A woman wearing sunglasses, a pink tank top, and white shorts riding a blue rental bike on a city sidewalk, smiling at the camera.

meet toby

Professional Wanderer & Strategic Meeting Program Maverick

"Most people have a checklist of the touristy landmarks and places to see and they pack every minute of the day. I do not for the most part. I prefer to take my time to explore off the beaten path with a handful of things to see/do each day and seek out what the locals do as well as activities I enjoy; preferably involving great food, fascinating, fun, quirky people, and a few delightfully unexpected detours."

The Wandering Soul

My love affair with meaningful travel began at 15 in Japan (yes, I was that teenager who came back speaking about "authentic cultural immersion" at family dinners). Since then, I've studied in The Netherlands, worked as an au pair in Italy, lived in Mexico, and spent a few months in Bogotá, not because I was running from anything, but because I was running toward something: real connections with real people.

I don't do tourist checklists. I like to place myself in unfamiliar situations that expand my comfort zone and create genuine human connections. I’ll step inside a random bar, go to grocery stores, hike all over the city and purposely stay away from American chains and people standing outside restaurants inviting you to come inside. I join random groups of strangers eating, drinking and being merry and end up making lifelong friends and getting invited to their homes. Of course I will join cooking classes, biking tours, food & wine tours, etc., but my way of travel has always somehow led me to making new friends and finding even more places to see and things to do that are off the beaten path.

The Strategic Mind

Yes, that same wandering spirit led me to become a strategic meetings & events consultant. For over 15 years, I've squiggled through the industry like I zigzag through countries; from marketing coordinator in NYC to co-managing 180 staff across 29 Google sites, building Amgen's global program in 65+ countries, and opening a German agency's first US office.

I've created over 40+ dashboards (yes, I actually nerd out & enjoy data visualization), saved companies millions, and have persuaded Fortune 500 leaders that the secret to extraordinary meeting programs lies in adopting a traveler’s mindset: prioritize the attendee experience, zero in on two or three high-impact projects, and always, always respect the local culture and let data-driven insights guide every decision along the way.