Sarah Barret
Sarah grew up in rural Wales; an area she describes as having ‘more sheep than people’. After studying a BSc Econ. (Hons) and a post-graduate diploma in Office Information Technology, Sarah fell ‘accidentally’ into tour guiding as a holiday job in 1988. From there, the travel bug set in, and she has worked in tourism in Boston (USA), London and Johannesburg, as well as guiding in cities all over the world.
Sarah gained her global tourism experience in educational tours, ski tours and incentive travel. She operated her own business in the incentive travel field for 8 years, designing unique global travel experiences for corporates and other groups. When age 40 hit, she relinquished overseas journeys and settled into tour guiding in Johannesburg, which has been her home base since 1992. Sarah is passionate about showing both the everyday and the hidden Johannesburg to locals and visitors alike. Her passions include music, literature and art, and she is able to incorporate these themes into her walking tours of the city.
‘One thing I wish I’d understood in school’, Sarah says, ‘is that the word History is simply a contraction of the words His Story; it’s just someone’s story! Now I act as a story-teller, bringing the history and culture of Johannesburg to life in a fun and informative way. The city may be working off a low base (with a reputation for crime), but Johannesburg is an exciting, diverse and multi-cultural African city where no two days are the same, and there’s never a dull moment!’
Sarah lives in an industrial loft apartment with her teenage son. Her aim is to increase her in-depth knowledge of Johannesburg’s city and suburban areas, to improve her working knowledge of French and German, and to buy a bigger vehicle to transport guests too.