Avila Reizen: "Travel is an art that enriches life"

When Tim van der Wel and his wife Hilda from Venezuela settled in the Netherlands, they were searching for a way to build a life together. Avila Reizen was born from this union, a love story. The shared passion and energy they invest in their work sets them apart from […]

When Tim van der Wel started living in the Netherlands together with his great love Hilda from Venezuela, they were very much looking for how they could be happy together. That is how Avila Reizen was born – a love story. The shared love and energy they put into their work sets them apart from many other organizations. “We want to become the best at what we do, enrich as many people as possible with our travels.” Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer
Online editing: Mical Joseph
Image: John van Helvert

What is your background?

Tim: “I studied tourism in Breda. During my studies I already traveled to Latin America. I really wanted to learn Spanish, so I did two long-term internships there, on Curaçao and in Peru. After my studies, I started guiding trips for Djoser and Sawadee, mainly in Latin America and Africa. That was my dream job. I did that for a few years, great fun. I was constantly on the road, which gave me the feeling that it was something temporary. Because in the long run I wanted little house-tree-animal.”
Hilda: “I had my own law firm in Caracas and had never left Venezuela. But that was about to change…”

Tim: “I just came from Peru and on the way to my parents, who were on holiday in Curaçao, I spent two days in Caracas. There I bumped into Hilda on the street. She took me with the cable car to the top of the mountain where Caracas is located, the Avila. In the cabin she gave me such a beautiful smile... We fell in love. And we were both at a stage in our lives where we were open to that. Hilda then quickly came to the Netherlands to spend a holiday with me. Then I showed her places like Veere, Delft, Breda and of course Rotterdam and Amsterdam.”
Hilda: “What I liked so much about the Netherlands was that there are buildings from the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. We only have colonial cities. And I thought it was very funny that you can look into everyone's windows. I kept standing still to see what people were doing, haha. I'm used to it now: I've been living in the Netherlands for twelve years.”

Tim: “I first emigrated to Venezuela for love. I worked as an accountant at the Dutch embassy, ​​something completely different. Educational, but not necessarily fun. It was also a big transition from being on the road a lot and doing social activities to an office job and just crunching numbers. Unfortunately, Venezuela has deteriorated enormously in recent decades. I experienced that most strongly. And all kinds of things happened in the private sphere in the Netherlands. So after two years we decided to leave Venezuela behind us and try our luck in the Netherlands. That was quite difficult for Hilda. Emigrating from a South American culture is very tough. In terms of climate, but also the affection you are used to with your own family is suddenly gone. Hilda is a strong and proud woman who was trained as a lawyer, but she could not do anything with that in the Netherlands. We were really looking for how we could be happy together. That is how Avila Reizen was created.”
Hilda: “It's a love story.” Tim and Hilda with a painting of Avila in their hands, the mountain where their love story began.

There are more travel organizations. What sets Avila Reizen apart?

Tim: “I love traveling, Hilda is very enterprising by nature. As a mix we are a bomb of energy. Dreamy, but calculated. Over the years, because of the energy and love we put into it, we have run a little faster and taken a little more risk than many other organizations. And we are extremely ambitious. We started as a Latin America specialist, purely for people who happened to stumble upon our website on the internet and for customers who came to us directly. Over the years we saw more and more opportunities: we added Africa, started working a lot with travel agents, opened our own office in Peru, Chile, Colombia and Panama, acquired an Asia specialist and became an agent for National for the Netherlands and Belgium. Geographic. I think all of those things have come our way because of the love and energy we radiate, and the refusal to give up or be negative about a situation. Even during the corona crisis, we have continuously focused on the positive. We have set up an online shop, brewed our own beer, started traveling in Europe and North America... Only Oceania is still missing from our portfolio.”

Hilda: “We have also focused on sustainability since the beginning of Avila Reizen. We always want to bring something to the local people, nature or animals. It is not without reason that our logo consists of two green leaves. That is also one of the reasons why National Geographic chose us as a partner. In addition to sustainability, personality is of paramount importance. We are large enough to guarantee customer certainty, but small enough to remain personal.”

Tim: “Sustainability is something we are constantly working on, something we try to incorporate into everything we do. It is difficult to avoid the flying discussion with CO2 emissions, which we try to compensate with investments in green projects. But you can contribute a lot to wildlife protection and poverty reduction at the destination itself. In Africa, for example, we choose safari lodges that contribute to the protection of wildlife and hotels that provide employment in the local community.”

Hilda: “We are also inspired by it. For example, we purchased a house in Venezuela together with a friendly foundation, Casa Blanca. There we offer eighty underprivileged children a daily meal and the opportunity to play a musical instrument, learn to play chess... We do this not only with private money: we withhold an amount from each customer that goes one-on-one to this project via a foundation. go. That has become a serious part of our business.”

What kind of product do you offer customers?

Tim: “At the beginning of Avila Reizen we consciously opted for a more luxurious product. After all, this is better suited to tailor-made trips, in which you invest more time. We have slowly built up experience in this and expanded our network. This is how you create a brand, a feeling.”

Hilda: “With us, exploration and relaxation go hand in hand. A voyage of discovery with a holiday feeling, is our slogan. So not just one hotel on the beach, with us you will embark on a sophisticated expedition. For example, consider a trip where you go looking for the lynx in Spain together with a biologist.”
Tim: “More than a hotel-flight-rental car, we focus on a trip where you really discover something, but in a comfortable way. Not only in terms of accommodations but also in the form of well-organized, private services and excellent guides. But we are also increasingly simply organizing a beautiful hotel, on a Caribbean island for example, from where our regular customers go on an expedition and then relax for a week.”
Hilda: “Another great example is a small-scale trip to Namibia, where our clients go in search of the Himba tribes under the guidance of photographer Jimmy Nelson. Fourteen days with only private flights and the best accommodations. Next year we will take a similar trip to Buthan with Jimmy. Another unique experience is snorkeling with orcas in Norway under expert guidance.”
Tim: “Or the trek to the Trolltunga, the 'troll tongue': one of the most breathtaking cliffs in Norway. The rock is located about 1.100 meters above sea level and hangs 700 meters above a lake. Near the top you can sleep in luxurious igloo tents, so you have that special place almost to yourself in the morning or evening. This exclusive applies to all destinations in our offer. It's not cheap, but you get a unique experience in return. Another typical signature product are the cruises of the small-scale French shipping company Ponant, with which we collaborate. For example, you can go on an expedition to Greenland with a hybrid icebreaker.”

What is the most beautiful trip you have taken yourself?

Hilda: “Those are the trips we made with our children.”
Tim: “And there are a lot of them. Our eldest is seven and he has already seen about thirty countries. I honestly think traveling with your family is the best thing there is. Then you get away from the routine for a while and you have time for each other.”
Hilda: “Who are you on holiday with and what is the feeling? That is often even more important than the destination. For example, we were able to plan a trip for a family with four children, whose father was terminally ill - it was the last trip of his life. After the trip they came to visit us to show us the photos. The father was no longer alive at that time, but they had had an unforgettable journey. My best trip was with Isabella, when she was only six months old, to Chile. I had never been there before, even though my father is from there. I wanted to show our daughter to my family there. The first steps I took in Chile were in Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America. I was just crying. I'll never forget."

Which trips are still on your bucket list?

Tim: “Antarctica is high on my list. I have never been there before and that product is becoming increasingly important for our travel organization. Then it is good to gain that experience yourself. I'm also someone who likes to return to places. Then you can enjoy it even better, because you don't feel the stress of 'I must have seen everything', but can experience it much more in peace. I would love to go back to the Galapagos Islands, I think they are one of the most beautiful places in the world. Half of the day you go snorkeling and diving and the other half of the day you are pampered.”
Hilda: “My dream trip is Israel. I have a strong faith in Christ and would like to go to his birthplace.”