The Team
A little about us: we have been friends for over 20 years. We met at the Harrington School, (now the King Open School on Cambridge Street). Most of our friendship was spent discussing trips, dreaming of places we want to go together and then quickly realizing we are too broke, LOL. We have now managed to go on some great adventures together (camping trips, hiking trips, Paris, Casablanca, Les Cayes, and many more). We have made friends all over the world and even in the woods. We want to see so much more of the world. This is one of the many reasons we believe in this project.
Ilham Elazri
I am a tree hugging, curly haired WOC (woman of color). I am a hippie and a kid at heart. I am passionate about children and adventure. I am very much anti-shoes! My life’s ambition is to live on wheels; so that my home becomes the road. I am a foodie. I love learning and supporting passion projects. I believe that community is the way to live. I can't sit still, love to be on the move. I am a hands-on event & travel planner. And oh, I am an island hopper (Aruba, Haiti, Cuba, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, UK, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic, and more come to add in the future)
Stephanie Guirand
Stephanie Guirand- I am a bookworm-ish type of person. I am a perpetual student (also known as a PHD candidate). I am a hole in the wall restaurant seeker. A habitual traveler, a long distance rambler, that is a walk connoisseur. And I am a retired volleyball player (enjoying her functioning knees). Having recently watched the television show Bridgerton, I am obsessed! So much so, that I have written a(n academic) paper on the show (yes I take my obsession to the MAX!!!). Critically, I am TALL with a squeaky voice. I have been “backpacking” through west Africa solo (Sengal, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Mali, and Ghana). I am a nomad who enjoys not the borders of the world but the freedom to flow through them. (The above photo is in Togo during that trip.)
Our Story
We care about kids. As immigrant children ourselves, we would like for kids to have the opportunity to see and experience as many things as possible. We would like for kids to have these experiences with their families, without the burden of money. Travel should not only be limited to children whose parents are of means. Travel and exploration is a significant part of a child's development because it allows them to be exposed to a variety of potential future professions, it opens up a child’s imagination, and exposes them to a myriad of possibilities. We care about this project because we wholeheartedly believe that travel, exploration, and adventure builds stronger bonds within families and between communities. Whenever we (Stephanie and I) had an opportunity to travel with school or afterschool programs we always wished our siblings and our parents were with us. We always wished that they too might be able to experience the “new” things along with us. Now as adults, we have had the opportunity to travel with our families. We have seen the great impact that travel has had on our parents who have worked so hard in the United States throughout our adolescence, they are only now taking up the opportunities to see the world.