We Are Your Modern Concierge Team

MEET THE TEAM

Meet the adventurers, nature lovers, foodies, and art lovers that make up our incredible travel advisor team. We’re proud to have built a team whose expertise, passion for travel, and reputation for excellence has elevated us to our position as the best travel agency in Houston.

 

GET IN TOUCH

 

Ready to start planning your next trip? Schedule an appointment with our travel concierge team in the way that best suits your busy lifestyle – via in-office appointment, virtual meeting, or phone call. Leave the planning to us, and let us show you how our concierge service can unlock a better way to travel.

 

Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists 2021

Daria Westerfield
Owner
Experience: 30 years
Recognition: Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist
Specialty: Custom Travel Planning

My entire career of over 25 years has been in the travel industry – ultimately focusing on luxury itinerary planning and execution for both individual and corporate clients. Experience has taught me how to listen with discernment to every client carefully, and this allowed me to perform specific, targeted research and execute the details with excellence. I instill all of my learned luxury travel best practices to our team by constantly elevating our approach to concierge service, ensuring the same client care and attention that I’d like to receive for my own travel. Leave the planning to us – and rest easy.

Samantha Collum
Sr. Luxury Travel Advisor

Experience: 8 years
Recognition: Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist
Specialty: New Zealand, Australia, Europe, French Polynesia
Interests: Adventure, Honeymoons, Over the Top Trips, Ocean & River Cruising

I believe that every trip is literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I ensure that your vacations are enriching and unforgettable. Since I grew up in a highly mobile Navy family, I quickly realized travel is the only way we can find and understand our place in the world, to transform the exotic into the familiar. With a background in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University, I pair my love of travel with a detail-oriented and scientific approach to carefully design and coordinate once-in-a-lifetime adventures, honeymoons, and destination weddings. I (and the rest of our advisor team!) strive to viewed as Houston’s best travel agents. I was one of only five Virtuoso Rising Star Nominees in 2019, am a member of the Virtuoso Millennial Mindset Innovation Team, and was recognized as one of Travel Agent Magazine’s 30 Under 30 advisors in 2018.

Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists 2021

Africa Specialist

Kate Lawless
Luxury Travel Advisor

Experience: 6 years
Recognition: Travel Agent Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Advisor
Specialty
: Africa, Asia, Mexico, Caribbean, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, South America
Interests: Adventure, Beach & Sun, Food & Wine, Safari, Family Travel

I believe that travel truly makes you richer and that spending time in new cultures and with new people can redefine your place in the world. My passion for travel began at a young age. I travel as often as possible, both domestically and internationally, so I am constantly on the lookout for the next adventure. Without a doubt, this has helped in building my expertise and knowledge to customize and plan any type of trip, no matter the request.

Kirsten Ritch
Travel Concierge

Experience: 2 years
Specialty: Hawaii, Europe, South America, UK
Interests:  Destination Weddings, Beach & Sun, Honeymoons

I believe that every trip and every destination is a chance to immerse yourself in a new culture, and learning about cultures is the fastest way to grow yourself as a person. “Understand cultures other than your own. As your understanding of other cultures increases, your understanding of yourself and your own culture will increase exponentially.” I hope to help my clients get as much enrichment from the cultures as they desire.

A little about me: I got my first real travel job in college which allowed me the opportunity to travel to army bases around the wold. There began my love for travel and experiencing the unknown and unfamiliar. In my travels I fell in love with the Hawaiian Culture and decided to move there. I worked in the tourist industry to learn as much as I could and also help educate and share knowledge and experiences with all the tourists I worked with.

My goal is to learn and be just as knowledgeable in every other culture so I can give that level of personalized experience to every one of my clients.

Kirsten Rich
Kirsten Signature
Kirsten Rich

Marion Sealy River Oaks Travel

Marion Sealy River Oaks Travel

Ana Jaramillo
Travel Concierge

Experience: 1 year
Specialty: Mexico, France, Spain, Italy, Greece
Interests: Family Travel, Honeymoons & Food & Wine

Born and raised in Mexico, I had the privilege at a very young age to travel the world with my family. I studied abroad in Switzerland through Middle school and spent some time in France during High School. After my return to Mexico, I decided to pursue my passion for gastronomy in San Francisco, California, where I graduated with a BS in Culinary Management. While living in San Francisco, I had the opportunity to work at Michelin-starred restaurants, where I finessed my culinary skills and continued to pursue my passion for food and customer service.

Throughout my time in the culinary world, I had the opportunity to work in different countries, expanding my knowledge and learning more about different cultures and their cuisine. One of my most memorable professional experiences was working for Oceania Cruises as a cook; not only was I able to do what I loved (cooking), but I got to travel around the world while doing it.

Fast forward to today, after spending over a decade in the culinary industry, I decided it was time to pursue my other passion, traveling.

My goal is to merge my culinary knowledge and experiences in the world to provide clients with the ultimate culinary experiences during their travels.

Ana Signature

Stephanie Meckert
Luxury Travel Advisor

Experience: 8 years
Specialty:  Africa, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, US
Interests: Adventure, Family Travel, Safari. Spa Vacations

I have traveled extensively and lived internationally with my entire family, so I understand the importance of vacations that include a variety of multigenerational experiences. Some of my favorite destinations include New Zealand, South Africa and Europe, because the offer extraordinary attractions that fit both the solo and group travel needs. To me is so valuable to have the opportunity I’ve had to experience many different cultures, as it opens out our mind to many possibilities.

Katie K

Katie Keys
Luxury Travel Advisor

Experience: 1 year
Specialty:  Italy, Ireland, France, US
Interests: Adventure, Culture, History, Arts, Entertainment, Safari

Throughout my entire life, I have always had a deep passion for learning about different places and cultures around the world. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to over 75 countries and all 7 continents. In college, I studied abroad in Florence for a semester, spent two weeks in China, and one week in Peru. After graduating from college, I had the amazing opportunity to travel all over the world for 6 months. My favorite memories have been exploring Petra in Jordan, sleeping with penguins on Antartica, hiking with gorillas in Rwanda, climbing to the top of the Great Wall of China, scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and wandering the colorful, bustling streets of India. Through these experiences, I have learned how to plan and coordinate detailed itineraries in countries all over the world. I look forward to listening to your travel ideas and using my knowledge to help bring your itinerary to life.

Katie
Katie K

Leslie Reed
Luxury Travel Advisor

Experience: 4 years
Specialty: Caribbean, Europe, Latin America
Interests: Family Travel, Honeymoons, Adventure, Beach & Sun

For as long as I can remember, I have sought out new experiences, whether trying different cuisines in my hometown of Houston, meeting new people, or off seeing the world. I’m also the one most likely to plan all of the above. During the past several years, I have used my extensive travel experience and years spent living abroad in Australia to help family and friends plan their own adventures all over the world. I’ve found that what I love most is taking someone’s travel ideas and bringing them to life in the form of a thorough, practical, itinerary that can meet any budget and any travel preference. Whether weekend trips within the state or luxurious getaways to little-known corners of the world, I’m here to make sure you use your most valuable asset – your time, to travel deeply, passionately, and seamlessly.

Julie Roznovsky
Luxury Travel Advisor

Experience: 5 years
Specialty: Caribbean Islands, Europe, Latin America, US
Interests:  Ocean & River Cruising, Beach & Sun, Group Travel


My love for travel has taken me to more than 50 countries across 6 continents. Some of my most memorable experiences include shark diving in South Africa, paragliding in Nepal, deep sea fishing in Hawaii, and going on Safari in Kenya. I have a keen eye for specialty travel, and love to create itineraries for cities I have visited, because I can then really customize your experience with first-hand knowledge. Some of my favorite travel destinations include Greece, Spain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, and Argentina, just to mention a few of the many places that offer great travel experiences that totally fulfill your expectations.

Laura Woo River Oaks Travel Agency

Laura Woo
Luxury Travel Advisor

Experience: 40 years
Specialty: Asia, Hawaii, Europe, Canada, Alaska
Interests: Family Travel, Honeymoons, Adventure, Beach & Sun

I’m originally from Hong Kong and fully bilingual in English and Chinese. I moved to Houston in 1970 and started my travel career more than 40 years ago. During my certification as a Certified Travel Counselor, I achieved the highest score in the entire nation. I won the Bette Sweeney Friedheim Travel Award in 1990, followed by travel consultant roles in Thomas Cook and American Express corporate travel division. “Pursuit of excellence” is always my top priority when planning travel. Accordingly, I’ve been awarded recognition by Travel + Leisure as A-List of the World’s Top Travel Advisors for 13 consecutive years.

Laura Woo River Oaks Travel
Laura Woo River Oaks Travel Agency

Subscribe to our newsletter

River Oaks Travel

Home
About Us
OUR TEAM
SERVICES
BLOG
JOIN US
CONTACT US