• We have traveled and led Fly and Overland Safaris to Kenya, Tanzania & Ethiopia.
  
• Designed and led Tented & Lodge private and scheduled group trips to Botswana, Zambia, Namibia as well as Madagascar.
  
• Led and operated tours, safaris, and cruises in Southern Africa for 30+ years.
  

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, the Brazilian Amazon and, more recently, Southeast Asia! 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!

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 Fry
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. 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. Loving both fleece and flip-flops, her small-ship adventures include exploring Alaska's Inside Passage, visiting the magical Galapagos Islands with her daughter, and discovering Spitsbergen on an Arctic cruise. Shelley has a passion for wildlife and pristine landscapes, and she's thrilled to be helping others experience these incredible places.

April Petersen
Program Manager
April received her first taste of international travel while still a teenager, volunteering with community service organizations in Europe. During the next several years, she explored the world on board expedition cruise ships working in retail and management positions. Her travels have taken her to such places as Antarctica, South America, Galapagos Islands, Alaska, Costa Rica, and Thailand. April also spent several months living in the Falkland Islands operating the island’s first adventure travel shop. With her a passion for people and customer service, April is dedicated to helping travelers plan once in a lifetime adventures.

Abby Suplizio
Program Manager
Growing up just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, Abby knew there had to be other, or more, exotic places and cultures on this amazing planet of ours. Working and living in Yellowstone National Park and at Colorado ski resorts right after University was the beginning of a life of adventure. Abby continued on traveling through Europe, Central and South America before deciding on a career job in the International private yachting industry. Sailing through and around North America, Hawaii, Central America, and the Panama Canal and into the Caribbean for three years, she was ready to settle down in Seattle and help other adventurers achieve their own dreams of travel. Favorite Quote: "The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine.

Deanna Nicoli
Program Manager
As a child, Deanna was constantly hiking, horseback riding, camping and climbing in the forest around her northwest home, always in search of adventure and wildlife. At age 11, she moved with her family to Italy for two years, and a passion for history and culture was then added to her desire to explore the natural world. She has since lived and worked in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and Rome, Italy. She has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe--hiking, ice-climbing and paragliding along the way-with some of her more recent exploration being to India, Kenya, Tanzania, Peru, Turkey and the Maldives. Prior to joining the crew at ExpeditionTrips, she worked in affinity group travel, assisting travelers in their pursuit of adventure and exploration, and she is excited to now bring her experience and expertise to expedition travel!

Nadia Eckhardt
Program Manager, Africa Specialist
Nadia Eckhardt was born in South Africa, resides in Seattle today, but still calls beautiful Cape Town "home." She spent much of her youth enjoying the outdoors with her family: hiking, swimming, diving, and exploring the southern tip of Africa. After finishing her schooling in Cape Town, she embarked on her first cruise ship and sailed to the Seychelles, Madagascar. Since then Nadia has worked extensively at sea and on land as Cruise Director and Tour Leader and has traveled to over 140 countries worldwide. She is well-versed in many adventure destinations such as Antarctica, the North Pole and Greenland, Central and South America. With her extensive knowledge and travel experience on the African continent, Nadia is not only a veteran safari specialist/tour leader but one of the world's best Africa safari planners. Her passion for Africa, together with her expertise and firsthand experience, ensure you will have the African adventure of a lifetime.

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. Amanda's love for adventure and wildlife was further cemented by her trip to Antarctica, where she was awestruck by the beauty and solitude of the icy continent. 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. She recently set foot on her 7th continent, Antarctica, where she experienced nearly all that the "White Continent' has to offer, including the polar plunge! 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.

Leslie Holgate
Marketing Assistant
Leslie discovered a love of travel during college, when she boarded a plane for the first time and landed in Germany for a summer. After three months of working at a summer camp and several train journeys to neighboring countries, Leslie was ready for more adventures. She moved to Seattle soon after graduating from the University of Idaho. As a new resident in the state of Washington, Leslie took every opportunity to travel from weekend train trips to British Columbia, to ferry rides to the San Juan Islands. She decided to explore an interest in travel further by spending half of 2009 in Thailand with a community-based tourism team. She experienced home stays in villages near the Andaman Sea and spectacular snorkeling in the Surin Islands. Leslie is thrilled to share a passion for travel and learning about the world with others.

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, Mexico's Baja California, and has sailed the seas of Western Europe aboard the luxurious Sea Cloud II.