Jan Barrie & Jeremy Perks, Directors, Global Gypsies Pty Ltd

• Winners of Gold Medal for Adventure Tourism at 2011 WA Tourism Awards
• Winners of Bronze Medal for Tourism Education & Training at 2011 WA Tourism Awards
• Winner: 2004 Facet Golden Guide Award (WA Tour Guide of the Year)
• Established in 1997, National Accreditation through Tourism Council WA
• Licensed to operate by the WA Department of Conservation & Land Management and Department of Transport
• Jeremy Perks is a qualified mechanic, an Honorary Ranger with the Department of Environment and Conservation and is experienced in first aid & bush survival.
• All 4WD instructors are polite, intelligent & articulate & hold Certificate IV in Workplace Training & Assessment
• We offer both accredited & recreational driver training in conjunction with leading registered training organisation WA Driver Development
• Pre-Departure Workshop & Pre-Departure Kit provided for all tours

Jeremy Perks and Jan Barrie established GLOBAL GYPSIES in 1997 to give travellers around the world the opportunity to share the many 4WD adventures they have experienced in Australia and Africa, their two favourite destinations.

A "Global Gypsies" safari is not just any old adventure...why? Because it's designed FOR travellers BY travellers.

Our training programs in four-wheel driving, towing and tour-guiding are designed to give our students not just the information they require to make them confident and competent, but also to give them a greater appreciation of the environment in which they are operating and how they can help protect it.

Here's some background about Jan + Jeremy and their company.

Born in South Africa, Jeremy is a professional Safari Guide and the Winner of the prestigious 2004 FACET Tour Guide of the Year Award. In his youth he served as an Officer in the South African Defence Force where he learned bush survival and leadership skills. He's a qualified mechanic (petrol & diesel) and an experienced four-wheel-driver who loves the flora and fauna, is a hobby photographer and has a certificate in remote area first aid. In addition to running safaris, he also trains other aspiring Safari Guides and has developed a reputation as an outstanding trainer and recruitment officer within the industry. He is also an accredited trainer in towing and a range of advanced driver training skills and holds a Certificate IV in Workplace Training & Assessment (TAA).

Now based in Perth, Jeremy spends most of his life "on the road". Because of the vast distances in Australia, he often covers 10,000 kms in a month! He has a full range of driving licenses ranging from motor bike to 50-ton truck, and has been known to fix a broken vehicle with a rubber band and a piece of string!

But Jeremy didn't always work "in the bush". For many years he was the Managing Director of a major Johannesburg advertising agency - suit, tie, the works! After he successfully expanded the business into East Africa, he made a big decision - he decided to quit the "9 to 5" rat-race, and went off to manage a safari camp in Kenya's Rift Valley.

The camp was exquisite - a few small tents dotted around the edge of a lake in the heart of an extinct volcano, about an hour's drive from the town of Naivasha. The bush was thick and mysterious, and each day brought new sightings of exotic birds, black & white colobus monkeys, giraffe, warthog, gazelle, even the occasional leopard. From then on, he was hooked on the outdoor life, and now it's become a career.

She fell in love with Australia, and after working on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef and in Melbourne, she settled in Perth, Western Australia. She held senior positions in marketing and public relations there, but itchy feet struck again, and in 1992 she headed off to Nairobi, Kenya. She joined a multi-national advertising agency heading up their PR division and also began writing travel articles about her African adventures.

In 1994, they both quit their jobs, and bought a 20-year old Land Cruiser which they christened "Lucy". They spent over a year driving through Africa reporting on their experiences for a range of international media.

They visited Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zaire (now the Congo), and South Africa. They stayed in fabulous safari camps and lodges, rode on camels, elephants and mules, stalked rhino and elephant on foot, and met and interviewed some of Africa's most eccentric and fascinating characters.

They flew in balloons, helicopters, light aircraft, even micro-lights, seeing some of the most beautiful countryside in the world and sharing it with thousands of readers. But it wasn't all roses! They were also chased by hippo, hugged by gorillas, mugged by thieves, lost in the bush and struck down by malaria.

While they were on the road in Africa, so many people said to them - "We'd love to do what you're doing, but we wouldn't feel safe, or don't have the mechanical ability, or wouldn't know where to go," and so on. It was then that Jan and Jeremy decided to coordinate escorted convoy expeditions.

The couple moved permanently to Australia in 1996, and established Global Gypsies the following year. Since then, their trips have earned international acclaim.

The principals are enthusiastic and experienced with Jan running the administrative and marketing side of things, and Jeremy running the safaris and, along with a team of Senior Instructors and in partnership with WA Driver Development, providing the 4WD tuition. Over the years, the company has expanded into other areas including Tour Guide Training, caravan training, and even film production with Australia's first professionally produced DVD on caravan & towing training which has sold thousands of copies right round the country.

Jeremy & Jan also escort tours to exciting destinations all over the world including Borneo, Botswana, China, India, Kenya, South America, USA and more working in conjunction with such reputable companies as RAC (WA) and Coates Travel.

In their spare time they ride their 1200cc Harley Davidson, "Babe", and indulge in their passion for travel independently.

Why not join these Global Gypsies on one of their fabulous tours or training courses? They've made their dreams come true. Now it's your turn...