Meet JaNa, my favorite elephant - Phuket, Thailand

Growing up in Southern California, my love of travel began early in life as my family loved exploring the western states and Hawaii. We visited the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains often, and the wonder of discovery began at an early age throughout Mammoth Lakes and Yosemite National Park. My grandparents lived in Alaska for a few years, and my love for the incredible beauty of the last great frontier also began early.

I have been involved in the travel industry for more than a dozen years, after spending 20 years in corporate America, where my jobs had me traveling all over the US for each role that I held. When I left that life behind and embraced travel as my occupation instead, my zeal for helping others discover and explore the world began in earnest. 

Since then, I have been blessed to set foot on six (6) continents, visiting nearly 40 countries to date. I have sent clients on adventures to all seven (7) continents, and hope to be able to get to seven (7) sooner rather than later.

As a home-based travel agent, getting out on location and experiencing the destinations is extremely important to me. I make it a point to get out into the "field" and experience destinations and other cultures regularly - multiple times each year - and to as many new destinations as possible. Every fall when setting goals for the coming year, I always include at least one (1) goal, if not more, centered around discovering new countries, sampling new foods, and experiencing new cultural environments.  

Travel really is the only thing that you can buy that makes you richer as a person, and to be better equipped at making great recommendations for clients, first-hand knowledge of a destination is so much more important than just having "book knowledge".  Personal experiences translate into great stories which then inspire clients to discover more of the world themselves. You simply can't Google experience, and I love being able to pass along my professional experience while crafting amazing possibilities for new entries into my client's life stories.

I have traveled to many parts of the world, sailing on dozens of cruise ships, and visiting 100+ resorts in dozens of countries. I have explored the Great Pyramids of Giza and sailed the Nile in Egypt, flown in helicopters in the Australian Outback, interacted with elephants in Thailand, been on safari in Kenya, gone salmon fishing in Alaska, been surfing in Hawaii, tubing in Jamaica, walked along the beaches of Normandy in France, watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London, been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, went canyoning on the island of Madeira, and have created many memories in numerous other fabulous destinations around the world. I am a collector of stamps on my passport and am always looking forward to the next one.

When out in the field, on location, I love taking the time to get to know assorted activities and experiences, along with getting to know the culinary scene of a location as well. Some of my favorites have included hiking through the Australian outback; trekking across the Celtic landscape of Ireland exploring castles and fortress ruins from the Middle Ages; exploring the quaint coastal towns in Nova Scotia, Canada; zip lining in St. Thomas; sampling local cuisine (such as escargot) at sidewalk cafes in Paris or the locally brewed beers of Alaska; exploring the Valley of the Kings in Luxor from above and below both exploring the tombs and enjoying a hot air balloon ride above the desert and the surrounding area; taking in Broadway shows in New York City; visiting historic sites such as Pearl Harbor or the old fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico; going on safari across the African savanna, snorkeling in the Caribbean, hiking Australian and Canadian national parks, and much more! Every excursion or activity that I have sampled while on location is experienced completely with my clients' enjoyment and vacation experience in mind.  

I love helping people find the right adventures and experiences for them based on individual travel styles, likes, desires, and budgets. As a travel advisor, my job is to curate, not simply to pick something from a catalog and call it good. I love chatting to figure out what you want your trip to be, and then crafting it for you!