Melanie Psaltakis

I have always been a traveler. From multi-gen cross-country camping trips as a kid, to being immersed in New Zealand culture for a year as an AFS student. From living and wandering around Europe, Micronesia, and the United States for numerous years as a military spouse, to encouraging my kids to seek their own adventures in Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America. I believe travel can change the way we view ourselves and the world.

I am also a wellness and adventure enthusiast. I run, cycle, lead a local hiking group and am an E-RYT 500 yoga teacher. I've completed 100-mile charity bike rides, several multi-day cycling trips and hiking excursions, and have created and led my own yoga retreats in Greece, Italy, and Sweden.  In 2019, I was even the Wellness Host on a small-ship UnCruise Adventures Alaskan cruise!

My passion is to combine travel and wellness, specializing in and designing wellness vacations, small group adventure tours and tailor-made journeys. In 2020, I further committed to the promise of travel for renewal and regeneration by completing the world's first Transformation Travel Design Program, with the goal of expanding and deepening traveler connection, meaning, and purpose. 

With wellness and small group adventures being the fastest growing trends in travel, I am perfectly poised to help you plan your unique experience. This includes self-guided itineraries, small groups, private groups, center-based and point-to-point hiking and cycling trips, wildlife walks, summits, and polar excursions. Here are a few examples: 

• Nourish your body and spirit at a wellness resort and spa in Costa Rica that is committed to sustainability and social consciousness.
• Preserve the environment and benefit local communities on a walking and wine holiday in one of the world's best yet largely undiscovered wine regions in Italy while not missing out on delicious local cuisine.
• Explore New Zealand predominately on foot, taking in the main highlights and many off-the-beaten-track attractions such as Jurassic-like rainforests, glaciers, volcanic peaks, and golden beaches.
• Make a lower carbon choice by exploring the world on two wheels, from gentle cycling tours in the Loire region of France to a fully supported expedition in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains. Or maybe pedaling the length of Vietnam while exploring its unique culture and cuisine.
• Focus on protecting and nurturing wildlife and biodiversity aboard a small ship voyage, accompanied by National Geographic explorers, award-winning photographers, marine biologists, naturalists, archaeologists, and ornithologists in locations like Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Northwest, Galapagos, Mexico's Sea of Cortez, Belize and Guatemala, Egypt, the Chilean Fjords, the Maldives, and Papua New Guinea. 
• Travel responsibly and in comfort while witnessing Antarctic wildlife such as penguins, seals, and whales, or exploring the Arctic wilderness of Canada, Greenland,  Iceland or even Russia!

For solo travelers, friends, families, groups, culture and wildlife enthusiasts, active and not-so-active travelers! What kind of traveler do you want to be? Where do you want to go? When will you make those discoveries you've been dreaming about? How do you want to travel in the world?