A background in law enforcement and corporate security, a background in military planning and rail project management, now both spent handling the details so you can actually switch off and enjoy the trip. Here’s how each of them got here.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND OFFBEAT HORIZONS
Sabina
Born in London with Indian heritage, and for as long as I can remember, my two great passions were travel and crime fiction, which turned out, somewhat improbably, to be the perfect combination for a career in law enforcement.
My first international deployment took me to Colombia at 22, when the country was still one of the least developed economies in Latin America, supplying up to 90% of the world’s cocaine, with violence, kidnappings and extortion a part of daily life. It was not, by any reasonable measure, an easy introduction to the region. I found myself getting ready to fly home and saying “hasta luego” instead of “adios,” and although I didn’t recognise it at the time, that was the moment I’d formed a connection to Latin America.
It took twelve years to go back properly, backpacking solo across the continent, and that year gave me exactly the reset I needed as a Londoner, who was addicted to dopamine, both in my work life, and outside of it. I naturally came home ready to smash a set of goals I’d already set myself, including a promotion I’d been working towards.
By this point I’d already done nine years in law enforcement, and was well into a nine-year run in corporate security, several promotions in amongst them, most recently as a subject matter expert in government security for a multi-billion-pound global organisation. It was demanding, interesting work, but it got to a point where it also asked more of me than I ultimately had left to give.
Burnout eventually caught up with me, and it’s what led, directly, to Offbeat Horizons. Building this company let me bring together everything I’d learned, professionally and personally, and put it towards something that combined my passions. So here is to another nine years.
And yes, the 999 in our timeline is a deliberate nod to my years in law enforcement. Some habits die hard.
Alex
I have always been an inquisitive soul. Sometimes I think I should have been born hundreds of years ago, in an era of exploration and discovery. Having missed my chance to become a famous explorer by about 500 years, travelling across the world has become my way of satisfying that same curiosity – discovering incredible places, experiencing different cultures and meeting fascinating people along the way.
I spent eight years as a British Army Officer, trying to perfect the art of leadership (which is impossible, by the way), leading teams into remote, unfamiliar and sometimes hostile environments across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Army instilled in me a mindset of continuous improvement and meticulous planning, while also teaching me that no matter how well you prepare, adaptability is just as important. Those lessons have shaped everything I’ve done since.
After leaving the Army, I carried those skills into project management, delivering complex projects across construction, rail and organisational change. I enjoyed the challenge, but there was always something pulling me back towards travel. With every trip, that feeling became stronger.
I have been travelling extensively through Latin America for the past decade, and I now live in Panama. I completely fell in love with the region – its landscapes, wildlife, cultures and, above all, its people. I found many hidden corners; the small pueblos, under-appreciated mountain towns and unknown beaches that have not gone viral on Social Media (thankfully).
This is what inspired Offbeat Horizons. The trips pair the sights worth seeing, with the ones we’ve found ourselves, the kind that only turn up after going back to a place enough times to actually know it. It’s the same planning discipline I learned in the Army, applied to something with considerably better catering.