Travel is in my DNA.
Melony van der Merwe is an independent Trade Relations Specialist within the luxury travel industry based in the United States.
Over the past 16 years, this South African native built her expertise and relationships by designing private journeys, building community for discerning travelers to Africa, and marketing iconic boutique luxury hotels and safari lodges to the travel trade.
Working independently, Melony offers her clients exclusive access to her extensive knowledge to optimize their investment in some of the most important source markets of luxury travel in the world.
The transformative landscape of regenerative travel is what drives Melony forward in the industry today. She is passionate about helping clients evolve from existing travel and hospitality practices to be more inclusive, diverse, and of authentic service to the entire ecosystem of a travel experience.
Before arriving in the US in 2006, Melony worked as a brand manager for the South African Broadcasting Corporation. A life changing two-month road trip traveling from Timbuktu to Cape Town while co-hosting a travel series, inspired her passion for promoting Africa to the world.
Hailing from a small town in the Winelands of South Africa, this University of Stellenbosch alumnus and former national volleyball player loves to travel to off-the-beaten-path places, and like her San ancestors, she is a nomad by nature. Although passionate about traveling to discover, Melony feels most at home in her kitchen. She thrives on building community and guiding others to finding their anchor during times of change, while always driven by her realized purpose - to create, transform, and to nurture.