Meet the Team
We are Latin Lovers
At Contours Travel, we pride ourselves of being Latin America and South America travel specialists. We specialise in travel to Mexico, Cuba, Central America, South America, and Antarctica. This region of the world is our passion, and every single member of our team has either extensively traveled or lived and worked there. Not only do we all continue to visit regularly, but our Product Manager also resides in Argentina, ensuring unsurpassed destination knowledge.
In addition to our experience, we believe in an honest approach to planning your dream holiday, which is why we encourage you to talk to us. With our in-depth knowledge of Latin America, we love sharing the highlights and hidden gems of this extraordinary region with our clients. One of our specialists will take care of your trip from start to finish, understanding your interests, budget, and expectations and refining the itinerary until you are 100% satisfied.
Discover our Latin American expertise by meeting the team at Contours Travel!
TED DZIADKIEWICZ
Travel Specialist
We know Latin America by heart
Ted is our Managing Director and first explored South America as an overland bus driver in the mid-1970s. Since then he has been back more than 120 times over the past 40 years! Ted has travelled throughout the Caribbean and overland from the Mexican border down to the southernmost tip of Latin America. In 2015, Ted received the Lord Mayor’s Commendation award, which recognises the longevity and success of Contours Travel as a business and the valuable contribution that Ted has made to the city of Melbourne.
TED’S TRAVEL EXPERIENCE:
Ted’s experience reads like a library of Lonely Planet Guides. He knows almost every inch of every country he has visited. In South America, he travelled to Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Guyana. In Central America, he went to Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama and El Salvador. He also travelled extensively in Mexico and Cuba. Has been to 20 of the Caribbean islands, including Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bequia, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, San Andres (Colombia), St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Maarten, Trinidad, St. Thomas, St. Vincent, St. Croix and Bermuda. Most recently he travelled Antarctica where his Zodiac glided into a Humpback Whale!
- My Latin American highlight is swimming in the Napo River in the Ecuadorian Amazon with my son Lucasz. Another great memory was a very close encounter with a Speckled Bear family while walking the Inca Trail. We had to stay quiet and hide so the baby bear would cross the trail!
- My advice would be: Taste the red wine! Squeeze half a lime into anything. Don’t be afraid to go off the beaten track; you’ll be sure to find something very different.
- The next destination on my list: a road trip along Chile’s Carretera Austral is scheduled for early 2024! Checked!!
HEATHER POPPELIER
Travel Specialist
We know Latin America by heart
Heather started working with Contours Travel in 2007 and has travelled all over South and Central America. She speaks Spanish, makes a mean caipirinha and wishes more people would travel to Nicaragua, Colombia and Bolivia!
LATIN AMERICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: ANTARCTICA, ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, ECUADOR, FRENCH GUIANA, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, GUATEMALA, GUYANA, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, PERU AND SURINAME
- My Latin American highlights: Finally seeing a jaguar in the rainforest of Guyana, staying with local Wayuu Indians on the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia, roadtripping the northwest of Argentina, the Salt Flats in Bolivia and seeing loads of Giant Anteater in the Pantanal in Brazil (yes, I know that’s a lot of highlights!).
- My advice for travellers to the region: slow down, try to avoid too many flights in one trip and be open to new experiences!
- After finally making it to The 3 Guianas in 2024, I am setting my sights on returning to Brazil in 2025. A road trip through Minas Gerais and hiking Chapada Diamantina is what I am most looking forward to!
INES VIVOT
Travel Specialist
We know Latin America by heart
A porteña born and bred, Ines loves all things Argentina and is a passionate advocate for travel to her country’s lesser-known areas such as Ibera and Talampaya. With Contours Travel since 2010, she tirelessly develops new Latin American adventures and keeps the website stocked with the latest offerings.
Ines is now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which provides Contours Travel the benefit of having an Australian locally-based staff member. This allows her to keep the team up to date on regional hotels and products, while also being available during the day to assist our travellers!
LATIN AMERICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: ARGENTINA, BELIZE, BRAZIL, CHILE, COSTA RICA, ECUADOR & THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, GUATEMALA, MEXICO, PANAMA, PERU, AND URUGUAY.
- My Latin America highlight: Panama sole my heart on a recent trip! This often underrated beautiful country boasts delicious food, incredible wildlife and snorkelling opportunities, friendly locals, and stunning stunning Pacific beaches. It’s definitely a top contender for my favourite Latin American destination.
- My advice would be: Try to learn a little bit of Spanish. It will give you plenty of opportunities to have conversations with locals, and this will undoubtedly enrich your South American experience!
The next destination on my list is: A Fam trip to Atacama and Patagonia including the fantastic Australis Cruise and Torres del Paine. Checked!! Next, Bolivia!
HANNA SHILO
Travel Specialist
We know Latin America by heart
Hanna comes from fellow Latin Travel specialists, Travel Projects, which she co-owned and ran for 23 years, before closing doors in 2022. She has been creating tailor-made holidays to Latin America since 1999 and has a wealth of experience in luxury and adventure travel in particular.
LATIN AMERICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: ANTARCTICA, ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, MEXICO, PANAMA AND PERU.
- As an outdoor and nature enthusiast I especially love the National Parks and wilderness areas of Chile and Argentina – and the colour and culture of countries like Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
- The next destination on my list: After finally making it to Antarctica and South Georgia at the end of 2022, I’m now planning a return trip to Costa Rica and a first time visit to Nicaragua in 2024.
ROBYN SMITH
Travel Specialist
We know Latin America by heart
Robyn comes to us from Movidas Journeys and has been working in Latin American travel since 1988. She began her Latin experience by living in Chile and exploring the continent for two years back in 1986. Returning to Australia, she gave up teaching for a career in travel, always specialising in Latin America. Over the years, Robyn has been drawn back to the continent over and over, escorting groups, attending events and just enjoying more travel experiences.
LATIN AMERICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: ANTARCTICA, ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, ECUADOR & THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, GUATEMALA, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, PERU AND URUGUAY.
I just can’t stop going back to enjoy the wonderful hospitality of the Latin people, the music, the food, the wine, pisco sours, mojitos, caipirinhas…
Among the many highlights are:
- Swimming with sea lions in the Galapagos, with one retrieving my flipper from a tunnel and dropping it back to me
- Communing with the penguins in Antarctica, Chile, and Argentina
- Ziplining on the side of a volcano in Nicaragua
- Learning to salsa in Cuba, after drinking mojitos
- Watching the stars in the Atacama Desert
- Patagonia – just spectacular
My advice: Don’t race through the continent, trying to fit everything in like you will only go there once. You will return! So take it slowly and soak up the culture as you go.
SUNNY GILL
Travel Specialist
We know Latin America by heart
SUNNY GILL
After graduating from University in his native United Kingdom, itchy feet prompted Sunny to defer a graduate scheme to pursue a lifelong dream of travelling. After several fascinating months exploring Asia, he discovered South America and it was here he realised he had found the destination he had truly been searching for. Starting in Rio De Janeiro for Carnival, highlights included trekking in Patagonia, exploring the Amazon rainforest and rappelling waterfalls in Colombia.
The sheer diversity of this continent with its beautiful landscapes, incredible wildlife and vibrant cultures all came together to ignite his passion for Latin America. Sunny’s time in South America really caught his imagination and eventually bought him to a career with Audley Travel where he was able to travel to Antarctica – he was bitten by the Polar Bug and was lucky enough to also travel to the Arctic to experience the Expedition Cruising product in this exciting part of the world!
Since then he has returned to explore Central America spending 6 months travelling from Mexico down to the Darien Gap (finding the elusive Harpy Eagle!) in Panama. Sunny’s next adventure was moving Down Under where he continued to create luxury itineraries at Abercrombie & Kent, but the calling for Latin America led him to the passionate team at Contours Travel, where he now utilises his specialist knowledge of this region to help others enjoy this truly unique corner of the world.
LATIN AMERICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: ANTARCTICA, ARGENTINA, BELIZE, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, CUBA, ECUADOR & GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, PANAMA, PERU AND URUGUAY.
- Travel highlight in Latin America? After all these years it would still have to be Torres del Paine.
- Next destination on your list? I’m really keen to get to Easter Island…and Paraguay!
My advice: Turn your phone off, disconnect in order to connect.
LETICIA HENNESSY-MAIA
Travel Specialist
We know Latin America by heart
LETICIA HENNESSY-MAIA
Originally from Brazil, Leticia moved to Melbourne in 2012 and has accumulated 7 years of experience in the Latin American travel industry, working in both Australia and the UK. If Leticia’s name sounds familiar, it is because she was with the Contours team in 2016 and 2017 before moving to the UK – we are thrilled to have her back in our Melbourne office.
LATIN AMERICA TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: ARGENTINA, BELIZE, BRAZIL, CHILE, COSTA RICA, CUBA, ECUADOR, GUATEMALA, MEXICO AND PERU.
- Travel highlight in Latin America? Leticia’s most memorable experiences in Latin America include spotting jaguars and diverse wildlife in Brazil’s Pantanal, cruising the Galapagos Islands, exploring the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Ecuador, swimming in Belize’s clear waters, flying over the Blue Hole, and experiencing the breathtaking Iguaçu Falls by helicopter. She also enjoyed exploring the historical towns of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Mexico’s cenotes, as well as celebrating Rio’s vibrant carnaval and New Year’s Eve.
- Next destination on your list?
Leticia would like her next destination to be Chile and Argentina, where she plans to hike and experience the stunning beauty of the Patagonian region.
My advice: Try to talk to the locals and learn how they experience the world around them. Share your world with them too. Be sure to try the different flavours and delicacies, and most importantly, dance! You’ll be amazed by how many different ways you can experience dance across Latin America.
