Elevate Destinations

Summer is family travel time!

While the Northern Lights may be a little elusive during the summer months, the Norwegian sun makes it’s grand appearance.

Days are crisp and ideal for active families who enjoy hiking, cycling, kayaking, and riding. For the wildlife lovers of the family, take a boat safari to see puffins, seals, whales, and more wonderfully strange marinelife than your imagination can muster.

We know there are as many types of families as there are travel adventures. While we are the experts on travel, you are the best expert on your family. We’re here to listen and remove the speed bumps and doubts from your planning.

https://elevatedestinations.com/itineraries/norway-family-adventure

Travel should be for everyone. Sarah and her family’s journey through Greece was memorable in the best way. With thoughtful planning and the care of our partners on the ground, this beautiful family was able to move through each destination with ease.

“The private car transport made a big difference, especially in finding a way to get me up to the Acropolis. The driver took me up to the handicap entrance, and we were able to go up the glass elevator to the top.” — Sarah.

Accessibility is often framed as a feature. We see it as a responsibility; one that allows more travelers to engage deeply with place, people, and culture.

We’re grateful to our local partners who make that possible.

How can travel be used as a force for good?

Elevate Destinations is proud to announce our first sustainability grant recipient: Children in the Wilderness, in partnership with Wild Survivors. This grant will support a women-led regenerative agriculture initiative in the Western Serengeti.

The women at the heart of this initiative are already transforming their communities for the better. Through beekeeping, sustainable farming, and the production of soap, candles, and body products, they provide new sources of income. Additionally, by building a 3.7-mile beehive fence, they've significantly reduced elephant crop raids, protecting both livelihoods and wildlife.

We're honored to help amplify their impact as the initiative expands.

The 2026 grantee project will offer a five-month regenerative agriculture training program for 10 women leaders from the villages of Mbilikiri and Bisarara. This program will focus on practical, community-based approaches that build on these existing enterprise activities.

We aim to strengthen both community livelihoods and environmental stewardship across the Serengeti landscape.

If you would like to learn more about this sustainability grant, please visit https://elevatedestinations.com/sustainability-grant-tanzania

Elevate Destinations Awards First Sustainability Grant in Tanzania Our first sustainability grant will support a women-led regenerative agriculture project in Tanzania’s Serengeti to boost conservation, livelihoods, and climate resilience.

Elevate is narrowing in on some very special destinations and continuing the theme of avoiding mass tourism.

Most recently, the Elevate team has enjoyed a mix of gorgeous island destinations during our own spring travels, returning refreshed and ready for summer.

Which of these islands would you visit first?

For more details to see if they're right for you, check out our latest blog post --> https://elevatedestinations.com/epic-island-adventures

“Tucked into the emerald waters of the Gulf of Chiriquí on Panama’s Pacific coast, Isla Palenque offers a different kind of luxury—one defined by seclusion, ecological richness, and a deep sense of place. This 400-acre private island feels both expansive and intimate, where primary rainforest meets quiet, swimmable beaches and the pace of travel naturally slows.

Accommodations on the island are intentionally low-impact, designed to blend into the landscape rather than compete with it. At Isla Palenque Resort, casitas and beachfront villas are positioned for privacy and immersion, with open-air designs that invite in the sounds of the forest and sea. The ethos here is thoughtful and regenerative—supporting local communities, and minimizing environmental footprint.”

– Dominique Callimanopulos, Founder and President

We’ve gathered our 9 favorite islands we think you should visit. See the full list here: https://elevatedestinations.com/epic-island-adventures/

Photo credit: Isla Palenque Resort

We’re sharing our favorite islands worth crossing oceans for, and Menorca is the one you didn’t know you needed.

“Located off the eastern coast of Spain in the Balearic Islands, Menorca is the quieter, more laid-back Mediterranean destination focused on nature, agro-tourism, and relaxation, rather than the nightlife and beach clubs of Ibiza. The island has long been on my list for a slow-paced, extended holiday, perfect for hiking and catching some early spring sun.

After spending a couple of weeks on Menorca, my recommendation is to not pack your itinerary. It is a place to wander and let time unfold. Instead, prioritize the island’s coastal walks, day-sails to secluded coves, prolonged lunches, and visits to the historical sites and interior countryside. It’s an island where historical and modern life co-exists and provides a little slice of natural paradise.”

– Lana Byal, VP of Private Travel Sales

Check out Lana’s Menorca travel tips and explore all 9 islands here: https://elevatedestinations.com/epic-island-adventures

“You know that feeling, when you realize your soul just grew a little bit? That happened for me in the Galapagos 20 years ago. Watching the phosphorescent trails of fish darting through the sea all around me, with the clear star-strewn sky above, I knew I would keep that moment out at sea with me, always. My time in the Galapagos filled my young mind with wonder that such a place could exist, and with hope that it might remain riotously wild and beautifully free well beyond my first 8 days there.

Of course, much has changed since 2004! But yet, the rugged and thoroughly untamed beauty of the Islas Encantadas still crashed over me in remarkable ways half a lifetime later. What a profound privilege it was to wake to friendly finches on my balcony and giant tortoises in the gardens in the highlands of Santa Cruz each morning!

I came to the Galapagos Safari Camp at a time when I needed to be snuggly wrapped up in nature’s embrace once more. I departed a week later strengthened by the kind and attentive nourishment of locally sourced feasts, thoughtful wildlife encounters, and a deep and abiding respect for living lightly within a fragile island ecosystem.

We humans are adventurers, storytellers, and deep observers when we allow ourselves to be. The Galapagos Islands tug at something essential that may sometimes feel buried under the weight of distractions, reminding us of what matters most: time to be present, engaged, and with open minds in a place of wonder. I simply cannot wait to go back.”

– Emily Jump, Director of Private Travel Operations

Want to know what other islands our Travel Advisors are loving right now? → https://elevatedestinations.com/epic-island-adventures

This week, we’re sharing 9 epic islands worth traveling to.

Day 2: French Polynesia.

“While most everyone has heard about the romantic South Seas island of Tahiti, popularized by the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, very few actually know where the Polynesian islands are located or realize what a family of very diverse islands await travelers to this far away, bucolic destination.

French Polynesia is in fact a constellation of wildly different island worlds scattered across the South Pacific, each with its own rhythm, landscape, and cultural texture.

Across all five archipelagos, what endures is the warmth of Polynesian hospitality and a worldview rooted in respect—for community, for nature, and for tradition. Travel here can be as indulgent or as grounded as one chooses, but the most meaningful journeys that Elevate supports tend to be those that engage with local guides, support small-scale enterprises, and leave space for connection.”

– Dominique Callimanopulos, Founder and President

See all 9 islands our team are loving → https://elevatedestinations.com/epic-island-adventures/

We’re sharing our favorite epic island destinations. These places are beautiful, soulful, and far from the beaten path.

First up: Crete.

“Crete is the kind of place where, no matter how many days you have, you’ll wish you could stay longer. Not only will you find gorgeous beaches dotting every coast, but you will also find yourself immersed in layer upon layer of fascinating history and culture.

Human settlements date back many thousands of years before the ancient Minoans, and the island has been ruled at times by the Romans, the Ottomans, the Venetians, and now is part of Greece. Each culture has left its imprint on architecture and local flavors, making Crete the ideal place to explore, and eat very, very well!

The island is rich in local artisanal agriculture, and is renowned for its local produce and freshly baked breads, all drizzled with luscious olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Coming from Boston in April, each dish was a revelation bursting with simply delicious flavors!”

– Emily Jump, Director of Private Travel Operations

Check out all 9 islands we’re obsessing over right now: https://elevatedestinations.com/epic-island-adventures

Contact Tell us about your plans, and one of our travel designers will be in touch shortly. Elevate provides trusted and inspired guidance while designing your perfect trip.

Most leaders don’t need another strategy session.

They need space to breathe.

You know the feeling…

Back-to-back meetings.
Constant decisions.
Holding space for everyone else while quietly running on empty.

You tell yourself you’ll slow down soon.
But “soon” never comes.

Real leadership growth doesn’t happen when you’re pushing harder.

It happens when you step away long enough to reconnect with yourself, your purpose, and the bigger picture.

That’s why we’ve created our first retreat in Elevate Destinations’ Social Impact Journeys series.

Emergent Leadership Intensive: Breath Meets Water

This five-night, intentionally designed experience in the wild beauty of Baja California was created for leaders committed to meaningful impact, but who know they need to refill their own cup first.

Think:

Time to decompress in nature
Space for real reflection
Connection with a community of thoughtful, purpose-driven leaders

The kind of reset that actually changes how you show up when you return.

Imagine leading from a place of clarity instead of exhaustion.
Making decisions with intention, not urgency.
Feeling grounded, energized, and aligned again.

That’s the shift this experience is designed to create.

An experience that aligns your intuitive self with your strategic self.

What would it look like to truly step away for five days?

Learn more here: https://elevatedestinations.wetravel.com/i/69b165b379f157cacc9d1446 -leadership-intensive

Elevate Destinations