1. Experience – We have over 50 years collective experience leading, planning and joining expeditions worldwide. We are former expedition leaders, naturalists, Peace Corp volunteers and travelers. Collectively we have traveled to and led numerous trips to all seven continents. For example:

•  We have visited Antarctica over 100 times
•  We have lived in and worked in Alaska, the Amazon, Africa, Costa Rica, Ecuador, New Zealand, Australia and Europe
•  We have led trips to the Arctic
•  We have led over 50 trips to Baja California
•  We visit the Galapagos Islands several times per year

2. Personalized Service – When you plan a trip with us you work with a dedicated Program Manager from start to finish. Your personal Program Manager has your best interests in mind and will help you find, research and book the perfect trip based on your preferences.


3. Protect Your Travel Investment – We are a top-producing agency for most of our partner companies and we have clout! We represent you not only when things go well, but when they don't. We take this responsibility seriously and work as your advocate if issues arise. This means your voice is heard and problems are solved. Book on your own and you are on your own. Why risk your trip investment?


4. Choice with Unbiased Opinion – We offer you a variety of trip choices and help you evaluate which trip is right for you. Book direct and you only have one choice. Furthermore, we are truly unbiased and give you all the information, positive and negative, to help you make an educated and informed decision.


5. Savings Plus No Additional Fees – We do not charge any fees for booking your land or cruise arrangements. You receive the added value of our expertise at no additional cost. We are sometimes able to offer substantial savings on last-minute promotions. Read more


6. Protect the Earth with Carbon-Neutral Trips – ExpeditionTrips has partnered with an organization called Native Energy. We pay to offset the fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions from your cruise--on your behalf, at no additional cost to you! Read more


7. Peace of Mind – We are a US based travel agency established in 1999. Being based in the state of Washington we are subject to very strict travel regulations. Our seller of travel number is (601 994 100). We are bonded and insured. Any funds not directly passed to the travel vendor are held in a trust account until trip departure. We are also members of the Better Business Bureau and local Chamber of Commerce and have a consistent rating of excellence with both agencies.


8. Save Time – By working with our knowledgeable staff and using our award-winning Web site (voted 'Best of the Web' by Forbes since 2000).


9. Client Testimonials – Our clients book with us again and again. We are proud that we have a very high repeat and referral rating. View our testimonial section to see client comments and to help you decide which trip is right for you. Read more


10. Extras – We have extra travel perks for each of our departures. Be it special hats, wildlife cards, free onboard videos, special cocktail parties, a bottle of wine - our clients are always prepared and pampered.

Meet the crew:

Ashton Palmer
President
At age 18, Ashton left his native town of Sutton Coldfield, England, with a one-way ticket to Australia via Bangkok. He has never looked back. Since then, Ashton has pursued his childhood dreams of travel all over the world, along the way becoming an expedition leader, guide, naturalist, conservationist, Zodiac driver, bird-watcher, and photographer. Prior to starting ExpeditionTrips.com, he spent nearly a decade in the field, working on conservation and travel projects and leading expeditions from the Arctic to the Antarctic and most places in between. Ashton has traveled to Antarctica over 50 times, worked on Icebreakers in the Arctic, explored the Amazon, South Pacific and Galapagos Islands. In addition, Ashton worked for such organizations as the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Geographic Society.

Kristy Royce
Vice President
Kristy brings more than a 15 years experience in the adventure travel arena to ExpeditionTrips, including extensive experience working on expedition ships, and in operations, planning, and logistics for expedition cruise companies. Kristy's love of remote places and indigenous cultures set her on a course for adventure, camping in the Australian Outback and leading groups in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. As a program manager for adventure tour operators, she organized programs for such groups as the World Wildlife Fund, the National Geographic Society, and the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Kristy has been to Antarctica over 50 times, worked on Icebreakers in the Arctic, traveled throughout the Galapagos, Baja, South Pacific, and has lived and worked with Amazonian Indians in the remote Peruvian Amazon.

Amelia Tockston
Web site & Marketing Manager
Throughout childhood, Amelia 'traveled' every 3-4 years, with occasional objections (military brat!). But, her real opportunity to travel began in university when she studied abroad at the Université of Bourgogne in Dijon, France, and then traveled throughout Western and Eastern Europe. Post-graduation, she returned to France as an English instructor for the French Ministry of Education in Nice, and later lived in Corsica. Since then, she has explored the Galapagos Islands, Ecuadorian Amazon, Baja Mexico, Costa Rica, Alaska, Antarctica and, more recently, the Brazilian Amazon! As Marketing Manager, Amelia merges her ever-growing passion for travel with creativity and project management to introduce more travelers to the world of expedition travel and the incredible far corners of the globe!

Betty Ingerheim Voiland
Program Manager
Betty started her travel career in 1988 when she stepped onboard an expedition ship as Assistant Expedition Leader. She knew at that point this was the life for her! Since then, Betty has traveled extensively on expedition ships to the Polar regions, Central/South America, Mediterranean, Baltics, Western Europe, British Isles, Indonesia, Baja and Alaska, to name a few. When not traveling, Sweden was her home for many years. After relocating back to her hometown of Seattle, WA, she worked for Lindblad Expeditions where she organized programs for such non-profit organizations as Smithsonian Journeys, American Museum of Natural History and World Wild Life Fund, and was also appointed Manager of Scheduled and Recruiting for the entire fleet. Since joining Expedition-
Trips in 2004, Betty has scouted trips to Alaska's Inside Passage, explored the enchanted Galapagos Islands, and in 2005, fulfilled her lifelong dream of setting foot on the astounding shores of South Georgia while on a voyage to Antarctica, Falklands Islands and South Georgia.

Lori Gifford
Program Manager
Lori's passion for travel began at an early age when she had the chance to travel throughout the United Kingdom on a theater exchange program. Then, as a student, and later as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Congo, she developed a growing desire to explore the world. Lori set off on a 2-year adventure, traveling through Central Africa, Europe, India, Southeast Asia and Borneo, as well as residing for a time in London. Her travels have taken her from fishing boats in Southeast Alaska, to scuba diving in the Gulf of Thailand, to birding in Borneo. In the past 2 years she has traveled to Ireland and undertaken small ship expeditions to Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Alaska's Inside Passage, Svalbard in the Scandinavian Arctic, Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia and Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands & Papua New Guinea, our Peru land program to Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, & Posada Amazonas, and finally an exciting safari in Kenya and Tanzania. Having formerly worked as a tour guide, administrative professional and a travel agent, she is happy to bring her expertise to expedition travel!

Joy Martinello
Program Manager
Joy entertained her desire to travel the day after she graduated from college, when she strapped a backpack on her back and wandered off to explore Europe. Since those days, Joy has put her organizational skills to work by helping others visit extraordinary destinations and having life-changing experiences. Santa Fe, New Mexico became home for Joy during the 90's, where she had the pleasure of sharing this culturally rich region as a special events coordinator for visiting corporations and groups. Joy has sailed to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands, where she saw five different penguin species as well as through the Galapagos Islands, where she swam with her friends, the playful sea lions! Her goal is to help as many people as possible experience the extraordinary wildness and otherworldly blue ice of Antarctica!

Shelley Aitoro
Program Manager
Shelley believes that penguins can change lives! She first discovered ExpeditionTrips as a client planning to visit penguins in Antarctica. A few months after her amazing voyage to The Ice, Shelley packed up her business background to join the ExpeditionTrips crew. An independent-minded traveler, she thrives on researching destinations and seeking out unique experiences. Some of her favorite memories include witnessing the magical aurora borealis in Alaska, snorkeling with salmon on Vancouver Island, and discovering the biodiversity of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. Most recently, she explored Alaska’s stunning Inside Passage and traveled to the magical Galapagos Islands with her daughter. Shelley has a passion for wildlife and pristine landscapes, and she's thrilled to be helping others experience these incredible places.

Melanie Bonadore
Program Manager
Melanie's passion for travel started the day she hopped on a plane as fresh water fisheries agent for the Peace Corps heading to the Republic of Congo. It was sitting in her thatched roof, dirt floor hut that inspired her life goals, one being to experience every continent. Through her journeys, she spent time in Honduras, Guatemala, Europe, Morocco, St. Lucia, Thailand, and most recently Antarctica, Falklands, and South Georgia. Melanie studied biology and worked as a wildlife naturalist in the northwest and the Museum of Natural History at her university. Recently, she was involved with larger natural food companies, running their operations and logistics. Excited to dive into the travel world and back to surrounding herself with wildlife biology, Melanie looks forward to connecting as many people in the world with the natural beauty and wonder expedition travel has to offer.

Amanda Gerardo
Travel Coordinator
After spending her childhood in a small town in Maine, Amanda was ready to break out and explore the world! That exploration started with a cross-country road trip the summer after graduating high school. The spirit and character she felt during her one-day stop in Seattle was the only inspiration she needed to pack up her life and move to the Emerald City. With her roots now established in Washington, Amanda has further entertained her passion for travel by exploring Europe during a solo backpacking trip. And, her first expedition-style travel experience was to the Galapagos Islands where she fell in love with the beauty, wildlife, and character of the islands. Eager to learn about and experience an ever-growing list of destinations, Amanda is thrilled to be involved in helping others meet their travel goals.

Emily Chase
Travel Coordinator
Emily began her travels at age of nine, when she and her family took off to explore the United States on a month-long camping trip. Then at age twelve, her family moved to Jakarta, Indonesia--and there was no turning back from there! Emily succumbed to her appetite for exploration in 2001 when she and a friend embarked on a 7-month around-the-world backpacking trip encompassing 6 continents and 23 countries, concluding in New Zealand. She fell in love with New Zealand's South Island to such a degree that she decided to return and complete a Bachelor's Degree in Outdoor Education and Adventure Recreation. Emily has a true passion for the outdoors and travel, and is both proud and excited to be able to assist others in experiencing many of the same venues and opportunities she has enjoyed.

Betsy Forbes
Accounts Manager
While earning a degree in Spanish, Betsy lived and studied in rural Mexico. She went on to work as an administrative assistant at a travel company out of Mexico City. Her journeying eventually led her to Seattle where she has lived for the past twenty years. Betsy brings eighteen years of experience as a self-employed bookkeeper to ExpeditionTrips. In the spirit of expedition travel, she's explored the pristine waterways of Alaska's Inside Passage and has sailed the seas of Western Europe aboard the luxurious Sea Cloud II..