What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery?
A: A plane ticket!
Q: What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten?
A: Guinea pig or whale
Q: You’re happiest when?
A: Traveling with someone I love!!
More about Maggie: Maggie grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa and developed a passion for traveling early on. She moved to Vermont for the mountains and maple syrup and graduated from Champlain College with a degree in Professional Writing. Maggie has traveled all around the globe, eager to learn, explore, and maintain an impressive Instagram profile. She has visited Ireland, England, Wales, France, and recently went on a solo trip to Iceland. Maggie studied abroad in New Zealand where she went hiking every week and developed a taste for feijoas and Sauvignon Blanc. She is an avid outdoors enthusiast living in Burlington, and when she’s not traveling, Maggie is happiest hiking or camping in the Green Mountains.
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