Specialties

Regions: Southern Africa, East Africa, Latin America, and Antarctica & the Arctic
Travel Types: Luxury Travel, Adventure Travel, Active Travel, Expedition Travel, Family & Multi-Generational Travel, Romance & Honeymoon Travel, Primate Treks, Safaris, Special Celebrations
Special Interests: Beach, City Tours, Conservation, History & Culture, Food & Wine, Hiking & Walking, Nature & Wildlife, Photography

Destinations Visited

Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Rwanda, Morocco, Madagascar
Latin America: Ecuador (Galapagos Islands), Peru, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico
Southeast Asia: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia (West Papua)
Additional countries: Antarctica, India, Australia, Palau, Japan, Iceland, Italy, England, Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary, Türkiye, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Belgium, Slovenia, Israel, Qatar, United Arab Emirates,  Canada, and various parts of the United States.

Why I’m a Travel Consultant

I often tell my friends and family that I’ve won the “job lottery,” and I truly believe that. It gives me so much joy planning once-in-a-life time journeys to some of my favorite places on earth. There is nothing more rewarding for me than sharing my travel experiences with others, so that they can use my experiences to help plan their own adventure. When our clients return home after an amazing trip to India or an adventurous safari in Africa they see the world just a little bit differently and have the opportunity to share those experiences with others. Travel is such an important part of my life because it opens my eyes to new ways of thinking and offers experiences and opportunities that I would never have in my hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota. We live in such a big world, I feel very fortunate to be able to explore so much of it!

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Spanish, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Career History

My career in travel started unexpectedly with an internship in India just after graduating. While there, I worked for a tour operator in Gurgaon, located just outside of Delhi. My stipend for the internship was something like $200 per month, but fresh out of college, with room and board, and travel paid by the internship, I was set! I got to explore India from north to south, east to west and there are still over 20 states in the country that I never visited. By moving to India, I learned so much about myself, fell in love with travel and found a passion for world exploration. Since then, I’ve never stopped. After living in India, I found my way to Travel Beyond and it’s been the perfect fit– fulfilling my desire for travel and my passion for helping others do the same. 2023 marked my 11-year anniversary with Travel Beyond.

Professional Awards & Accomplishments:

Travel Agent magazine “30 Under 30” Recipient – 2015

Where I’ve Lived Abroad

Spain & India

Most Memorable Travel Experience

My first safari in Botswana is an experience I will never forget. There is one particular moment on safari that will always stay with me. I was staying at Savuti Camp in the Linyanti and my guide Tsepo and I were out on an afternoon game drive. It was just the two of us in a vehicle and we came around a corner to this incredible view that reminded me of a scene from The Lion King. It sounds silly, but it was magical. There were giraffe and elephant in the distance, impala and zebra grazing together in peace and warthogs scurrying about. Not to mention a variety of birds floated around in the mix. It was this picture-perfect moment that I just loved. We sat in that same spot for probably 20 or 30 minutes just taking in the scene. We only left once a large herd of elephant (including babies!) walked right in front of our vehicle, checking us out as they lazily passed by.

My Most Recent Trip

In February, my fiancé Derek and I took his family on their first trip to Antarctica with Antarctica 21. I had previously visited the 7th continent in the month of November, which is much earlier in the season. This trip provided a whole new array of experiences including baby penguins, molting adults, lots of humpback whales and exceptional sunsets.  The continent was buzzing with busy penguins squawking, squabbling, feeding their chicks, and being quite cranky about staying on shore to molt their feathers for the impending winter.

Antarctica affords travelers with an experience unlike any other. You can learn from experts on board and during excursions, participate in the citizen scientific-activity of tracking and documenting whales, and witness unique wildlife not found anywhere else on earth. Living in Minnesota, people often ask me why I’d want to visit another cold and snowy place. To witness the striking blue icebergs, endless snowy shorelines, and thousands of penguins in a great protected wilderness is an experience far beyond imagination. It’s one to be treasured. To me, there was no better way to enjoy Antarctica than to share my love for the continent with family.

Recommended Right Now

There are so many amazing places to visit, but my favorites tend to be some of the most remote. I love the feeling of being away from civilization, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I even enjoy places that have no WiFi! To completely disconnect from emails and phone notifications and to reconnect to nature and to myself. That’s what I love.

When people ask me what my favorite place in the world is, I cannot answer with just one place. Instead, I narrow it down to my top 3: Torres del Paine in Chile, West Papua in Indonesia, and the African bush- specifically, the Okavango Delta in Botswana. All three of these places allow me to do just that- to escape from the outside world and commune with nature.

Favorite Properties

In no particular order:

Explora Lodge, Patagonia National Park, Chile

Patagonia National Park is one of the newest national parks in Chile and has an amazing conservation story at its roots. Visiting this park, you are immediately captivated by the stunning views, massive snowy peaks, glacial lakes and so much more. But after talking with the Explora guides, you realize that this park is so much more special than just it’s physical beauty. The ecosystem in Patagonia National Park has been restored over decades  by removing ranches and slowing rewilding and rehabilitating the natural flora and fauna. As evidence of this conservation rehabilitation, we were able to see the elusive puma during our stay within walking distance from our room! It was incredible!

Singita Lebombo, Singita Kruger, South Africa

This lodge will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only is it one of the most stunning lodges I’ve ever visited, with amazing views, incredibly kind staff, and epic rooms, but it’s also the place Derek proposed and the perfect destination for a special occasion. It’s incredibly romantic and offers unique game viewing due to the mountainous and ever-changing terrain. One of my favorite experiences here happened on an evening game drive. We drove across a gently flowing river, stopped the vehicle in the middle and turned off the engine and all the lights. The forest and the water seemed to come alive and the sky around us filled with fireflies. We all asked to repeat the experience the next evening as well! We couldn’t get enough of it.

Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

If I had to choose just one word to define this lodge, it would be divine! The setting, the accommodation, the location and the food cannot be matched in all of Rwanda. The camp is set on the very edge of the forest in which the gorillas live. It doesn’t happen often, but it is possible to see the gorillas if they decide to search for food on nearby farms. The rooms are enormous and so stunning. If you are looking to end your trip with a gorilla trek (one of the most amazing safari experiences I’ve personally ever had) and with incredibly luxurious lodging – this is the place to stay!

Eolo, Patagonia’s Spirit, El Calafate, Argentina

The views from this property are out of this world. The photos don’t do it justice. On a clear day you can see for miles and miles, and even spot the peaks of Torres del Paine in Chile in the distance. The food here is incredible and the service is top notch. In my opinion there is no better place to stay in Argentina, and especially in El Calafate. My only regret is not spending more time here.

Bumi Hills Lodge, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

Lake Kariba is far larger than I ever realized, and Bumi Hills is an amazing place to stay while exploring it. You can look out into the lake without seeing the other side- it seems more like an ocean than a lake. It’s such a special ecosystem because it’s home to a variety of fish, such as tiger fish (which are very fun to try to catch!) and a host of other species that hang out on the shores of the lake such as elephants, antelope, hippos, crocodiles and a plethora of birds. There’s no swimming in this lake, but all of the activities on offer here make it an amazing stop on any Zimbabwe safari!

Rekero Camp, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

This camp is one of the very best locations from which to witness the Great Migration in August and September. Sometimes, you can even see a river crossing right in front of camp! The camp is quaint with nothing too flashy about the tented accommodations; but the property gives you a true sense of adventure and of being on safari. It’s hard to come by a night that you don’t hear hippo or lion. It’s awesome!