Executive Director of Custom Travel

Katie was born in Steamboat Springs, Explore’s home base, and has lived around the world, having spent years in Central and South America. Since 2006 she has been designing personally curated journeys to Africa, the Indian Ocean, and Latin America for a wide range of clients from the more adventurous explorer to those seeking the highest comfort levels.

Katie’s love of people equals her love of wildlife and wild places. She feels that the greatest gift she receives at EXPLORE is the warm smiles, big hugs, singing, and dancing that welcome her when she returns to the villages of Chiawa in Southern Zambia. Her weeks spent with these local women live strong in her thoughts and heart and inspire her to design highly customized private journeys that allow others to have similar experiences, develop relationships and have an impact on the wider world. She loves fostering connections between sustainable tourism practices and local empowerment.

Katie finds deep satisfaction in working with her clients to design their “trip of a lifetime,” knowing that, she also supports conservation and community empowerment efforts on a global scale. Katie’s effervescence for life, deep interest in people, and love of nature make her the ideal person to craft life changing trips.

Executive Director of Educational Programs

Elise joined EXPLORE in 2006 and has been the single most dynamic force behind the company’s educational programming since.

As Executive Director of Educational Programs, Elise heads up EXPLORE’s Boston office, expertly fielding questions from the Road Scholars, Harvard Alumni, and many other institutional travelers with whom she works.

Elise's obsession with detail ensures that these highly complex educational programs run without a hitch. Her interest in travel started with exotic family vacations to the far corners of the globe which planted the seed for her international career. She has studied and interned in Paris and Reykjavik and lived in Australia.

Like much of the EXPLORE team, she is a serious athlete, amazing skier, and devotee of the outdoors. When not exploring remote Africa, she loves exploring Boston's food and culture scene.

Accounts Director

Johanne has headed EXPLORE’s accounts department since 2017. She keeps impeccable track of the highly complex machinations of running the accounts of a business that operates in 20+ countries in Africa and other continents.

Born in Montreal, Johanne loves travel and is passionate about immersing herself in and learning about different cultures. She has lived in many places, including Tunisia, and grew up with children from around the world.

Going to elementary school with classmates from six continents gave Johanne an appreciation of other cultures and inspired her love of diversity and human differences. She firmly believes that education is the answer for all future generations and supports this passion through her work at EXPLORE.

Her own travel to Africa has honed her understanding of the challenges involved in running lodges and remote camps throughout the continent and given her a special insight into how to improve and streamline the experience of Explore travelers.

Senior Travel Advisor

Frankie Janssen joined the EXPLORE team as a travel coordinator to assist in all aspects of trip design and has since moved into the Senior Travel Advisor role. Frankie’s calm, observant nature belies a passion for experiencing different cultures and a keen readiness for her next adventure.

She grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so you might see her in Packers' gear on all football Sundays if she is not busy coaching her own team. She lived in Spain for several months, where she developed an obsession for travel (and tapas!), and hasn’t stopped since. When she’s not at work helping craft spectacular adventures for her clients, Frankie hikes or skis the Rockies and is on the ice with her team.

Senior Operations Associate

Born and raised in Boston, Yaqana is a citizen of the world. Her love of far-off lands was most impacted by her time studying in Quito, Ecuador, as an undergraduate. Since then, she has spent her extensive career in travel planning and embracing the new appreciation that only travel brings, with a special place reserved for local music and dance.

Yaqana strongly believes that travel is a tool to be harnessed to educate, encourage, and embolden, and is one of the surest ways to promote understanding between people. As a team member, Yaqana looks forward to inspiring travelers to embrace and love the journey.

Educational Programs Associate

Although originally hailing from the west coast of California, Hannah has spent much of her adult life living and working in the nonprofit sector in Africa and Belize. After graduating from university, Hannah moved to Malawi, where she worked with the US Peace Corps. The experience changed her worldview, and she has been immersed in Caribbean and African communities ever since.

Hannah values health and wellness, and in her downtime, she often works out and practices yoga. She also greatly values education through experiences and finds it extremely important for her son to be raised with diverse world views and experiences.

Operations & Development Manager

From the peaks of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco to the depths of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Jay’s journey has been marked by life-changing experiences.  Jay’s love for adventure and engaging new cultures landed his family in Marrakech, Morocco where he launched a rock-climbing company, guiding thrill seekers from around the world. 

Jay’s passion to create and share transformational experiences, and his mission to help others develop a deeper connection with nature and their communities, led him to Arizona with REI Experiences where he managed outdoor education programs and guided tours for adventure seekers in the desert Southwest and beyond. 

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Jay is now found supporting and equipping the EXPLORE team to serve our valued customers as they embark on their next life-changing experience around the globe.

Senior Operations Associate

Nicole caught the travel bug at a very early age and has never recovered! Her heritage undoubtedly contributed to her love of diverse destinations, given her parents' Egyptian roots and her extended family's residences in Switzerland and other parts of Europe. She studied abroad in France and began to explore on her own as soon as she was able. The opportunity to learn about other cultures, make connections with people of various backgrounds, and explore the beauty of the world make her a natural for the travel industry.

Nicole previously worked at Road Scholar developing and managing their global cruise programs and with that came many opportunities to visit new destinations from the Arctic to Bhutan, to Africa and the Sea of Cortez. Her extensive personal travel and work history, combined with her insatiable appetite for endless detail, make her the ideal custom itinerary planner for Explore. Nicole's other passions include running, hiking, cooking, and exploring the outdoors.

Marketing & Operations Specialist

Originally from the Boston area, Meredith developed an appreciation for travel at a young age while exploring New England with her family. After studying in three of her favorite cities, New York, London, and Sydney, she embarked on a six-month, round-the-world adventure through Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific. Her trip inspired her to pair her passion for travel with her creative background. For the past 20 years, she has worked in the travel industry across marketing, operations, and sales, visiting more than 70 countries across six continents.

Meredith is passionate about conservation, one of the many reasons Africa holds a special place in her heart. Its welcoming people, unparalleled wildlife, and diverse landscapes have contributed to some of her most memorable experiences, including watching the sun set atop the dunes of the Namib Desert, spotting the Big Five in South Africa, floating in a hot-air balloon over Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, and gliding through the Okavango Delta’s “hippo highways” in a mokoro.

Educational Programs Associate

As part of the Educational Travel Team at EXPLORE, Dru helps manage unforgettable travel experiences for Road Scholar programs.

Dru came to EXPLORE from the world of outdoor education and has five years of experience in nonprofit program management and community partnerships.

She believes everyone can and should have opportunities to explore the world around them, whether that be a local city park or a mountain range or desert halfway around the globe.

Outside of work, Dru loves to run, climb, and ski. She's currently on a quest to find the best cup of coffee in the Denver metro.

Educational Programs Assistant

MJ's travel is focused on literature and "life lists." She hiked through a Ghanaian rainforest just to find the rare Picathartes bird, tent-camped solo beside the Okavango River, followed the path of "The Elephant's Child" to the banks of the Limpopo River, and held a Black Mamba in her bare hands while becoming certified as a Venomous Snake Handler in South Africa.

From Africa to southeast Asia, she lived as an expat for several years, chasing her passion for languages, world literature, cultures, and wildlife. Returning to the quiet calm of her rural Pennsylvania home, MJ raised honeybees, maintained a Monarch waystation. She is now based in the UK where she puts her experience and skills to use as EXPLORE's Educational Programs Associate.

Adventure Coordinator

Hanna is a Colorado native whose passion for exploration and cultural connection has shaped both her personal journey and professional path. After volunteering in Southeast Asia and then living in South America, Hanna’s love and curiosity of global diversity and community engagement only deepened.

Originally preparing to serve in the Peace Corps before the pandemic, Hanna instead devoted herself to AmeriCorps, where she supported a rural American community and discovered the profound impact of service and resilience. This blend of global adventure and grassroots service informs her approach to EXPLORE , she sees each journey as a chance for meaningful connection, cultural exchange, and personal growth.