Kefi Travel Pivots To Custom Experiences In New Travel Landscape
SAINT JOHN — Travel with a purpose, and with people to share it, has always been the motivation behind Saint John’s Kefi Travel. Now, the company has honed that passion into an experience that lets travellers live their journey not through the window of a tour bus, but through words, song, and photography.
“Kefi means ‘zest for life’ in Greek,” says owner John Simon. “The good, bad, everything. Just live life to its fullest. And yes, I chose it for the meaning and because I love traveling to Greece.”
The past few years have brought a lot of changes and the travel industry has not been spared. But what started as a challenge became an inspiration for Simon. He enlisted the help of his friends, photographer Mark Hemmings and musician Brent Mason, and created a new kind of adventure for travellers.
“We were in Dingle and we had kind of a relatively nice day, by Irish standards,” Mason jokes, reminiscing about the Kefi trip to Ireland he co-hosted last month. “We got a disposable barbecue, some beer and wine and food, and took it down to this beach. It was just gorgeous. And I started playing [guitar]. We’re having some drinks and then a couple of local guys show up with a couple of guitars.”
“It’s very much about having people share the Irish experience.”
Much like Kefi’s tag line of ‘Take Life by the Horns,’ these 10-12 day trips are not just about putting yourself in a different place and passing through the sights, they’re about becoming a part of the place that you’re visiting. Facilitated by storyteller and musician Mason and photographer Hemmings, these experiences allow for an intimate understanding of the journey, like having the flexibility to stop and take some great shots of that double rainbow Hemmings spotted on the Irish landscape.
You don’t have to be Ansel Adams with a thousand-dollar camera and a bag full of lenses to appreciate the photography aspect of the trip. In fact, Hemmings literally wrote the book on how to take amazing pictures with the camera on your phone called iPhone Photography for Dummies.
“It does make people nervous because a lot of people only have an Android or an iPhone [camera],” says Hemmings. “And they say ‘well, I’m not going to take a Kefi trip because I don’t have a fancy camera.’ But ironically, those are the people who I want.”
“Professionals don’t come on my trips,” he says. “It’s the absolute beginner, the intermediate, and the advanced intermediate. And they can use any camera that they want.“
“What I learned from the trips, it’s just more how to look at things, the angles and lighting and things like that,” says Simon holding up his camera of choice, the one in his Samsung 10 phone. “As opposed to all the various technologies behind the photo. Just where to look, when to look, and when to click.”
With another Ireland trip in the works for later in 2023, and photography exclusive to Andalucia in Southern Spain coming up in February, Simon is keeping Hemmings and Mason’s dance card full with Kefi experiences for the foreseeable future.
The company is also still providing custom planning and advice to small groups on a case-by-case basis, shifting as the industry reinvents itself in a post-Covid era. That includes helping visitors with their vacations in Atlantic Canada, through his other company, Canadvac Travel Services, which Kefi acquired in 2020.
As for all the travel experiences that Simon helps his clients coordinate and enjoy, the experience is the most important aspect.
“Some of the best things that can happen are things that are unscripted,” he says. “Where people are just wandering on their own with free time and they find a secret little pub, or they find a little beach, or an incredible photography opportunity.”
“It’s about getting people to the right locations where they can explore and find their own surprises.”
Alex Graham is a Huddle reporter in Saint John. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].