Sofia Hedman, Group Operations Manager at Accent on Travel

Being born as a first-generation American has shaped my life in a major way. Traveling has been a big part of my life since I was just a few months old when my parents would take our entire family back to Sweden each year to be with family. Following those visits, I spent a semester of school in France so I can speak fluent French and Swedish. My personal travel experience continued when I decided to make travel a profession. I have hosted groups through Canada, cruised on numerous ships, and continued to explore the world.

What do you love about travel?

I love nothing more than to share the knowledge that comes with travel experience with my clients. Luckily, I have been able to apply my passion for travel into my work and help people experience all that the world has to offer.

What has been your favorite trip?

My favorite trip was when I went to Australia for a work conference. I only had one day in Sydney before my conference began, so I did a full-day tour visiting all of the highlights. I saw the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, did a cruise on the Sydney harbor, and went to Manly beach. I had conferences during the day and each evening we had wonderful experiences lined up for us that took us around the city. I stayed at the Shangri-La which was in a perfect location - one of my favorite memories was meeting a new friend for cocktails on the top floor, overlooking the Opera House.

The best part of the trip was when I took part in a 3-night custom trip to Melbourne and the wineries in the surrounding areas. The tour was food and wine-focused, and we stayed in amazing properties, visiting amazing wineries. We also visited an animal sanctuary and were able to feed kangaroos and pet a koala! One evening, we went to dinner in downtown Melbourne and afterward we went along the water to a pier where there were hundreds of penguins! This was an experience that tourists would not know about -most people would travel far to see the penguins when in reality they were right in the middle of the city!