Matt Sybrant
Mandy McKaskle believes that travel is a way to connect to family and friends, to the country or culture you are experiencing, but most importantly to yourself. She is an Arizona native and founder of the travel planning company Creosote Journeys, based in Tucson and specializing in multi-generational and experiential travel. After spending 19 years working for premier luxury hospitality brands such as Mandarin Oriental, Park Hyatt, and Canyon Ranch – including eight years in Washington, D.C. – she decided to pursue her dream of travel planning full-time and being able to help people see and experience more of the world.
Creosote Journeys (named after the native southwestern plant responsible for the smell of desert rain) is a full-service travel company that can assist with everything from simple hotel or resort bookings, cruises, and tours, to complex multi-country itineraries. As an independent affiliate of the Virtuoso Travel network, she uses her personal connections and firsthand expertise to craft personalized trips for her clients that are tailored to their exact tastes, style, and budget.
“Service and flexibility are so important,” she says. “I may be responsible for people’s only trip in a year or the rare opportunity to travel with their busy families or take their grandchild on a once in a lifetime adventure. I take that very seriously and make sure that every detail of their trip is perfect and that I am available at all times.”
Her clients are looking for a travel advisor who can put together itineraries that are thorough, unique, thought-provoking, and interesting. Typically, clients have already been to many places around the globe; often they now are looking to return with their children and grandchildren, to share those same experiences and to see those same places through a different lens. She takes the time to get to know clients so she can understand what is most important to them and their traveling companions. It may be that they want to take a cooking class or a private tour; or they may not want to leave the resort pool! She sees the nuances in every trip from big-picture aspects (where to go – and when) to the details that matter (booking the hotel rooms with the best views, where to get the most authentic pizza on the Amalfi Coast) and can secure special benefits they can’t get on their own, such as complimentary breakfast, spa and shipboard credits, exclusive shore excursions, and hotel upgrades.
Need help with planning a trip? Please join our travel open house on Feb. 24th from 4-6 p.m. in Coyote North. If you are unable to make this date or prefer a one-on-one meeting please contact Mandy to set up a complimentary consultation. She can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 571-447-3602.