Rachael Mendizabal

I have been fortunate enough to have had some amazing experiences: I have hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, stood beneath an exploding volcano in Costa Rica, bathed an elephant in Thailand, and watched the sun rise on Christmas morning over Angkor Wat. More recently, I have been spending time in Europe where sailing the Adriatic coastline, searching Italy for the best gelato, and exploring sites from classical Greece have been some highlights. I even ran on the footrace track in ancient Olympia - sadly, no laurel wreath for me!

My favorite thing about travel (aside from all the food!) is when sites from history are still standing, waiting to be discovered. The feeling you have the first time you walk the sacred hill to the Acropolis or climb the towers to the ancient wall in Dubrovnik will stay with you long after you have gone home and put your passport away.  

It was a great honor to have been recognized as one of Conde Nast’s Top Travel Specialists for 2025 for two consecutive years, and this year’s Travel + Leisure winner.