In the latest episode of the Travel With Meaning podcast, host Mike Schibel speaks with Lillian Rafson, the CEO and founder of Pack Up + Go. Originally from Pittsburgh, Lillian shares how her passion for travel after a carefree Summer backpacking around a region she knew nothing about led her to start her own company that plans surprise trips for its customers. 

Pack Up + Go, encourages spontaneity, exploration, and adventure among American travelers. She launched the bootstrapped business at 23 years old and has grown it to 25+ team members and $7 million+ in annual revenue. Lillian has been honored as a member of the Pittsburgh 30 Under 30 and 40 Under 40, a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow, a Travel & Leisure A-List Travel Planner, and a Top Woman in Hospitality. Outside of Pack Up + Go, Lillian is a business coach, focusing on helping entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses!

Show Notes:

15:22 This could be one of the most ambitious ideas for a passionate traveler about starting a new job. 

26:24: Where did the idea for surprise travel come from? Where was Lillian and who were where the other travelers that got Lillian thinking about the idea?

30:57: Who was the first guests to try Pack Up + Go and how did the brand go viral? 

As always thanks for listening.  If you like the episode, please leave a rating and share it with your friends. 

For more information on Pack Up+Go www.packupgo.com

In this episode, we're joined by a woman who's blazing a trail in the travel industry and never intended to start a travel company.  As the Colombian-American founder and CEO of El Camino Travel, Katalina Mayorga has been on a mission to change the way women travel, making it more accessible and inclusive. Katalina shares the two meaningful moments while in Guatemala  (19:00) that changed the course of her life.

As a veteran of the travel industry, she has led El Camino to become one of the fastest-growing experiential marketplaces and subscription services that empower women to travel boldly and off the beaten path. She’s equally determined to develop the technology that will make a positive impact by supporting the local operators who are critical to the experience but lack the tech stack to grow and scale. Katalina has been featured in the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, and Washington Post, among several other prominent media outlets, and is often tapped for her expertise in emerging trends within the travel industry. 

If this episode makes you want to travel or at least smile, please like and share it with your community. We appreciate your support.

Welcome to episode 100 of the Travel with Meaning podcast! We're excited to celebrate this milestone by sharing a very special episode with our listeners. In this episode, we're joined by my travel inspiration, my mom, Linda Schibel. In this episode, we delve into mom’s earliest travel memories and explore where her wanderlust comes from. We also reminisce about our family trips to our cabin in northern Minnesota and a road trip we took together in Scotland. Additionally, we discuss her impactful adventures in Africa, Paris, and Israel. Join us as we share my mom’s unique perspective on travel and the meaningful experiences it has brought to our lives.

Thanks for tuning in and for all the encouragement and support of Travel With Meaning. I hope to see you on the open road!