About Kate
Hi, I’m Kate — the travel advisor behind Storied Tides.
I started this business for a pretty simple reason: I wanted travel to be a bigger part of my life, and I loved the idea of helping other people experience more of it too. It felt like a win-win.
What surprised me is how naturally the work fits the way my brain already works. I’m analytical, detail-oriented, and I genuinely enjoy figuring things out. Travel planning is a puzzle, and I like getting all the pieces to fall into place.
But the part I care about most isn’t the booking itself. It’s getting to the point where a client feels excited and confident about the trip — where they can say, “Yes. This is exactly what we were looking for.”
That’s the win.
Why Storied Tides?
There is no shortage of travel available to buy. Cruise lines, resorts, tour companies, and big travel sites all have great products. But they’re designed to appeal to a broad range of travelers. They aren’t built around one specific couple, family, or group and what they want their vacation to feel like.
That’s where I see my role differently. I don’t want to start with the product and work backward. I want to understand what matters to you first, then figure out which options actually make sense.
Sometimes the answer is more expensive. Sometimes it isn’t.
Sometimes the ship everyone is raving about is perfect for you. Sometimes another one is a much better fit.
I’d rather explain the tradeoffs and help you make the right decision than simply tell you what I think you should buy.
And if I miss the mark? Tell me. I’d much rather hear, “Nope, that’s not quite it,” and adjust than keep recommending something that doesn’t feel right.
Why Cruises?
One of the trips that really shaped the way I think about cruising was a Mediterranean cruise we took for my daughter’s graduation. We had a big group — extended family, friends, friends of family, and even ex-in-laws — with ages ranging from 16 to 70.
That sounds like the setup for absolute chaos. Instead, everyone had an incredible trip.
Sometimes we were all together. Sometimes we split into smaller groups. Sometimes people went off and did their own thing entirely.
And that’s one of the things I love most about cruising. Traveling together does not mean spending every minute together. You don’t have to take every excursion with the same people. You don’t have to eat every meal together. You don’t have to enjoy all the same activities.
A good cruise can give very different personalities completely different vacations and still bring everyone back together as part of one shared experience.
That’s pretty special.
What My Own Travels Have Taught Me
Travel has also taught me that “more expensive” and “better” are absolutely not the same thing.
I’ve cruised Alaska twice — once on Celebrity and once on Regent Seven Seas — and those two trips are probably the best example.
Regent was significantly more expensive. I loved having excursions included because it gave me permission, in a way, to do something in every port without thinking about the extra cost each time. But the ship itself? Celebrity was much more my style. I preferred the food, the atmosphere, and the overall onboard experience, even though it was the less expensive cruise.
That comparison has stuck with me because it illustrates something I believe strongly: An inclusion only has value if it’s something YOU actually value. A package full of amenities isn’t automatically a better deal. A bigger cabin isn’t automatically worth the upgrade. A more premium cruise line isn’t automatically the better choice.
The question is always: does this improve your trip enough to justify what you’re paying for it? That’s the lens I bring to client recommendations, too.
How I Approach Planning
I want you to feel two things when we finish our first conversation: confident and excited.
Ideally, you’re thinking, “We’re in good hands. She gets it.”
I’m calm, detail-oriented, analytical, and I take the planning seriously, but I also don’t think the process needs to feel stiff or overly formal. We’ll talk. I’ll ask questions. I’ll probably ask a few more questions after that. Then I’ll do the research, sort through the options, and walk you through my recommendations, including why I think they’re the best fit for your trip.
Experience & Training
I believe good recommendations come from a combination of firsthand experience, ongoing training, and knowing where to look when I need to learn something new.
My cruise experience includes Alaska, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, across cruise lines and travel styles ranging from large contemporary ships to premium and luxury cruising.
My professional credentials and affiliations include:
Princess Cruises Commodore
Celebrity Cruises Learning Scholar
Travel Leaders Network
Cruise Brothers
I also complete ongoing cruise line, destination, and supplier education. I’m always learning because this industry changes constantly — new ships, new itineraries, new products, new promotions, new ways to travel.
And honestly, I like that part, too.
The Kind of Advisor I Want to Be
The kind of travel advisor I want to be is pretty simple:
Someone you trust to tell you what I genuinely think is the best fit for your trip.
Not the most expensive option. Not my favorite cruise line. Not whatever happens to be easiest.
The option that makes the most sense for you.
That’s what Storied Tides is built around.
Ready to Talk Travel?
You don’t need to know exactly where you want to go or have every detail figured out before we talk.
If you’re thinking about a cruise or cruise-centered journey and want help figuring out what would actually fit you best, let’s start with a conversation.