Founder & Team
Carol Oken marked the millennium by planning a safari for her family and friends. The experience was life changing. Her new-found passion for Africa combined easily with her previous work on environmental issues and post-college years working in the theatre. She always had a curiosity of how others lived around the world. She founded Duffle & Compass in 2003 to work closely with others who yearned to experience authentic adventures in Africa. She loves collaborating with clients to curate journeys they could never have imagined, and ones where they will make a positive impact.
Grace Oken was 13 years old on the original family and friends safari taken by founder (and mother) Carol Oken, to Tanzania in 2003 that led to the creation of Duffle & Compass. She has since studied abroad in Ethiopia during college, joined Carol on adventures to South Africa, Botswana, & Zimbabwe, and most recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to celebrate her 30th birthday. Her love of travel has also taken her to Central & South America, and Europe. Grace has a background in organic farming, and enjoys designing trips with a focus on cuisine, sustainability, and wildlife conservation.
Shawna Radzik’s interest in travel was sparked at a young age when her grandmother took her on an airplane to Disney World. Since then, she’s never stopped flying -- throughout the USA, Caribbean islands, Europe, Mexico, Central America, Canada and Tahiti. She’s an involved mom who also leads a non-profit group raising funds for charities in the Chicago area and serves on several boards. She loves planning travel for families, couples and small groups of friends who want to make travel memories that they’ll never forget.
