Blaine
Smith

It all started when 700-mile journeys home for college breaks somehow became seven-day road trips. Curiosity did, and always will, get the better of me.

I began my career guiding and designing journeys across Southern Africa, learning firsthand that great travel is less about ticking boxes and more about discovery. Along the way and with guests, I’ve tasted the most remarkable wines, driven overlanding vehicles through the oldest desert on the planet, cooked freshly caught fish over an open fire on the beach, and even found myself on the wrong side of an unhappy rhino.

I continue to run one of the region’s more forward-thinking tour operators, working across both the planning and delivery side of travel. Today, through WithSmiths and as a Virtuoso-affiliated advisor, I design journeys with the same sense of curiosity I started with, believing travel should surprise you, slow you down, and stay with you long after you return.