Skip to primary navigation
Skip to main content
Skip to footer

Experts in socially responsible luxury travel. We design travel experiences that support conservation and local communities without skimping on comfort.

Trips for families and friends
- Experiences
- Destinations
Trips for organizations
Who we are
Blog
Contact
800.605.0671

Behind the scenes

Meet the Elevate Destinations Team

Dominique Callimanopulos

Founder and President

Dominique is a lifetime world traveler committed to combining singular journeys with social good. She grew up witnessing the disparity between tourists and local conditions they visit and created Elevate Destinations to provide unique and enchanted travel for clients, while caring for local people, wildlife and natural resources.

Meaningful travel experience:
Sharing stories and dancing with villagers in Malawi

What’s next on her wish list:
Tasmania, The Arctic, and Antarctica

Katherine Redington

Vice President of Social Impact Journeys and Business Development

Katherine holds a Masters in International Education & Development from Columbia University and is certified by United Nations World Tourism Organization in Sustainable Practices for Tourism and Development. She uses this training to plan extraordinary trips in some of the most challenging areas of the globe.

Meaningful travel experience:
Seeing the tourism industry protect the environment and communities in Bonito, Brazil

What’s next on her wish list:
Alaska, Bhutan, and Croatia

Lana Byal

Vice President of Sales and Product Development

Lana is passionate about conservation and culture, Lana has spent many years working abroad, traveling, and studying the natural world and its wildlife. One trip to Africa propelled her into the world of African safaris and meaningful, adventure travel, and she’s been working in the field ever since!

Meaningful travel experience:
A short, but powerful experience living in a small community in the Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat India

What’s next on her wish list:
Bhutan and Madagascar

Bethany Betzler

Private Travel Designer

Bethany has traveled extensively around Asia while developing travel experiences that emphasize hyper-local cultures and community. Prior to working in travel, she helped non-profit organizations develop place-making initiatives in revitalizing cities. She is happiest when she is active outside and loves any chance to join a human-powered adventure across the mountains or sea.

Meaningful travel experience:
An extended stay in a Bhutanese village during a snowstorm

What’s next on her wish list:
Greenland, Canada, and returning to Japan

Emily Jump

Private Travel Operations

Emily holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington, and a Masters in Public Health from Boston University. She has traveled extensively in Latin America and Asia, and is driven by a voracious curiosity to understand people, their stories, and the places they call home.

Meaningful travel experience:
Dancing in a festival and joining a wedding in Chinchero, Peru

What’s next on her wish list:
Patagonia, Panama, and Tanzania

Dana Droller

Manager of Social Impact Journeys

Prior to joining the Elevate Destinations team, Dana lived in Tanzania for four years while working at a secondary school for at-risk girls. Her travel experiences all over the world have shaped who she is. Dana is passionate about supporting others to have similarly transformative experiences.

Meaningful travel experience:
Exploring rural Tanzanian villages on motorcycles (boda boda) with her students

What’s next on her wish list:
Colombia, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and India

Abbey Coughlan

Associate Manager of Social Impact Journeys

Abbey holds a B.A. in International Business and has sought out adventurous experiences all across the world. Having worked in Tanzania for two years in the nonprofit industry, Abbey is dedicated to making the intersection of travel and social impact work as meaningful as possible.

Meaningful travel experience:
Hiking through the colorful markets, farms, and villages within the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania.

What’s next on her wish list:
Namibia and Brazil

Jill Bernier

Account Manager of Social Impact Journeys

Jill is a non-profit travel professional and the former Director of The Nature Conservancy’s donor travel program. Jill holds a B.A. degree in Anthropology and a Certificate in Travel Planning. Her expertise is focused on helping mission driven organizations realize their goals by planning impactful experiences for the traveler and the destination.

Meaningful travel experience:
Sailing on a traditional Indonesian Buginese schooner to snorkel the waters of the Banda Sea.

What’s next on her wish list:
Bhutan, Sicily, Zambia

Sarah Besser

Associate Manager of Social Impact Journeys

Sarah recently completed her masters in Global Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development from Johnson & Wales University. Before that, Sarah spent her time traveling to 5 different continents, leading her to pursue a career in Sustainable Tourism.

Meaningful travel experience:
Hiking the Grand Canyon in the middle of the night filled with beautiful night skies and a memorable sunrise.

What’s next on her wish list:
Antarctica, Australia, India, Brazil, and Jordan

Fiona Mokry

Associate Manager of Social Impact Journeys

Fiona holds a B.A. in International Affairs & Sociology, and her passion for travel and meaningful adventure has led to years of living, working, and traveling abroad. Dedicated to connecting her interest in nonprofit work with a lifelong love of travel, Fiona is inspired by opportunities to create and share social impact travel experiences.

Meaningful travel experience:
Experiencing the unconditional kindness of families in rural Vietnam during a cross-country motorbike trip.

What’s next on her wish list:
Brazil, Uruguay, Tanzania, and Jordan

Yumi Rydlun

Associate Manager of Social Impact Journeys

Yumi has worked in rural Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Panama for socially-responsible, community-centered non-profits and education programming. She also held roles at National Geographic, IMF, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and an entrepreneurial chocolate company. In her spare time, she enjoys Japanese taiko, calligraphy, and cycling.

Meaningful travel experience:
Día de los Muertos traditions of parades and decorated cemeteries in Oaxaca, Mexico.

What’s next on her wish list:
South Africa, the Azores, and Vietnam

Kate Caprari

Creative Director

Kate designs the signature Elevate look and creates the visuals for our digital and print communications. She is passionate about design as a tool for social impact and gathers inspiration from around the world. In recent years, she has traveled to Kenya, Costa Rica, Patagonia, and the Galapagos Islands.

Meaningful travel experience:
Climbing Torres del Paine in Patagonia

What’s next on her wish list:
Alaska and Belize

Sarah Alexander

Content Manager

Sarah has been sharing stories and inspiring others to travel since she took her first solo trip to Japan at 17 years old. In 2019, she joined the Elevate team while slow-traveling through the United States and Canada. Now back home in Australia, Sarah works remotely, managing Elevate’s social media channels and creating content for the website.

Meaningful travel experience:
Releasing sea turtle hatchlings into the ocean in Costa Rica

What’s next on her wish list:
Patagonia, Namibia, and Alaska

Footer

Get on the list

Sign up for the inside scoop on new destinations, family tips, and much more.

"*" indicates required fields

Email*

Δ

Private Travel

Family
Safari
Special Occasions
Give Back Travel
Private Travel Covid-19 Policies

Group Travel

Donor Travel
Charity Challenges
Learning Journeys
CSR Incentive Travel
Retreats
Group Travel Covid-19 Policies

About

Privacy Policy
Buy a Trip, Give a Trip
Press + Awards
The Elevate Ethos
Sustainability
Testimonials

800.605.0671