Wellness Travel Agent / Advisor Specialists

The following travel agents and advisors (listed here in alphabetical order) are members of the Wellness Tourism Association and have met the basic requirement of membership. We believe that any one of them can help you incorporate elements of wellness into your next trip, help you find the “perfect fit” wellness retreat or plan the ideal wellness vacation. Tell them Travel to Wellness sent you.


And, if you just happen to be a travel advisor looking to become a wellness travel specialist, check out this Wellness Travel Specialist Course from The Travel Institute.   The Course is possible due to the kind support of WTA Members and Partners: BodyHoliday, Canyon Ranch, Carillon, Greater Palm Springs, IMG and Waldhotel.

Here is the list of our savvy travel advisors standing by to help YOU with your wellness travels: 

Avida King 

Avida King travel advisorTravel nurse, Reiki practitioner, travel advisor and owner of 9th House of Travel, Avida King’s aim is to help wellness seekers heal their mind, body and soul, explore higher consciousness, by curating unique, transformative travel experience to wellness focused destinations and resorts around the world that offers Indigenous ceremonies and alternative holistic therapies. Her company 9th House of Travel is a boutique travel agency specializing in hyper-curated international travel vacations and unique experiences. 

 

Barbara Nichuals

Based in Bronxville, NY, Barbara Nichuals has been President & CEO of Bayside Travel for over 30 years and has embraced Wellness Travel for the power it has to heal mind, body and spirit. As a dancer, Barbara has found the activity to bring inner peace and well-being. She understands that the path to wellness can look different for each person. To fulfill each client’s individual needs and wants, she actively pursues personalized wellness experiences with the help of countless partnerships. She also runs a yearly writing workshop at the Bereavement Center of Westchester called Healing Words-The Positive Power of Writing.

Barbara Tuckett

Barbara Tuckett

The founder of Suite Dreams Travel and a travel advisor for over 20 years, Barbara Tuckett loves to help people create wellness and connection in their lives. If you wish you were better at living in the moment with those you care about, if you wish you could immerse yourself in a healing, adventure-based, or weight loss travel experience, if you have always wanted a travel experience just for you, Barbara can make that vision become your next vacation. If you need less stress, more digital detox, and more focus on what really matters, she is ready to help you.

 

Buffy Robblee

Buffy RobbleeBased near Calgary, Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Buffy Robblee started incorporating that lifestyle into her travels over 20 years ago and now shares those experiences with clients looking to book their own wellness vacations with the Travel Agent Next Door. Buffy achieved her Well Being Travel Specialist Designation over five years ago, and has had the pleasure of taking small groups to several destinations including Bali and Maui to participate in yoga/mindfulness retreats, organic farm to table cooking sessions, aromatherapy, spa, cycling, hiking, SUP and kayaking.

 

Cassandra Marcella Metzger

Cassandra Marcella Metzger A former PBS attorney, Cassandra Marcella Metzger is a wellness travel designer and self-described “escape artist extraordinaire” and founder of Premier Wellness Travel. A teacher of yoga since 2003 and a certified yoga therapist since 2017, she combines 20+ years in the wellness industry and 30+ years of travel designed to cultivate transformation. Her articles have been published in MindBodyGreen, Huffpost, and Teach Yoga, plus she’s been quoted in USA Today, The Guardian, and The Washington Post. A citizen of DC for over 30 years, she loves living in the nation’s capital because she loves meeting people from all over the world.

Chris Torgerson

Chris Torgerson

Chris Torgerson has been in the travel industry for 20 plus years and is the founder and owner of Stone Arch Travel. Chris has a passion for wellness and was instrumental in the design and launch of Travel Leaders’ Select Wellness: a specialty collection for luxury wellness travelers featuring wellness hotels, resorts and retreats around the world. Chris shares her love of wellness and travel with her clients, providing options and designing experiences to meet their objectives.

 

Debbie Dos Santos 

Debbie Dos Santos

Debbie Dos Santos founded Alpharetta, GA-based Journeys Yacht & Travel in 2008, inspired by working in Europe, Latin America and Africa and a desire to share her experiences with others. Debbie has been helping clients find their ideal travel experiences for years and witnesses the power of how travel can be transformative. She understands that wellness travel means something different for everyone from spas, retreats or needing a nature reboot. In response, she launched her Stressed2Blissed community to share  journeys to center, reconnect and renew. Debbie is a member of Virtuoso Wellness and Adventure Communities and a certified Wellness Travel Specialist. Check out her website

 

Gia Schiffino

Gia Schiffino

Based in Barcelona, Gia Schiffino is a travel concierge specializing in memorable and seamless travel experiences. Gia began her travel career working at Lux Voyage while completing her master’s in Entrepreneurship in Nutrition and Healthy Ageing in Barcelona. After graduating, she merged her passions and launched Way to Well within the LV brand for clients seeking to incorporate health-minded experiences during their trips or looking to craft an entire journey around their wellbeing, Way-to-Well is meant to connect their clients with deeper and empowering experiences.

Jill Radin-Leeds

Jill Radin-Leeds

Founder of Florida-based Just Spas & Adventures, and a travel advisor for 25+ years, Jill Radin-Leeds is a travel concierge specializing in health/fitness, weight loss retreats and finding the perfect wellness experience. Jill has been privileged to personally experience many of the destinations. She combined her love of fitness and active adventure travel with starting her own company 18 years ago. Her goal is to understand what each client is seeking in an experience. Planning each client’s travel details for destinations near and far, her mission is to find the perfect fit by matching the needs and expectations of each client.

Joyce Knoll

joyce knoll

A travel advisor, retreat coordination since the late 1980s plus a holistic practitioner and coach since 2010, Iowa-based Joyce Knoll is the Founder of Breakthrough Journeys. The company was launched in 2016 to help hotels, resorts and B&Bs improve their facilities and wellness offerings to meet the demand of the ever-growing retreat business. Through her company, Joyce also works with retreat facilitators in the fields of personal development, spirituality and wellness to inspire and empower them to expand their impact by delivering unforgettable, goal-oriented experiences for their retreat participants. 

 

Kathryn Schutz

Kathryn Schutz wellness travel advisorOver the last four years, Kathryn Schutz, President of Chicago-based Kathryn Theodore Travel and an independent consultant with Largay Travel, has melded two passions – travel and wellness – into a profession. She believes that self-care on a regular basis is crucial and that a true wellness vacation can help. Even though everyone’s path to wellness is different, Kathryn introduces her clients to the many different aspects of wellness travel which can include stress reduction, sleep therapy, physical activity of many types, spiritual connections, food education and much more.

Kerry Bray 

Kerry Bray wellness travel advisorAfter becoming certified in mindful meditation, yoga, and spearheading workshops in spirituality, Kerry Bray (a former flight attendant) became very self aware of her passion for travel and wellness. Her 20 year experience as a travel advisor makes Kerry a valuable resource for wellness-focused travel. Feeling the need to pair wellness and travel, Kerry launched New Jersey based, Wander Travel Company with the goal to guide people to understand the value of being fully present during their travels and wellness-focused retreats. 

Kiron  Dhaliwal 

Kiron Dhaliwal travel advisorPresident of Concierge Vacations Inc. and luxury travel advisor Kiron Dhaliwal launched the San Ramon-based company in 2014 following her own personal journey.  A former tech marketing consultant in Silicon Valley, she took a leave of absence in 2005 to care for her son’s medical needs. This experience led her on her own wellness journey to heal her mind, body and soul as she visited numerous wellness resorts around the globe, speaking with and learning from various specialists and healers. 

 

Laura Adams

It was through working in the travel industry for a tour operator that led Laura Adams, founder of San Diego-based Telamon Travel, to discover the benefits of yoga and focusing on self-care. Through yoga and meditation, she was able to make the necessary changes to improve her mental well-being in the workplace. A decade’s worth of industry experience coupled with an appreciation for self-care benefits prompted Laura to develop the luxury and wellness focus that is Telamon Travel.

 

Lauren Chiang

With a career encompassing a role as founder and CEO of CMC Travel Services, Inc, a San Francisco Bay Area executive travel agency, then expanding that company to include Actif (an eco adventure tour operator), and a concierge lifestyle company, Hawaii-based Lauren Chiang is a recognized leader in the luxury wellness and lifestyle tourism sector,  Her current endeavor, My Global Life Travel, specializes in international luxury, active and sports-focused lifestyle wellness retreats, along with resort marketing. Lauren is dedicated to setting industry standards and advancing wellness tourism globally. Her work emphasizes discovering and promoting global wellness travel opportunities, advocating for ethical service standards, and curating unique wellness experiences that highlight local wellness practices. Lauren’s mission integrates wellness, culture and sustainability plus representing dedicated wellness travel providers and related services which combine to demonstrate her commitment to enhancing wellness and luxury lifestyle offerings worldwide.

 

Lauren Pronger

Laren Pronger

Based in St. Louis, Missouri Lauren Pronger is a mom, a wife, a luxury and wellness travel consultant, and the co-founder of Well Inspired Travels official launched in mid-2019, but working with friends and family in the athletic network for the last decade. Lauren plans travel around the world but specializes in the Western Hemisphere. Lauren’s wellness activities include meditation twice daily, yoga, strength training, healthy cooking, and so much more. She continues her studying, reading and embracing new forms of wellness for the mind, body, and spirit.

 

Loulu Lima

Loulu LimaChief Travel Guru of Book Here Give Here, Loulu Lima focuses on curated travel experiences around the globe. With 25+ yrs experience in travel, she keeps traveling sustainable and equitable by working with small business owners, like herself, to guide travel dollars into local economies so social wellness can grow. On the itinerary front, the curated experiences focus on four main pillars: 1. Wellness: mind, body and spirit – taking care of ALL of you  2. Gastronomy –  the fastest way to local cultural immersion 3. Off the beaten path –  exploring places only locals know 4. Travel as a living classroom – walk in history and learn about our ancestors and ourselves. 

Maureen Johnson 

Maureen Johnson has been in the travel industry for over 20 years and founded Legacy Travel & Tours in 2014. Based in North Carolina, Maureen is a Certified Travel Agent with The Travel Institute, as well as a Certified Business Travel Specialist and Trusted Travel Advisor with Travel Leaders Network. She is a retired military veteran, has a background in the life and health insurance industry, and has recently become the primary care giver for her mother. It is these life experiences along with her belief that travel can be a part of the healing process, that allow her to better communicate with her clients the value of including wellness and self-care experiences in their travels. 

Shanell Varner  

Shanell Varner travel advisorThe founder of Colorado-based Journeys That Fit launched in 2017, Based in North Carolina, Shanell Varner is a travel advisor, wellness blogger and podcast cohost with a passion for bringing people together and exposing them to unique places and experiences. As the Founder/CEO of Moonglade Travel, Shanell’s has been curating meaningful travel experiences that inspire people to connect, learn and grow since 2016. She believes that travel is a lifestyle and an important part of our self-care.

Shayne Messina

As a retired, full-time nurse and a part-time travel agent​ for 20-plus years, Shayne Messina found a way to combine her two passions into one as a full-time wellness travel advisor and Well-Being Travel Specialist with the belief that travel, truly does heal the body and soul.  She is president of Florida-based Sunmasters Elite Travel

 

 

 

 

You might also want to check out this list of considerations and questions to ask yourself when planning your wellness-focused travels.