THE PEOPLE
The Luxury Travel Designer is an international organization, with operatives in four countries – to facilitate this, we’ve embraced the very latest technological solutions. Our Nordic business model brings together dynamic young talent with more experienced colleagues on a footing of true equality; we draw the best out of one another by giving every member of the team an entrepreneurial role, a creative influence on the future of the company. This equality extends to our salary structure: all of us – even Christine – are paid the same. You won’t find any jockeying for commissions or promotions with us; we work together, we pull in the same direction, and this is what keeps our levels of service so consistently high.
When crafting journeys, each of us brings our own expertise to the table: local knowledge and networks, luxury travel experience, supplier know-how, people skills, aesthetics, administration and organisation. A love of the Nordic countries and a creative passion for travel lies deep in our bones. Together, we have everything it takes to create an unforgettable travel experience.
OUR TEAM
Christine Cecilie Gaffney
FOUNDER & CEO
Christine. For many in the Nordic luxury travel segment, that one word says it all. Christine is the mother of The Luxury Travel Designer, founding the company in 2010 in order to realize her vision of a Nordic travel service which provides not only outstanding journeys and experiences, but also meaningful encounters, connections with local people that leave a lasting impression. A restless innovator with a deeply caring core, Christine has driven, sailed and flown clients around the Nordics for more than a quarter of a century. Christine’s story is our story, which you can read more about here.
christine@theluxurytraveldesigner.com
+47 982 81 917
Carly Singer Curphey
LEAD TRAVEL DESIGNER & EDUCATION PROGRAM MANAGER
One of the team’s longest serving members, Carly has risen through the ranks since joining in 2014 to become Lead Travel Designer. Drawing from her encyclopedic knowledge of the region, Carly creates journeys and experiences for clients, and supports them whilst they are travelling. She is a Certified Iceland Specialist, an authorized Bergen city guide, and has led bespoke tours aboard the Hurtigruten coastal ship along the whole length of Norway’s western seaboard.
In addition, Carly continues to develop our digital Education Program, providing agents with the resources to facilitate Nordic travel more effectively, and training suppliers to deliver the fully bespoke services our clients require. Although she holds a degree in Law from the University of Warwick, Carly preferred a career in the more uplifting, people-oriented field of luxury travel.
carly@theluxurytraveldesigner.com
+45 918 16 005
Sara Marie Ytreøy
PRODUCT MARKETING MANAGER & CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER
Sara Marie joined The Luxury Travel Designer in 2017, following a degree in Tourism Management at the BI Norwegian Business School and a decade-long career in destination management and hospitality. A relationship builder with an entrepreneurial spirit, she’s the bridge between the team and our network of Nordic suppliers, collaborating closely with them to shape their products and services to fit the needs of our clients.
As the architect of the company’s marketing strategy, Sara Marie is instrumental in charting the course of future business development. As well as sitting on the board of Due North Air - our latest venture - she is working to implement a range of social enterprise initiatives, designed to strengthen our links with local communities and create opportunities for international travelers to participate in Nordic life.
sara@theluxurytraveldesigner.com
+47 481 50 528
Mikaela Rose Mpouma
CLIENT EXPERIENCE & BRAND COORDINATOR
Mikaela took up a full-time role in the company in 2019. A perceptive individual who sees things others miss, Mikaela is the attentive host who travels with our highest-profile clients; she reads the situation, reads the mood, and selects just the right intervention to lift a journey to new and greater heights. Utilizing her studies in International Management and Business Negotiation, she also advocates with our suppliers to optimize client experience.
As our Brand Coordinator, Mikaela sets the tone of our company culture and works to uphold a harmonious, nourishing workplace environment. She knows how to make those around her feel wanted and welcome, having volunteered to help young refugees in Norway since 2013. Throughout her own childhood, Mikaela travelled frequently with Christine and her clients, and not only as a passenger; she began co-hosting from the age of just four.
mikaela@theluxurytraveldesigner.com
+47 468 03 479
Theresa Bohl
SENIOR TRAVEL DESIGNER & MARKET DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Theresa’s journey with The Luxury Travel Designer began as an intern in February 2020; she stayed the course through the pandemic to become a Senior Travel Designer and one of the pillars of the team. Theresa brings boundless energy and verve to every aspect of her work with tour production. Behind the contagious smile, however, she’s relentless and will stop at nothing to secure the very best travel experience for our clients.
Using her expertise in International Tourism Management from the University of Bremen, Theresa now leads our expansion into the European market. In her homeland she’s an ambassador both for the company, and for the entire Nordic region, opening the gateway to Nordic travel for a whole new clientele. She also provides the team with IT and technical support.
theresa@theluxurytraveldesigner.com
+49 172 83 83 242
Malin Sekkingstad
ADVENTURE OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Bridge-hopping. Ocean jumping. Bouldering. Rappelling. Kayaking. Is there anything this professional adventurer cannot do? Malin is the courage and raw wild spirit of our organization. She grew up in a family of fisherman and lobster farmers on Norway’s rugged west coast; since 2014, she’s guided our clients out along those cliffs to feel the wind in their hair.
Malin joined the team on a permanent basis in 2022 to lead our community of guides and adventure providers. Her degree in Marketing Management, as well as a seven-year career in health and safety management, help Malin to ensure that our suppliers’ excursions fulfil the most rigorous safety and quality criteria. As our in-house adventure guide, she’s always ready to leap out of the office and into the action, accompanying clients on their travels.
malin@theluxurytraveldesigner.com
+47 977 19 233
Antony Jan Aguirre
CREATIVE CONTENT & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
The latest addition to the team, Tony joined in 2022 to give The Luxury Travel Designer a new creative voice. A published poet with degrees from the Universities of Buckingham and Birmingham, as well as a specialist in Nordic song, he is the team’s in-house author and editor. As well as writing on behalf of the company, he will provide a linguistic branding and storytelling service to our suppliers, working with them to build verbal identity and refine their international communications.
Tony is currently working to develop a digital media magazine that lifts the curtain on intriguing and inspiring aspects of Nordic life and culture. It’s his role to crystallize in words the company’s philosophy of Nordic travel, to tell our story, and thereby carry our message and our offering out into the world.
tony@theluxurytraveldesigner.com
+44 785 79 68 503