After a long career in publishing, she describes her professional status as “post-ambitious.” Her favorite work now is sharing her love of Paris with fellow NextTribe travelers. "I believe thoughtful, mature women want more than to be trotted around to lots monuments; they want to see how real Parisians live, stroll their breathtaking streets, sample their remarkable cuisine, buy their fabulous scarves."

"I’ve explored this glorious city for more than four decades, and nothing gives me more pleasure than sharing that experience."

On her bucket list: more Paris, please.

Ellesor is an avid hiker, outdoor adventurer, and fitness enthusiast. Some of her highlights include biking the island of Bali, working in Australia, parachuting for her 60th birthday and completing the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (with NextTribe.) Her love of exploration and adventure includes her home state of South Carolina and its coast. Ellesor’s more personal adventures include her husband and daughter with ski trips out west and tropical get-aways to the Florida Keys. Bucket list: Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

Jeannie has been advising and building startup companies since 2011. A former CNN reporter and CBS News producer, Jeannie has lived and worked in Europe, Asia and Latin America. After her first experience as a solo traveler at age 6 (her parents put her on a plane to visit her grandparents) she has always felt most comfortable on an airplane with her passport in hand. She's the author of "Start Me Up: Tips, Tales and Truths about Starting Up and Starting Over." Her bucket list trip: to see the northern lights in Norway or Finland.

I’ve been a writer all of my adult life. My travel stories have appeared in Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Budget Travel, and the New York Times.

While married to a National Geographic photographer, we traveled high and low—consulting a blind guru in the highest reaches of the Himalayas and swimming in a piranha-filled lagoon in the Amazon rainforest, mingling with a king at a Balinese feast and Castro’s advisors in a Cuban resort.

When our sons began school, we moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. During middle school, we homeschooled and traveled the globe–with extended journeys through South America, Africa, China, and the Ancient World (including Egypt during the Arab Spring!!) I would always come up with the itinerary for each trip and with a limited budget, I learned how to find the most exciting activities at any destination without breaking the bank. We did this for 3 wonderful years.

We had a pandemic divorce (sigh), and now I’m based in Asheville, NC and happily partnered with a wonderful new man who is content to keep the home fires burning while I’m out gallivanting with my gals. Heaven.

A nomad at heart, Jennifer has always been wild-eyed and curious about the world. She says "As a little girl, my daydreams included “if I could be any animal in the world, what would I choose?” The answer was ALWAYS a BIRD! How exciting it would be to fly high above the landscape, wind at my nose, exploring and observing the world below!" Having just completed her 42nd year as a Flight Attendant, she says there was something to this dream of hers. Her bucket list: Antarctica, New Zealand hiking, and South Pacific island hopping! 

Jenn splits her time between Austin and Umbria where she and her family have spent 25 years restoring Castiglione Ugolino, a 12th century complex of houses at the base of a ruined castle overlooking the Tiber Valley. She’s traveled to widely in Europe, Asia and Central America, but her favorite explorations are of the small medieval towns of central Italy. A newly minted Italian citizen, she hopes to spend more time in Italy, making our olive oil and building retreat programs, like our annual creativity retreat. On her bucket list: Iceland and South Africa.

Johanne lives in New Brunswick, Canada, but her heart lies in the land of her ancestors, where she led our 2024 tour of Edinburgh, Glasgow and the highlands. She’s a writer, project manager, and whiskey expert who also happens to race sailboats! Her work frequently takes her to Scotland, where she’s developed professional connections in the whisky world and personal friends who welcome NextTribe travelers. Her bucket list trip: you can never have too much Scotland!

Marcy is a nomad at heart, currently living a peaceful, quiet life in Wyoming. She loves walking, paddle boarding, nordic skiing and spending as much time outdoors as possible. She cherishes the freedom and time to create beautiful things and enjoy life's simple pleasures. Life is an adventure, she says, and she's here to embrace it one step at a time! Her bucket list trip right now is Slovenia and Romania.

Shannon is an artist and art educator, with a BFA from the University of Texas and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. For Shannon, local art, good conversations, and great food are as important as any "must-sees" on an itinerary. She is an experienced trip leader throughout Italy and beyond. Her bucket list trip: Antarctica.

Born in the UK and a Texas resident since 2000, Vanessa went back to school at 48 for a degree in Culinary Management. She worked in hospitality in Alaska for Holland-America cruises, then spent time volunteering in Hawaii, Zimbabwe (for a lion conservation project) and was on the flight support team at Austin’s private airport. Vanessa says she was “born a gypsy and is happiest when traveling, especially in her vintage RV she calls Mabel. Her bucket list trip: Fly to New Zealand, rent an RV, and spend a month touring both islands!