About Us
Our Mission
We believe that every person is unique, with unique dreams, needs, and wants. Our goal is to work closely with each client (whether a group or solo) and ultimately provide a highly personalized experience. No two trips will be alike. We do not believe in mass-selling pre-packaged tours, nor do we believe in highly commercialized trips. We don’t see ourselves as salespeople, but as guides and consultants. Our mission is to create authentic experiences with context.
Anna - Hanoi/Vietnam
Anna’s life abroad started with her move to Busan, South Korea as a teacher. After living there for almost 2 years, she packed her bags, traveled all over Southeast Asia for a few months, and settled in Vietnam, in the city of Hanoi. During her time there, she explored the country, tried the food, and saw a lot of its beautiful sights. Continuing with her dreams to explore more of the world, Anna moved to China and currently resides there.
Nicole - Madrid/Spain
After living in Thailand, South Korea, and Mexico, Nicole’s love of Spain began with her attending graduate school in Madrid. During her time as a student, she fell in love with Spanish culture, the vibrant social life it offers, the beautiful architecture, and its language. She knew that Spain was where she felt the most at home, so she moved there permanently in early 2025. She now works for a company creating custom travel itineraries for student groups.
Olena - Morocco and Busan/South Korea
Olena first moved to Morocco to serve in the Peace Corps. During her time as a volunteer, she gained a deep understanding of Morocco. After finishing her service, she stayed in the country to work at a boutique hotel near Marrakesh, where she learned the ins and outs of Moroccan tourism. With the border closings during the pandemic, Olena moved to Busan, South Korea to teach English. After a year and a half of exploring the country, Olena moved back to the U.S., and plans to still be involved in the international sphere.
Our City Experts
Our City & Country Experts
Olena - Morocco and Busan/South Korea
Olena first moved to Morocco to serve in the Peace Corps. During her time as a volunteer, she gained a deep understanding of Morocco. After finishing her service, she stayed there to work at a boutique luxury hotel near Marrakesh, where she learned the ins and outs of Moroccan tourism. With the pandemic border closings impacting tourism, Olena moved to Busan, South Korea to teach English. After a year and a half of exploring the country, Olena moved back to the U.S., and plans to still be involved in the international sphere.
About Our Founder
Olena’s international experience started the day she was born - literally. She was born in Odessa, Ukraine and moved to the U.S. as a child. When she first went back to Ukraine at the age of 16, she realized that her destiny would be in the international/cultural sphere. So, after graduating university, she joined the Peace Corps. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer-turned Hospitality Manager at a luxury boutique hotel near Marrakech for a total of 4 years. At the hotel, one of her duties was to meet with each client, assess their needs and wants, and create an itinerary of their trip. She learned a lot about the tourism business through this experience. While living in Morocco, Olena had the chance to see a lot of other countries in Europe, which broadened her knowledge of trip-planning and seeking cultural experiences. During the pandemic, when the hospitality world came to a halt, instead of returning the US, Olena continued her journey abroad and moved to South Korea to teach English. After living there for a year and half, she finally returned home. While “getting her footing” back to life in the US, Olena began to look into becoming a travel agent. But, she felt that there was something missing from the mainstream travel industry.
So was born “wandervista”. With the beginnings of the company, Olena reached out to her close friends abroad to join in, to be country/city experts of the places they lived at after they crossed paths with Olena. We are thrilled to become a part of every one of our clients’ life-changing trips and to make their travel dreams come true!
Anna - Hanoi/Vietnam
Anna’s life abroad started with her move to Busan, South Korea as a teacher. After living there for almost 2 years, she packed her bags, traveled all over Southeast Asia for a few months, and settled in Vietnam, in the city of Hanoi. During her time there, she explored the country, tried the food, and saw a lot of its beautiful sights. Continuing with her dreams to explore more of the world, Anna moved to China and currently resides there.
Who is wandervista?
We are travel experts, travel consultants. We are not just travel enthusiasts. We don’t just take the occasional vacation. We are (or were) international volunteers, expats in foreign lands, and English teachers abroad. We live life like the locals and form lifelong relationships with them. We eat like the locals, travel like the locals, speak their language, and eat their food. We have formed a deep understanding of their land, culture, language, way of life, and thinking.
We not only learned and saw the “must-see” sights multiple times, but we also found a plethora of hidden gems and “off-the-beaten-track” places that no one will tell you about.
How does this translate to a “wandervista” level of service? It means that you will gain insights about your destination that you otherwise wouldn’t find by a simple “Google search”. You will learn unique nuances about the culture that gives more depth and understanding of your trip as a whole. Every place and landmark has a story behind it.
The journey of planning your dream getaway will be insightful and inspiring. Not only that, but you will feel confident that you are fully prepared. Because we will not just create a deeply personalized plan for you, but we will provide all the necessary pre-trip information and will answer all your questions backed by personal experience.
So, the most important question is, are you ready to go from “thinking about it” to “going for it”?
Nicole - Madrid/Spain
After living in Thailand, South Korea, and Mexico, Nicole’s love of Spain began with her attending graduate school in Madrid. During her time as a student, she fell in love with Spanish culture, the vibrant social life it offers, the beautiful architecture, and its language. She knew that Spain was where she felt the most at home, so she is preparing to permanently relocate there. She now owns a business helping Americans move to Spain.