Sleeping atop remote Mt. Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo is just part of a day’s work for Kate, who arranges otherworldly adventures that few travelers have even considered. She contends that, literally and metaphorically, sitting on top of the mountain provides the best perspective on the world below. She’s been honing her craft for decades and exults in each new challenge, earning her such accolades as a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for ten years running.

Kate designs exclusive travel that doesn’t stray into elitist tourism. She’s set up soccer matches for families with local schoolchildren. She’ll schedule a privately curated tour of Johannesburg’s premier contemporary art galleries followed by a foot tour of street art. “The benefit of working with travelers repeatedly,” she says, “is that they become friends who trust me to extend their comfort zones.” She has been leading GeoEx’s customized journeys team, and today with GeoEx Premier Access, attends to the most exclusive private travelers.

Beyond the Ordinary

Kate’s mission is to tailor every trip to meet and exceed the dreams of each client, providing unparalleled experiences, such as:

• A private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama
• An evening of entertainment in Oman’s Empty Quarter featuring an incense caravan, followed by overnights in luxuriously appointed, traditional goat-hair tents
• A New Year’s Eve party in the Kenya wilderness with quad bikes, hundreds of Samburu warriors, and a live band
• A helicopter excursion to remote Angkor ruins with a five-course lunch and traditional music at one of the temples
• A cocktail reception and cultural performance with dignitaries in Bhutan
• Private celebrations at the Giza Pyramid and the Library at Ephesus for New Year’s Eve
• Private jet, helicopter, and fixed-wing aircraft journeys across multiple countries (with minimal time at airports, customs, immigration, and border crossings)

A History of Excellence

Shortly after joining GeoEx in 1989, Kate led one of the first groups of top executives to visit China after the Tiananmen Square protests. In 1992 she helped launch GeoEx’s Southeast Asia programs when Vietnam and Cambodia were just opening for tourism, and in 1996 she spearheaded the launch of Africa offerings in seven countries. Overseeing the Africa team, Kate established GeoEx’s presence on the continent, created best practices that have become a model for other operators, and designed compelling, action-packed itineraries in uncharted expanses.

The daughter of a world-renowned biochemist, Kate first observed a person’s power to affect global change when, as a teenager, she attended a global health conference with her father. “The most rewarding facet of my work is when guests are touched and transformed in the field, for example, when they emerge from trekking to see gorillas in DR Congo’s Virunga National Park inspired to aid conservation efforts there.”

Kate has long been working closely with the Disney Company, managing numerous international location expeditions in Nepal, Bali, and East and Southern Africa for the creation of Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, as well as other projects.

Jesse truly fell in love with travel on a college summer program through Southern Africa: "We camped in national parks, slept in huts in small villages, saw landmines and their victims, hiked up mountains, and canoed down the hippo-filled Zambezi," he remembers. "I went scuba diving for the first time and discovered how amazing birds are. It was magic."

To him, travel is the greatest education on earth, allowing us to see the world with our own eyes and build more informed opinions. And he is clearly keen to learn: so far he's explored more than 55 countries. He's met indigenous people in the Amazon, savored Michelin-starred cuisine in Colombia and Japan, and hiked trails in Peru and the Himalaya. His favorite nature-based trips have taken him horseback riding through Patagonia's stunning mountains, spotting leopards in Botswana's Okavango Delta, and flying over herds of buffalo and elephants on a helicopter safari in Mozambique, but cultural experiences also rank high, like the voodoo ceremonies he witnessed in West Africa, and the lovely interactions he had with the hospitable people of Syria.

When it comes to planning journeys for GeoEx travelers, Jesse strives to create unique experiences. "I love when travelers come back excited about their adventure and raving about unexpected moments, such as a surprise bush dinner under the star-lit African sky, or a spontaneous roadside stop at a village market, or warm and open-hearted conversations in a place like Iran that shows the kindness of the people. These moments are the ones that often bestow learnings and create lasting memories."

With a natural curiosity for discovery, Linda approaches trip planning with an eye for uncovering the unexpected and creating meaningful experiences for GeoEx travelers. She holds deep expertise across Latin America—from Cuba to Patagonia—yet her knowledge extends far beyond the region. With more than two decades in the travel industry and extensive firsthand journeys through the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Arctic, Linda brings a nuanced understanding of cultures, landscapes, and the logistics that shape extraordinary travel. Having crafted illuminating itineraries in all of these regions and beyond, she reflects: “The more varied the travelers’ interests, the more fun I have building an adventure for them.”

Her ability to connect with travelers’ passions is rooted in her own background. Childhood vacations to Mexico, where much of her family still lives, sparked her lifelong love of exploration. Later, a month-long immersion in Japan and a six-month sojourn and study-abroad program in Italy deepened her cultural perspective and confirmed that travel was her calling. Guided by a keen appreciation for languages, architecture, anthropology, and cuisine, Linda continues to explore the world with the same enthusiasm she brings to every itinerary she designs.

Laura grew up on the sunny shores of Southern California and believes life is best lived in flip-flops, soaking up the great outdoors, and marveling at nature's wonders. 

In 1999, armed with a Eurail pass, a backpack, and a Lonely Planet guide, Laura embarked on a one-way adventure from LAX to Europe with her best friend and never glanced back. That leap into the unknown changed her life forever. Since then, she has crisscrossed the globe, exploring all seven continents, over 70 countries, and countless hidden gems, from remote islands to charming villages. 

For years, Laura has guided adventurers through breathtaking locales, from the orca-filled waters of the San Juan Islands to the icy wonders of Antarctica. She’s even called the White Continent home, living at McMurdo Station on the southern tip of Ross Island. “I loved watching travelers light up with joy and wonder as they stepped off the plane and were greeted by the stunning vista of Antarctica for the very first time.”

As Director of Group Sales for GeoEx, Laura revels in matching guests with the perfect small group journey, whether that’s exploring ancient sites, tasting authentic cuisine, or connecting with hospitable locals. “It’s a thrill to collaborate closely with travelers, gearing them up for their adventures, listening to their tales upon their return, and helping them dream up their next amazing trip.”

Growing up in England with a Czech father whose work took the family to Africa, Indonesia, and the Caribbean, Jess grew up understanding that the world was meant to be explored. Annual road and boat trips through Europe only deepened that curiosity, which led her to King's College London, where she earned a degree in French and Hispanic Studies while spending transformative years living, working, and wandering through France and Spain.

After university, a career as a Production and Travel Coordinator brought her to film sets across the globe. It was on location in Prague that she met her future husband, who swept her off to Los Angeles, where she now lives with their two children and a revolving door of dogs. Through every chapter, travel remained her constant.

As Director of Group Sales at GeoEx, Jess brings a lifetime of cultural immersion, languages, and wanderlust to every conversation while connecting guests with group journeys to some of the world's most extraordinary and off-the-beaten-path destinations. “My greatest joy is getting to know each traveler and helping them discover the destinations and unique experiences that were made for them. I believe everyone has their own definition of the perfect adventure. I’m eager to help our guests find theirs.”  

Tina has logged more than 30 years working in the travel industry, but globetrotting has always been in her DNA. She grew up journeying across Europe with her Greek father and Swedish mother.

Tina won’t be satisfied unless she gets her travelers excited. Some things she might plan are behind-the-scenes looks at museums and historic sites, conversations with local experts or docents, receptions at galleries or exhibitions, meetings with artists or musicians, and special private dinners at amazing locales. But that depends on what interests you.

Tina takes great pleasure in meeting the people of the lands she visits and appreciating the things they create and hold: their mythologies, writing systems, and handicrafts. She loves the silk weavings of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the lacquerware of Myanmar, and the batiks of Indonesia. And she adores artwork, such as carvings, storyboards, and the masks of New Guinea and Borneo.

Growing up among the apple orchards and rolling hills of Somerset in England, Charlie was enthralled with the stories her grandparents brought back from their frequent international adventures, as well as her mother’s account of traveling overland from the UK to Afghanistan at the age of 17 as a pre-college adventure. By the time she attended university herself, her path was clear, and she took her first job in the industry while completing a BSc in Business and Tourism. She then embarked on an epic solo adventure around the world, traveling through 17 countries and four continents.

Putting her first-hand knowledge to good use, Charlie has flourished in the travel industry. A top travel specialist in Latin America and Antarctica, she has a gift for building relationships and designing exceptional itineraries. Challenging herself to become a world-renowned travel expert, she has helped steer travel companies to greater heights, arranged thrilling insider experiences for guests, traveled to all seven continents before the age of 30, and has been named a Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Travel Specialist for six consecutive years. She joined the GeoEx team in 2022.

“Travel really is my world. I eat, breathe, and dream of new adventures that could be had by our guests.” A wildlife enthusiast, she counts watching polar bears hunt on the ice packs of the Arctic Circle, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galápagos Islands, witnessing the migration through Tanzania and Kenya, seeing a humpback whale teaching its calf to dive off the coast of Antarctica, and feeding rescued baby manatees in the Amazon among her favorite travel experiences.

When she is not tempting travelers with new ideas or traversing the globe gathering new intel for them, she enjoys reading and taking walks with her two dogs, husband Gareth, and baby Willow in the Cotswolds.

Paging through her father’s collection of National Geographic magazines as a child, Ashley became curious about the world. While studying field biology and ornithology for her degree in Environmental Science, she had the opportunity to travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon, where she climbed towers into the canopy, tasted lemon ants, and hiked daily in the rain forest accompanied by local shaman and researchers, to study the biodiversity of the region.

Her love of wildlife and the outdoors has informed many of her travel experiences. She has hiked, camped, and tracked kiwi birds around New Zealand, photographed birds and wildlife in the Galápagos Islands, hiked and biked through Rajasthan in India, saw a lilac-breasted roller for the first time in Namibia, and had the indescribable experience of visiting with waddles of penguins (her favorite bird, if she had to choose) in Antarctica.

Exploring biodiversity and cultural perspectives on these adventures has changed her life and she is passionate about helping others experience the positive impact travel can have through her work at GeoEx.

Esther’s 30-plus years in the travel industry kicked off at Pan American Airways in Hong Kong, where she was born and raised. She speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese, and loves putting her language skills to work. With GeoEx since 1990, Esther specializes in designing trips that are off-the-beaten-track with unexpected activities, making your travels anything but typical. She also coordinates air arrangements for our journeys to Central and South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Esther has traveled in China, Southeast Asia, Japan, Seoul, Western Europe, Mexico, Chile, and Bhutan. While at home in San Francisco, you’ll find her walking with her husband and her dog (a golden retriever mix) along the city’s stunning, windswept coastal trails.