Audrey Woo - Mason Horvath Travel

Company Name: Spokes Travel
Website: www.spokestravel.com

Name: Audrey Woo

City, State/Province: Fairfax, VA

Travel has been a major theme in my life. I know it sounds cliché, but hear me out. My mom owned and operated her own travel agency for 28 years (she, too, followed her dream of working in travel), and one of my aunts is still working in the industry. I’ve lived in various countries during different stages in my life, I worked abroad for five years, and I’ve made some of my closest and dearest friends through travel. My astrology chart even says that travel will be a major part of my life.

I was born and raised in the Bahamas, went to high school near the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, and moved to the Washington DC area for college and to be with the rest of my family. Before embarking on this new adventure as owner of Spokes Travel, I spent my adult life as an ESL teacher, a data analyst, a fundraising coordinator, and a Peace Corps Volunteer, among many other roles. I was stationed in one of the poorest provinces in Thailand for my Peace Corps assignment, and about seven months later I moved to Oman to teach English to the staff of a five-star resort.

My passion for travel became really apparent while I was in the Peace Corps. I tried to visit as many people in my group as I could while there since we were scattered all over the country. I’d made it to 35 out of 75 provinces in Thailand. After our service a group of girl friends and I backpacked throughout Cambodia and Vietnam, each being responsible for planning a portion of the trip. Just being in a new place, trying new food, and taking in all the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of each place is what makes travel so gratifying. Being the curious monkey that I am, I’m usually quick to say “YES!” when it comes to going to a place I’ve never been to; sometimes it gets me in trouble because I forget that I have a boss to notify and money to save up, but it always works out in the end.

My favorite trips include taking a bus from Chiang Rai, Thailand all the way down south to Koh Phangan for the full moon party on New Year’s Eve, my first solo trip to Paris, and island hopping throughout Greece with a barely healed broken ankle and a rental car with my friend from the Peace Corps. I enjoy traveling in groups, solo, with a purpose, or just because; my only requirement is that I’m not rushed from place to place with no time to soak everything in. I have a constantly growing bucket-list of places to visit that I sometimes feel I would need another two or three lifetimes to complete it. I literally want to visit every place in every country.

I am keen on providing personalized, memorable travel experiences and building and nurturing solid relationships with each of my clients. With my insatiable curiosity, colorful imagination, resourcefulness, and dedication to quality, I’m positive that we can turn dreams into reality. I just love hearing about where people have been and where they want to go next. We all have limited time on this earth to experience as much of it as possible, so why sit there and just dream about seeing the world? Wouldn’t it be better to make a dream come to life?