03/29/2026
For the past 35 years, I have served as a global travel and event coordinator for three ultra-high-net-worth families based in Chicago. My role has been to design and execute exceptional, highly customized programs for my clients around the world. Managing an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million, I have been responsible for creating extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
These have included weightlessness training at the cosmonaut training center in Star City outside Moscow; a surprise flash mob birthday luncheon in Lisbon; chartering a mega-yacht in Sydney Harbour for a New Year’s Eve celebration complete with a custom-designed wardrobe for my clients and their extended family; and a renewal-of-vows ceremony in Santorini, coordinated with a fashion designer in Athens. These examples represent only a small sample of the biannual programs I developed.
While creating these experiences for one family, I was simultaneously working with another whose children were struggling with the pressures of significant wealth. Tragically, three of the five children died before the age of 40 due to lifestyle-related causes, including cancer from chain smoking, alcoholism, and drug use. This profoundly affected me and led me to reevaluate the purpose of my work.
Approximately 25 years ago, I began incorporating meaningful philanthropic components into each travel program. My goal was to help second- and third-generation family members develop a sense of purpose, responsibility, and connection through giving. What began as small efforts gradually evolved into a core element of every itinerary.
In Greece, we renovated a church in Oia, Santorini, which we later used for a family renewal-of-vows ceremony. The gratitude of the local congregation and the beauty of the experience made it especially meaningful. In Australia, we built a senior center with screened porches for an Aboriginal community near Uluru, and spent time engaging with residents, who welcomed us warmly into their community. We also supported Kangaroo Dundee, assisting in the care of orphaned joeys whose mothers had been killed on nearby highways.
In South Africa, we spent a day at an AIDS orphanage, helping serve meals, playing with the children, and distributing backpacks, school supplies, and soccer balls. This experience had a particularly profound impact on the younger members of the family. In Morocco, we helped build a school in the Atlas Mountains, reducing the need for young children to walk long distances each day to attend classes.
These experiences were carefully designed to be accessible and meaningful, particularly for younger participants. They demonstrated the deep sense of fulfillment that comes from giving back—an enduring sense of purpose and connection that cannot be replicated by material excess. The joy of being welcomed into a community, of forming genuine human connections, and of making a tangible difference proved transformative.
For the past 25 years, my focus has been on helping families use their resources not only to experience the world, but to engage with it in a meaningful way—guiding younger generations away from the risks of excess and toward lives grounded in purpose, empathy, and contribution.
