Tara Thillainath has over eight years of experience as a Senior Travel Advisor and has visited over 55 countries.
Tara embarked on her first international holiday at just 3 years of age - she spent most of that trip on her Father's shoulders, but she can still clearly remember swimming in the pool at the Candi Beach Resort, watching the Barong Dance Show and visiting the Art Markets of Kuta. She has travelled to over 55 countries since and has loved every minute of her adventures. Born to a Topdeck adventurer Mother and a Father with rich Sri Lankan and Malay heritage, she was born to be an explorer.
Starting her career with a youth travel agency, Tara became an expert at booking backpackers on their bucketlist adventures and first-time travellers on their first international sojourn. She has diversified her career over the years, sending a wide array of travellers to a large variety of destinations, including the Cayman Islands, Antarctica, Bali, Burkina Faso, and everywhere in between. Her clients travel in a variety of styles, from rail to road, via Cruise or Contiki, and staying in savvy hostels or the finest hotels.
Throughout her own travels, Tara has explored much of the world in depth, visiting over 30 countries in Europe, many of the highlights of Asia and both sides of the USA (be sure to ask her about her four weeks in Hawaii living like a local). Tara's favourite destination so far - "No country I have visited has had the same effect on me as Cambodia - it has the most welcoming locals who have been through so much, Angkor Wat is simply breathtaking and Koh Rong's Long Beach is the most stunning stretch of coastline I've ever seen".
Tara likes to incorporate a local experience into her adventures and recommends adding a taste of the local flavour into your trip - "I embarked on a walking food tour in Little Italy in the Bronx in New York with a local guide from Urban Adventures, visiting the first pizza joint to open in New York, and witnessing the incredible cheese and salami chandeliers lining the delicatessens along Arthur Avenue, a unique NYC experience!" Quite the foodie, Tara has also enjoyed getting a unique food experience in each place she visits, from Rainbow Bagels in Brooklyn, to an 8 Layer Soft Serve cone in Tokyo, and the sugary-sweet Trdelnik in Prague.
Known for her infectious enthusiasm and permanent smile, Tara invests her energy into every travel experience she is a part of.
"Nothing brings me greater joy than seeing my travellers enjoying their adventures, and I'm so lucky to be able to offer my expertise and experiences to ensure your holiday meets your expectations and your memories last a lifetime."
Testimonials
I have had the pleasure of working with Tara now for over 6 years and you wont find a more positive and friendly travel agent out there. No number of questions or changes to my bookings have ever phased her. Tara also brings a wealth of knowledge to the table from her personal travel that has always helped steer me in the right direction. I have booked some truly epic trips with Tara including one 2 month journey visiting over 10 countries and 16 flights and not one thing went astray. She has fantastic attention to detail and always ensures everything is perfect before we depart. Plus, if something ever needed to change while we have been abroad, she has been very quick to get it sorted for us. Thanks Tara for all your support, I look forward to booking many future trips with you.
From our first sitting with Tara we knew we had the right person to guide us on the finer points of our planned travel experiences. Tara’s interpersonal skills won us over very quickly, from the beautiful, light-up-the-world smile and listening to what we wanted out of our planned journey. Her knowledge of the places we wanted to experience plus her fingertip contacts had us at ease.
We planned and Tara put the finishing touches on our journeys. One, a 126 day itinerary encompassing England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Iceland, southern Germany (for a wedding), Spain, Portugal, British Colombia (Canada) and Two, the 86 day South American adventure from Ecuador, Peruvian Amazon, Peru, Bolivia, Chile/Argentina (Patagonian region), Antarctica, Brazil culminating in the Galapagos Islands, the icing on the cake.
Every booking, whether it be airline, train, bus, hotel, guides or ship, ran like clockwork due to Tara’s diligence with regards to detail. Nothing was a problem for her. It goes without saying that we will seek her counsel again with regards to the complexities of travel arrangements.
