Thank you, Gracias, Domo Arigato, Dankon, Spasibo,  Tak, Multumesc, Merci!

Thank you for coming to Luxury Travel Mavens. I hope this site helps inspire you and renews your curiosity and vitality about the wonders of nature and human nature.

I’ve been called the experiential Maven. I love the X of LuXury Travel for eXperiencing and eXploring the eXceptional and eXtraordinary. X can be seeking the unknown, not in a guidebook. It can be the exotic or excellent. As we gather experiences, travel allows us each to improve our mind, spirit, and body by learning from others and giving back.

I love traveling to remote places where nature is uninterrupted and chandeliers of stars hang over wildlife. I also love to cull from the most exceptional in the manmade—the best of the arts, architecture, history, rituals, foods, festivals, bookstores, languages, stories, and, of course, people.

Feeding giraffes in Kenya, hiking in the Galapagos, visiting tribal villages in Papua New Guinea, photographing the Buddhist dance festivals in the Himalayan Kingdom of Happiness – Bhutan, chasing the northern lights above the Arctic Circle, and watching penguins play on glaciers in Antarctica—the memories and stories are growing more assets than most investments.

(photo courtesy of Lisa TE Sonne)

Learning to surf in the Hawaiian waters where the Duke himself learned, staying in Machu Pichu after dark to see the moon rise, recording a myth in a language that is disappearing, scuba diving with sharks in the remote sanctuary of Palau in the Pacific, watching the Bolshoi ballet perform Swan Lake from the Tsar’s box in St Petersburg, or fireflies flash in synch in Malaysia—these are all unforgettable experiences—the true wealth of awe.

I have been fortunate to travel on all seven continents as well as explore the edges of travel—floating weightless with cosmonauts and astronauts while on assignment for LIFE magazine, and becoming the first woman to “fly underwater” in a new kind of submersible while on assignment for National Geographic television.

I hope to let interested readers know what the upcoming opportunities are for emerging new experiences in travel underwater and travel in space. I also hope to share travel possibilities on land that help preserve indigenous cultures, historic sites, and diverse wildlife.

Where to eat, sleep and drink are all classic parts of travel writing. I also hope to add to Luxury Travel Mavens stories about the “Whys” and “Hows” and “Whats” of great travel. High thread count  and experiences that count can be a luxurious combination. And there are still so many more experiences to have and share.

The kindness of strangers and conversations with strangers can be some of the best memories of travel, including the cyber journeys on this site.

Please let me know what your bucket list travel dreams are. If you want, share travel quotes for a collection I am gathering. Look at the world anew and tell us what you hear and taste.

What are your most memorable travel experiences?

“Thank you” is the first phrase I like to learn when I travel to a country or culture that is new to me.

For reading this as we begin this journey together in the land of Luxury Travel Mavens—Thank You!

—Lisa TE Sonne for Luxury Travel Mavens

Follow Lisa on Twitter:  @ExploreTraveler