Our Travel Experts

Ashley Isaacs Ganz

The founder of Artisans of Leisure, Ashley is an expert in all of the company’s tour destinations. She is passionately committed to providing authentic travel experiences, sophisticated recommendations, and an extremely high level of luxury and personalized service. Born and raised near Philadelphia, Ashley has also lived in Australia, Japan and England. When she travels, Ashley is particularly interested in culture, cuisine, the traditional and decorative arts, and family travel. Ashley is a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist and a Robb Report Travel Master. Read more about Ashley in our Company Background.

John McGee

John loves experiencing local cultures. Wherever he travels, he seeks out traditional and contemporary art and architecture, visits museums, wanders city streets, hikes, meets local people, turns an ear to local music, scours markets for what’s typical to locals but unusual to visitors, forages for local food and drink, and buys lots of books. Originally from California, John has also lived in Copenhagen, Edinburgh and Tokyo. He has traveled extensively and intensively throughout most of Asia, Europe and New Zealand, large parts of North America, and a bit of Africa. Recently, John has spent considerable time in New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Ecuador & Galapagos, Switzerland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, the Baltic States, Taiwan, Norway, Nepal, Peru, Jordan, Bhutan, Kenya and South Africa.

John has a BA in studio art from Occidental College and an MFA from Art Center College of Design. While living in Tokyo for six years, John wrote a weekly art column for Japan’s leading English-language magazine. He has also contributed articles on art, cuisine, shopping and travel to “Time Out” guidebooks, Art in America, Art+Auction, Four Seasons and many other publications.

Maria Merrill

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Maria has a B.A. in hospitality from Boston University. It was while studying abroad in Florence and traveling throughout Europe that she realized she wanted to work in the travel industry.

Maria has lived in Italy, Spain and Mexico, and she has traveled extensively through Egypt, South Korea, India, Nepal, Mongolia, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Colombia, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Uzbekistan, Botswana, Italy and many other countries.

When traveling, Maria loves savoring the local cuisine in food markets and at top restaurants, making international friends, staying at unique luxury accommodations and taking scenic hikes. Additionally, because her father read her ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology rather than more typical bedtime stories, she takes a special interest in museums and sites encompassing the ancient history and folklore of a destination.

Maria has worked in luxury travel for more than 10 years and has been listed as a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for her expertise in South Korea, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and South America, as well as accessible travel. Maria lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two cats.

Mike Korn

From the time Mike dressed as a pilot for career day in first grade, he has known that travel would be a huge part of his life. The pinned-on wings quickly evolved into a desire to meet new and interesting people from around the world. Mike’s first international love affair began in Europe. He was immediately smitten with the yellow trolleys of Lisbon, the soul of Barcelona and the pastries of France. After traveling throughout Europe and the Middle East, he led Birthright trips through Israel, fully strengthening his affinity for travel. A native New Yorker, Mike graduated with a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Vermont.

Mike is a food and action-adventure enthusiast: There’s no activity he won’t try, no sport he won’t watch and no food he won’t eat. Some of his favorite experiences include bike riding through a small Portuguese town at midnight, watching Nelson Mandela’s funeral from a cafe in Soweto (Johannesburg), watching the World Cup with locals in Marrakesh, swimming in the Dead Sea, knife-making in Japan and hot-air ballooning in Cappadocia.

Since 2016, Mike has been listed as a Conde Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for his expertise in Morocco, Portugal and other destinations. Mike lives in Westchester with his wife Amy, two children, and dog Norman.

Sara Cox Torkos

Growing up in Colorado and Arizona, Sara and her family traveled every summer to national parks around the Southwest. Sara’s global travels began on her Semester at Sea in college, during which she visited 11 countries in eight weeks. After graduating with a B.A. in International Relations & History from the University of Iowa, she moved to New York City and has continued to travel abroad whenever possible.

Aliza Sena

From tracking down the best meals to seeing the most magical vistas, Aliza's happiest moments have been while traveling. Aliza grew up in Florida and graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in art history. After more than a decade working at museums and cultural institutions, she decided to pursue her passion for travel and join Artisans of Leisure. She has taken trips to Argentina, Croatia, Cuba, Georgia, Hungary, India, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Turkey and Vietnam, and she traveled throughout Europe while studying abroad in Amsterdam. When she's not looking at art, Aliza enjoys cooking and learning about wine (she has completed her WSET Level 2 certification). Aliza loves hosting barbecues and exploring the world's borough with her Italian greyhound, Spaghetti. She recently traveled to Portugal and Provence and is excited for her next trips to Spain and Japan.

Claire Yearwood Munn

Originally from New Orleans, Claire left the Deep South in her teens for boarding school in England and has been traveling extensively throughout Europe ever since. In addition to nine years in the UK, she has also lived in Italy, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

Some of her favorite experiences so far include seeing the prehistoric Font-de-Gaume cave paintings in the Dordogne; hot air ballooning in Marrakesh; dog-sledding in Norway; exploring Mayan ruins in the Tikal jungle, Guatemala; visiting Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny; hiking in the Dolomites; horseback riding in the South Island, New Zealand; browsing ceramics in Deruta, Umbria; and attending ballet performances at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. When possible, she visits Daunt Books in Marylebone, London for literary travel inspiration. As well as always hunting down the best cappuccino wherever she travels, she is particularly interested in fine art and culinary experiences.

Claire has a master’s degree in Fine and Decorative Arts from Christie’s (London) and a PhD in Art History from the University of York. She has given art history talks and academic lectures in various places including The National Gallery, London and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Claire lives with her Kiwi husband and son.

Robyn Goldberg

Robyn’s love for travel stems from her family heritage in South Africa and Australia. She travels to Cape Town annually to visit her family and friends and explore different landmarks and areas around the Cape. She also travels to Australia frequently to explore natural wonders such as the Blue Mountains and the Great Barrier Reef.

From a young age, Robyn traveled extensively with her family, including trips to Australia, Botswana, Ecuador and the Galapagos, Greece, Israel, Laos, Nepal, Switzerland, South Africa and numerous other countries. During a recent summer, Robyn took a six-week trip through Europe. She visited seven countries, stayed in some lovely hotels, explored rich cultures and dined on local cuisine. Robyn currently lives in New York City, where she enjoys frequenting her local bookstores, walking through Central Park and having picnics with her friends.

Jane Newton

One of Jane’s favorite pastimes is browsing food markets in search of authentic local cuisine. Luckily she has family throughout Europe, meaning she can indulge her culinary curiosity on regular visits to Greece, England, Italy and southern France. A Choate and Vassar alum, Jane has also studied French history and film at the Sorbonne in Paris. Her wide range of work experience includes editing a contemporary arts journal as well as a series of travel guidebooks. Jane and her husband and two daughters split their time between Manhattan and East Hampton.

David Carson

David has a passion for food and exploring cultures different from his own. He is also an avid photographer and loves capturing scenes of dailylife, architecture, and local flora and fauna. He has a graduate degree in theater and is a founding member of the Metropolitan Playhouse in New York City. David has traveled widely, from France to Lithuania to South Africa.

Matthew Fries

A renowned jazz pianist, Matthew developed his passion for travel, food and culture on his frequent trips abroad as a musician. Matthew most enjoys visiting out-of-the-way places in Europe, focusing on their regional cuisines and cultures.

Brianna Price

Brianna’s passion for travel began when she studied abroad in Florence, Italy, during college. She traveled extensively around Italy, visiting Rome, Pisa, Venice, Milan, Lake Como, Bologna, Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily. With her base in Florence, Brianna loved being able to take weekend trips to shop in Paris, eat at the Viktualienmarkt in Munich, ski in Abetone, experience St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, watch flamenco in Madrid and see FC Barcelona soccer games in Barcelona. Brianna continued her travels after graduation, visiting the Netherlands, Portugal and Israel.

Brianna is passionate about fashion and food. She enjoys visiting fashion museums, taking cooking classes and trying local eateries while abroad. She also loves exploring New York City.

Brianna grew up in upstate New York and graduated from the University of Vermont. Working in the travel industry is a dream for her.

Ansley Lyon

From a young age, Ansley traveled extensively with her family, taking ski trips in Colorado and Utah, going island hopping in the Caribbean and spending summer vacations in Europe. Inspired by her parents' passion for travel, Ansley spent a year after college traveling solo through more than 30 countries in Central America, Europe and Southeast Asia. Her journey helped develop her understanding of the world and her adaptability to new experiences. Her favorite memories include a sunrise hot-air balloon ride in Turkey, snorkeling with bioluminescent plankton in Cambodia, paragliding in Switzerland, and visiting temples throughout Southeast Asia.

Ansley grew up in South Carolina and graduated from the University of Tennessee. When traveling, Ansley's interests revolve around architecture, history, food and wine. Ansley lives in New York City and enjoys exploring its parks, architecture and food scene.