Rachel McDowell - The Unfiltered Traveler

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Georgetown, TX
Rachel McDowell - The Unfiltered Traveler

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Travel advisor for women and families. I plan Africa safaris, Portugal & Europe trips, and small group travel, so you can close the 47 browser tabs.

Army veteran living in Portugal. Join my private group below.

10/27/2026

Two kinds of people I want to talk to about Africa.

If you would come solo: you do not need a roommate, a travel partner, or anyone's permission. Solo travelers get their own room for $15,483, and you will know the group before you leave home.

If you have a teenager: this trip is open to ages 12 and up. Youth pricing is $8,517 for ages 12 to 17 sharing a family villa with two adults. I can think of worse things for a kid to stare at than a lion waking up.

Four days left. 7 spots. Booking closes Saturday.

10/25/2026

One day at Kapama, roughly...

Up before the sun. Into an open vehicle while it is still cold enough to want a blanket.

Whatever the bush decides to show you. Nobody gets a schedule from the lions.

Back for breakfast. A guided bush walk if you want one. Your own patio if you do not.

Out again in the afternoon when the light goes gold.

Dinner. Stars. Sleep, to sounds you have never heard before.

Then you do it again. Four nights of this, with a massage and a private dinner in the bush somewhere in the middle.

One week left. 7 spots. Booking closes Saturday, October 31.

10/22/2026

Settle something for me. On vacation, are you?
A) Up at sunrise with a plan.
B) Asleep until the breakfast buffet is about to close.
C) An A who married a B.
Answer below. I am keeping score.

10/20/2026

The four things people say to me before they book Africa.

"I have never been on safari." Good. You do not need experience. The guides do the work. You sit there with a coffee and your mouth open.

"I am not very fit." This is not a physical challenge. If you can walk and climb into a vehicle, you are qualified.

"I would not know anyone." You will before you land. The group gets connected ahead of time, and I am with you the whole trip.

"I would be coming alone." There are solo rooms, no roommate required. There are not many of them.

If your worry is not on this list, send me a message and ask. I will give you a straight answer, even if the answer is "this is not your trip."

July 5 to 13, 2027. 7 spots left. Booking closes October 31.

10/18/2026

Let's talk about the price, because I would want to know that first too.

Wild + Indulgent Africa is $11,818 per person, double occupancy.

HERE IS WHAT IT COVERS...

Eight nights: one in Johannesburg, three at Victoria Falls, four at a five-star safari lodge.

All three flights inside Africa, including a light aircraft charter, plus every ground transfer and VIP help through the Johannesburg airport.

At Victoria Falls: a guided tour of the Falls, a jetboat ride on the Zambezi, breakfast every day, lunch with rescued elephants, and a four-course sunset dinner cruise.

At Kapama: every meal, game drives every morning and afternoon, guided bush walks, stargazing, and a 60-minute massage.

Tips for your drivers, guides, rangers, and lodge staff. Already handled.

What it does not cover: your flight to Johannesburg, travel insurance (required), a visa that runs about $50, and a few meals.

A $1,818 non-refundable deposit holds your spot. 7 spots left. Booking closes October 31.

10/15/2026

What my private group is for, in no particular order:
- The places I tell clients to skip, and why.
- What I pack, and what I finally stopped packing.
- New trips, before they go anywhere public.
- A straight answer when someone asks "is this worth the money?"
It is called Authentic Family & Adventure Travel w/Rachel: Safari, Portugal, Spain, it is free, and it is a lot more fun than this page.
Link in the comments.

10/13/2026

I would rather talk you out of this trip than sell you the wrong one. So here is who Wild + Indulgent Africa is for.

It is for you if you have wanted to see Africa for years and keep saying "someday."

It is for you if you want the planning handled from the first call to the flight home.

It is for you if a wake-up before sunrise sounds fine as long as it ends with a lion, a very good lunch, and a nap.

It is for you if you are happy in a small group, whether you come solo, with a friend, with your partner, or with your teenager. Ages 12 and up.

It is not for you if you want a budget trip. This one is $11,818 per person, double occupancy.

July 5 to 13, 2027. 7 spots left. Booking closes October 31.

Details in the comments.

10/11/2026

In July, I am taking a small group to Africa. There are 7 spots left, and booking closes October 31.

Wild + Indulgent Africa. July 5 to 13, 2027.

Three nights at Victoria Falls, where the water is loud enough to drown out your own thoughts and the mist soaks your jacket. Then four nights at Kapama, a five-star safari lodge in Greater Kruger. Lions at sunrise from an open vehicle. A private dinner in the bush under more stars than you have ever seen. A massage, because you earned it by sitting very still and looking at elephants.

Adventure AND luxury. No apologies.

I am not being dramatic about October 31. That is the day my hold on the rooms ends, and whatever I have not filled goes back.

The full trip is in the comments. If you have been thinking about it, this is the month.

10/09/2026

Hiiiii. It has been a while. This page has been quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and that is on me.

Quick reintroduction. I'm Rachel. I spent 24 years in the Army, moved my family from Texas to Portugal, and now I plan travel for women who want the trip without the 47 open browser tabs.

Here is the thing about this page: it is not where the good stuff lives. The good stuff lives in my private Facebook group. That is where I share what I would book, what I would skip, and the things nobody puts in the brochure.

It is free. It is a real conversation. Nobody is going to sell you a timeshare.

Link is in the comments. Come say hi.

06/17/2026

Let me introduce you to something I've been building for a while now.

Wild + Indulgent Africa 2027 is a nine-day escorted group trip to two of the most extraordinary places on this planet: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Kapama Southern Camp in South Africa's Greater Kruger region. And I'm leading it personally!!

July 5–13, 2027.

Here's what this trip actually is: it's for the woman who has been saying "someday Africa" for longer than she can remember. The one who scrolls past safari photos and feels something pull at her but keeps pushing it to the back burner because there's always something else that comes first. The job. The kids. The budget. The timing. The guilt of doing something just for herself.

This trip is the answer to all of that.

We're talking open-air game drives at sunrise through the bush. Elephants close enough to hear them breathe. A private luxury camp where the only decision you have to make is whether you want your sundowner by the fire or overlooking the waterhole. And then there's Victoria Falls…one of the seven natural wonders of the world, where you can stand at the edge of something so massive and wild it literally takes your breath away. Or jump in. (Yes, that's an option. Devil's Pool sits right at the lip of the falls. No, I'm not kidding.)

This is adventure AND luxury. Not one or the other. Both, unapologetically.

It's open to solo travelers, couples, and families with kids 12 and up. Whether you're coming alone or bringing someone with you, YOU belong here.

I'm not a tour operator who hands you a packet and waves goodbye at the airport. I will be with you every single step of this trip. That's the whole point.

📌 Drop a comment below or send me a message and I'll get you all the details. Spots are limited and we already have people in.

Address

Georgetown, TX

Telephone

+17372943380

Website

https://www.facebook.com/groups/familyandadventuretravelwithrachel, https://theunfilteredtraveler.com/wildandindulgent20

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