Get Up Close to Faraway Places

Chris grew up in the woods and waterways near the Chesapeake Bay. Fishing, camping and canoeing from an early age led to a passion for adventures in the natural world. After moving west to Oregon, the urge to travel became too much to resist and Chris bought a backpack and a ticket to Europe. He returned to the Pacific Northwest three years later after traveling around the world, counterclockwise. Since that time, he has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and the Americas following his mother’s advice to “never take the same road twice." When a chance to work on expedition vessels in the polar regions presented itself, Chris could not resist. After a few years and dozens of trips to the Arctic and Antarctica, he finally decided to settle down in Seattle and enjoy adventures closer to home. As an avid rock climber, skier and backcountry adventurer, Chris loves living in the wild and beautiful Pacific Northwest. Since joining the Expedition Trips team, Chris channels his still-powerful wanderlust into helping others achieve their travel dreams.

Ashley grew up in the outdoor town of Bend, Oregon, where her thirst for adventure and off-the-beaten path experiences ignited at a young age. She has a deep passion for the mountains and enjoys snowboarding, backpacking, fly fishing, rock climbing, hiking with her German Shepherd Grizzly, live music, and of course, traveling. She has a degree in Eco & Adventure Tourism and spent 6 years working for the U.S. Forest Service as a Field Ranger and Wildland Firefighter. She is a huge lover of animals and the outdoors and believes, as her dad would say, that nature will always provide you with a gift. She traveled through Europe at the age of 19 visiting Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, which kicked off her international travel résumé. Since then, she has lived out of a backpack in Hawaii, circumnavigated Iceland in a camper van, explored the jungles and islands of Belize, relaxed on the beaches of Baja California, and relished in the stunning beauty of British Columbia and Alaska. She can’t wait to continue to add to her travel list, and since joining Expedition Trips she has thoroughly enjoyed helping others plan amazing adventures.

To say that traveling is one of the most important things in Christine’s life would be an understatement. A deep sense of curiosity and passion for adventure has taken her to 38 countries and counting. From Moscow to Milan and Tel Aviv to Istanbul, there isn’t a single place she’s visited that she hasn’t been able to appreciate. Exploring various cultures, engaging with others from diverse backgrounds, and experiencing firsthand the world’s natural beauty are at the core of what she values most in life. She believes that her purpose is to inspire others to step outside of their comfort zone so that we, together, can ultimately make the world a more culturally competent place. When Christine isn’t traveling abroad, she enjoys visiting America’s National Parks, reading a new novel, watching live music, and going to karaoke with friends. Christine is thrilled to be assisting travellers with the journey of a lifetime exploring some of the most remote and wildly beautiful places our planet has to offer.

It’s hard to overstate how great a role travel has played in Tom’s personal and professional life. After spending 10 years, living, and traveling through places as diverse as Asia, South America, and Europe, Tom finally decided to settle down in Seattle. Fast forward a few years, and when he’s not helping others plan their own adventures, Tom is out exploring his new home. These experiences have allowed him to hike across stunning wilderness, photograph incredible wildlife, and meet new and interesting people. When he's not out on adventures, there’s nothing Tom loves more than curling up with a book and exploring the world from his armchair. As a history buff, Tom may occasionally bore friends and family with historical facts gleaned from his travels—but this also means he is in high demand come trivia night

Hailing from the Midwest and now residing in the south, Keri brings her passion for efficiencies, processes, and top-notch service together with her love for travel, nature, and wildlife to Expedition Trips.  As a wife and mother, she knows the importance of making memories that last a lifetime.  With her attention to the finest details and a zest for planning, she ensures each of our clients is provided exceptional service conducive to creating these memories through their experiences.  When she’s not assisting our clients, you can find her enjoying her passions for cooking, baking, hiking, gardening, and traveling with her family.  She has traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, and various parts of the US including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as Mexico and Canada. A self-confessed lover of people, great food, and craft cocktails, she looks forward to helping people fulfill their dreams of travel to our many spectacular destinations. She feels truly fortunate and blessed to say that she “loves her job” and can’t wait to work with you on your first or next adventure.

Monica has lived out of a suitcase for most of adulthood and has loved every minute of it! As a professional theater actor/singer/dancer for 30+ years, she has performed in big and small towns in every state in the U.S.A. plus Canada, Mexico, and Singapore on-tour and in regional productions. For pleasure, she has cruised the Inside Passage of Alaska; embarked upon a European Transatlantic voyage; and scuba dived all over the Caribbean. An avid hiker, she annually hits the trails out West. While performing in a hit show in Las Vegas for 7 years, she took great pleasure in being a local guide to visiting friends and family. She has a BFA degree in Theater (Directing/Performance/Dance) and is also a Voice-over Actor. Passions include spontaneous adventures, being of service to others, and the great outdoors - precisely why she loves being a part of the Expedition Trips team!

Paul is an avid surfer, snowboarder, and outdoors-man who loves to combine his outdoor passions with international travel. Some of Paul's most memorable travel experiences include swimming with pink dolphins on an expedition in the Amazon, surfing in countries as varied as Ireland to Costa Rica, and traveling on Safaris in South Africa. Professionally, Paul has worked within the travel industry serving fellow adventurers across a range of roles, and always looks forward to the opportunity to apply his travel experience and excellent service mentality to enrich the trips of our clients.

Gretchen’s love of international travel began with a student teaching program in New Zealand. She followed that with a year in South Korea, teaching English as a Second Language, then did her own language study in Central and South America. The more she traveled, the more she wanted to travel, so she trekked for a month in Nepal, road-tripped through Western Canada, then sailed on a four-month voyage around the world with the Semester at Sea program. She also earned her PADI certification in Thailand, rode horses in Iceland, and camped in the Wahiba Sands desert of Oman. She was with Expedition Trips from 2004-2008, and with them traveled to Antarctica, the Galapagos & Peru, Alaska, the Arctic, and the Mediterranean/Atlantic Coast of Europe. Gretchen has since honed her skills as a genealogist and an author and has had two books published: one humorous memoir, and one novel of Historical Fiction (The Operator, William Morrow 2020). She has returned to the travel fold and balances her creative writing with the satisfying structure and analytical detail required of expedition trip planning, bringing with her a never-ending enthusiasm for world travel, small ships, polar regions, and penguins.