about us
To create a journey for you that’s not only effortless, but imbued with deep meaning that stays with you for life.
We take inspiration from the beautiful hummingbird in our logo. Just like the hummingbird, our team is small yet mighty. We’re fast, agile, and always working in the background. And just like the gorgeous iridescent sheen of a hummingbird’s feathers, we make sure that every trip we plan dazzles and shines for our clients.
We want to show you that beauty and brilliance can be found everywhere, when you know where to look—from towering cathedrals to the tiniest fliers.
For escapes that sparkle.
Our Mission
Hi, I’m Mary Lynn Mapes
Before I founded my own travel agency, I worked within the travel industry for decades - first with two major airlines, and then planning business and leisure travel for a world-wide Fortune 500 company. From hand-calculating airfares to managing a full travel department, I've honed my ability to juggle complicated travel logistics with ease.
But my past industry experience only just began to scratch my travel itch. I always like to say I want a lazy beach vacation where a cabana boy brings me pina coladas around the clock—but they never end up like that. On my personal travels, I end up seeking something different, something deeper, something more meaningful.
That urge to go deeper has led me to hike up a volcano in Costa Rica in the dead of night to see the glowing lava flow, volunteer with impoverished children in Nicaragua, learn how to work a historic printing press in Colonial Williamsburg with my own kids, and beyond.
I want to bring that same deep sense of meaning to my clients’ own travels.
That’s why our focus is on travel that centers experiences—excursions that get your hands dirty, tantalize your taste buds, and connect you with local cultures in authentic ways. Because a journey filled with doing is one that imprints itself on your heart and soul.
Your travel experience is not only meaningful to you, it’s also deeply meaningful to my team and I—we want to create lasting relationships with our clients so we can continue to craft life-affirming trips for them for years to come. Our goal? To make each travel experience more spectacular than the last.
Let’s Get Started
My Story
Go beyond simply “seeing”
It all starts with that very first trip—and I invite you to trust it to us.
for a rainforest stay and a hike among the forest canopy and a visit to the black-sand beaches.
Costa Rica
05.
San Diego
visiting Balboa Park, the world famous
San Diego Zoo, and the “TOPGUN” school.
04.
for dining on fresh-caught shark daily, exploring the “Temple in the Sea,” the bluest water imaginable, and all the roadside coconuts we could eat!
Trinidad and Tobago
03.
for an incredible chance to volunteer with the children who live and work in the garage dumps, collecting plastic to provide food for their family and uniforms so they can go to school.
Managua, Nicaragua
02.
Minneapolis
for brewery tours, delicious state fair food, and adventures through 10,000 lakes of Minnesota or the waterfalls.
01.
A Few of My Memorable Adventures
get to know me
Our Services
Every journey is a part of your story.
Our travel experts are here to craft a highly personal travel experience for you, born out of your deepest passions, goals, and unique wanderlust dreams. We want you to return home feeling not just relaxed, but inspired and invigorated.
