Zena O’Callaghan

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.  – Anonymous

The love of travel was instilled in me even before I was born. Not long into their marriage, my father asked my mother to go to the chemists to buy some snake anti-venom, while he packed up their 1938 Morris 8 vintage car and prepared to travel the world in it.  I grew up listening with fascination to their stories of driving across the Sahara Desert, negotiating their way through land borders into Afghanistan and Iraq, and tales of being in India in the late 1970’s.  On arrival in Australia, they settled down in Sydney and I was born.  When I was 3, we returned to the UK, and it was only a matter of time before I embarked on my own journey.  I bought a flight ticket to Australia for a year away and my personal love of travel began, with adventures in Australia, Southeast Asia, Turkey, island hopping in Fiji, Greece and Croatia and road trips in New Zealand and on Route 66 in the United States.

My studies in Business and Human Resources Management in Southampton, England developed my interest in people’s behavior and its impact on business success, and saw me working as a Human Resources executive in the IT sector.

My husband and I also want to show our two daughters the world.  Our family escapades range from relaxing poolside in Greece, Turkey and Egypt, driving to France for a seaside holiday, city breaks in Rome, Venice, Paris and Budapest, a road trip in the USA or an adventure that enables my young girls to see how other cultures live in South East Asia.

In 2023, the call for new experiences prompted our family to leave our home in West Berkshire, England, and embark on a new chapter in Chicago. Transitioning from my previous role in Human Resources to a Travel Administrative Assistant at Q has been a natural progression for me.  My skills, experience and passion for travel help our team create enjoyable, seamless adventures for our clients.

My favorite travel memories include:

• Watching the sunset over the peaks of Cappadocia after a day of exploration on a moped.
• Sailing the Whitsunday islands in Australia on a beautiful old 90ft schooner, relying solely on the wind after the engine broke down!
• In Sri Lanka, when exploring the communities around a tea plantation we bumped into a group of local children who invited us to join them for a game of cricket.
• Hiking mountains in the Sichuan province in China, carrying my one-year-old daughter in a backpack. While passing through an area with lots of monkeys, I suddenly heard a scream.  A monkey had jumped onto my back and was sitting on my daughter’s head!  Thankfully she was absolutely fine and loves to hear me tell the story of it now.
• In Cambodia, I arranged a visit to a local school, so our daughters (then aged 4 & 2) could see how children from another culture live. Our girls shared gifts of coloring pens and sports equipment with the students. A beautiful and very humbling experience!
• Sharing my sketches with tailors in Vietnam and seeing them bring my designs to life.
• Seeing the look on my daughters faces when we took them to see the ‘real mermaids’ of the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida.
• Walking around an old prison high up on the island of Procida, Italy (where “The Talented Mr. Ripley” was filmed) – left exactly as it was abandoned over 50 years ago

My Most Recent Travels

• A cruise with my family and lovely resorts in South Florida

Contact Zena O’Callaghan via e-mail or by phone 312-266-7447 ext. 802.