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Windward Path - Luxury Travel Advisor

Hi, I'm Carolyn! I believe your vacation should actually feel like one - not another project to manage. As a luxury travel advisor based in Seattle, WA, I'm here to ensure every journey delivers exactly what you desired, completely effortlessly. Think of me as your personal curator, your cultural interpreter, and your detail-obsessed advocate, all in one. I email weekly to the Windward Circle, a group of thoughtful explorers who receive insider insights and cultural travel inspiration. Join us!

Carolyn and her husband in front of a tiny plane in Guyana
Featured Post

your coolest travel experience?

Hey Reader! I'm in London this week and loving it! I've been here with some other travel professionals, hosted by the wonderful Melià Hotels, a Spanish brand that has hotels all over the world. I've been hearing so many wonderful travel stories, I wanted to share some of my own: My first trip abroad was doing an internship in Ghana with a nonprofit in the middle of nowhere, living by myself. To say I had culture shock is an understatement...I survived on packaged noodles and walked 30 minutes...

two people enjoying a boat dock in Croatia

Hey Reader! We all spend too much time on email, so I wanted to give you something that's easy to read and a good use of your time. Ready? You might think fuel prices are causing people to rethink their travel plans - and domestically, that's true. But international travel is not slowing down: 44% of Americans are planning trips - up from 41% last year. I've been hard at work finalizing client trips this week, and I am loving every single itinerary. I'm SO excited for my clients to enjoy some...

Hey there Reader, This week has been a whirlwind of Seattle sunshine, planning my clients' trips, and the steady jackhammering of our utility workers fixing the water lines on our block 😆 But the coolest thing that happened this week? I was featured in a blog post on one of my partners' blogs! You can read "The Best Summer Vacation Ideas for Every Type of Traveler in 2026" right here from my colleagues at Flytographer! My contributions? I talked about Croatia for sun-seekers as well as...

Hey Reader. This week, despite my resistance, I’m finally testing out some paid advertising. It’s hard to hand a big corporation my hard-earned dollars, and I don’t like it! But I keep thinking about being able to help more people have the trips they deserve, and knowing I might reach the right people is getting me through it. Which reminds me of this popular piece of advice in the travel world. "Travel should get you out of your comfort zone." Which begs the question…is that really true? To...

A giraffe looking curiously out from trees

Hi there Reader, happy Friday! I spent way too much time this week trying to ticket a client's flight to a small town in Croatia...only to finally just do it over the phone this afternoon, lol. I know you can relate. Sometimes you just need a real, live person who knows how it's done. My whole reason for opening up my computer every day is to help you have trips that leave you genuinely enriched and perfectly taken care of. So I've compiled a big-but-not-overwhelming list of 42 tips for your...

a group of stone structures surrounded by trees

Hey there Reader. I have been away from my computer a lot this week, because I went to not one, but THREE networking events here in Seattle. I love meeting hoteliers and fellow small business owners, but I don't get to do it as much as I'd like. When I've been at my desk this week, it's been to secure my clients' hotel rooms and airfare. And right before I sat down to write this email, I snagged the very last spot on a tour of the Sagrada Familia for my husband, who has an extra day in...

an Italian seaside town

Hey Reader. Did you know I'm an avid weightlifter? I know it has nothing to do with travel, but it's a part of my world, and I wanted to share it with you today. I hope that's okay. In fact, just this week, I squatted with weights for the first time since ankle surgery in December. I went super light (for me) - 135 lbs - but it felt great! Speaking of things you didn’t know…I was thinking about all the things I don’t know about luxury travel. So I spent some time on Google and found some...

Carolyn and her husband in front of an ancient Greek temple

It’s fair to say that I can be a bit wordy, Reader. So today I thought I’d switch it up. Rather than tell, I want to show you something. I love this picture because: a) I am BEAMING, b) I actually got some sun on this trip, and c) it represents something I had dreamed about since first grade. I was the kid who did all her drawings, creative writing, and projects on ancient Greek mythology. And the adult who sunk WAY too many hours into Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Getting to see these ancient...

Hey Reader. It's been a wild and wonderful week over here, planning several amazing trips for folks in Seattle. Today was great - not only did I get to write an email in French, I also saved a client $575 on airfare this morning. A new high score! If you've been here for a while, you may remember that back in October I chatted with my friend and colleague Chanelle Carlin on her podcast, Now You May Kiss. Chanelle is a wedding officiant here in the PNW, and we go way back. On our last episode,...

Hey Reader, Hope you had a fab weekend! We had some gorgeous sunshine, I got to see my neighbors' art production, and my husband took me out for sushi. An A+ weekend! I wanted to pop into your inbox today because I have a really cool travel opportunity to share with you. It's called the Traveling Sisterhood Safari. It's in June. It's for women. And it would be the perfect first trip to Africa. Okay, let me back up. I've been working with a wonderful woman-owned company in Uganda for gorilla...