Asia Transpacific Journeys Office Staff

We’re an owner-managed small company and a team of experts with a passion for our region of the world. The exceptional quality of service that defines Asia Transpacific Journeys is a direct reflection of the knowledgeable, experienced, committed people who work here.

Our Travel Specialists believe that travel propels us outside of ourselves, beyond our previous understandings, to embrace new ways of imagining, new ways of seeing. Contact them when you are ready to Journey Beyond the Ordinary™.

Marilyn Downing Staff Founder & President
Marilyn is the founder and driving force behind Asia Transpacific Journeys. She earned degrees in environmental biology and sociology before setting off on worldwide travels, and a stint living in Thailand where her company was born over two decades ago. She is the veteran of far-flung adventures that span three decades and the most remote corners of the region, fueled by an abiding love of trekking and traditional tribal cultures. An accomplished photographer and engaging speaker, she’s a frequent expert lecturer at museums, universities and conferences.

Adopting her Thai son gave Marilyn firsthand insight into the plight of orphans in the region, and was the impetus for the establishment of Asia Transpacific Foundation, the charitable arm of the company. This non-profit organization seeks to educate and ease the conditions of orphaned children throughout the region, and has evolved into a health initiative that produces clean water for schools and impoverished villages.

Cana Bacher Trip Coordinator
Cana hails from Sweden, where she developed an addiction to skiing that has driven her down the world’s best slopes over the course of the last decades. A love of travel propelled sojourns through Asia, Australia, the South Pacific and Europe. She’s a graduate of the Academy of Travel Management in London.

Karin Delany Air Travel Coordinator
For Karin, weekends spent camping near her native Munich and throughout Europe with her family laid the foundation for a lifelong love of exploring. She graduated from Munich’s Academy of Travel and Tourism and traveled extensively throughout Asia and Europe. Her interest in facilitating interaction with people of differing cultures led her to Asia Transpacific Journeys, where she is able to assist travelers who are ready to experience inspiring cultural connections.

Kristine Edwards Predeparture Coordinator
Kristine left Minnesota for college in Pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in International Business, having developed the new major at her school. An inherent joie de vivre and penchant for all things global fueled trips abroad, including living in Spain, teaching kids Spanish in Honduras, and tsunami relief volunteering in Thailand. While painting new boats with locals in Phuket she was struck by the resilience and generosity of those who had lost so much, and a love affair with Asia ensued, bringing Kristine to our door.

Donna Galland Controller
Donna displayed a knack for numbers early on, which was honed with a degree from CU in Business Administration. She crunched digits for Moguls Mountain Travel as Controller and at a Boulder law firm as Financial Manager before seizing the accounting reigns at Asia Transpacific Journeys. She’s currently pursuing her black belt in kickboxing, so keep your hands out of the till.

Julie Getzel Trip Coordinator
Julie hails from North Carolina, where she attended the University of North Carolina, earning degrees in International Studies and Italian. A passion for travel led to stints working in London, studying in Italy, diving remote reefs in western Australia, and backpacking around Asia. She enjoys hiking, painting and is a fan of Italian architecture.

Tamara Grivicic Trip Coordinator
Tamara is a native of Croatia, and holds an MA in Linguistics from UC Davis, where she garnered multiple academic awards and scholarships. Now a true Boulder Granola Girl, Tamara is a devotee of Anusara yoga, a health food connoisseur, and an avid fan of all things outdoors. Her dedication to alternative energy is unwavering: she commutes by bicycle 365 days a year.

Jane Klein Writer/Publications Manager
Jane had to install a pull-up bar at Asia Transpacific Journeys to mitigate the effects of a restless energy that has propelled her from Tokyo to Tonga. A degree in Political Science was followed by law studies, which were suspended midway to found a rock-climbing guiding company in Greece. She surfed the dot-com wave in Boulder until heading for the travel industry. As the voice of Asia Transpacific Journeys she strives to capture the allure and historical underpinnings of Asia’s amazing cultures.

Kirsten Louy-Nasty Operations Manager
Kirsten grew up in our nation’s capital, dreaming of places far and away. She landed in Papua New Guinea to participate in a grassroots organization studying women and small businesses. Kirsten created and received the first Cultural Studies Bachelor of Arts at Keene State College in New Hampshire. Her travels have taken her throughout four continents.

Kim Mitchell IT/ Online Marketing Manager
Striking a rare right-brain/left-brain balance, Kim holds an M.S. in Information Systems, a B.S. in Marketing, and possesses a keen eye for design. When she isn't pedaling her way through grueling road bike events, she can be found snowshoeing and Nordic skiing throughout the Rockies. She's lived in Germany, Argentina and Italy, and traveled through many countries in Asia, in a quest for the perfect plate of Asian cuisine.

Jonathan Osgood Trip Coordinator
Jonathan studied international relations and cultural studies, earning a degree in political science from CU Boulder. A year spent teaching English in Korea afforded interesting travel adventures—a foray into the Demilitarized Zone as North Korea was preparing to test its long-range missiles, where he noted with some envy his guide’s bulletproof vest; sailing in the Sea of Japan aboard a 40-ft. yacht; and entertaining the locals in remote villages in Laos with rock classics on his guitar. In Colorado, Jonathan can be found snowboarding, and honing his rock climbing skills in hopes of returning to the limestone at Thailand’s Railay Beach.

Simone Poplin, CTC, CTIE Air Travel Manager
This year Simone celebrates 15 years as Asia Transpacific Journeys' Travel Agency Manager, marking over 25 years as an international travel agent. Her favorite travels include a visit to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, a sunrise climb to the top of volcanic Mount Bromo, Indonesia, a camel caravan in Morocco, bazaar browsing in Cairo, and viewing the Taj Mahal at sunset. Simone delights in getting you the best fares to our corner of the world so you can create memories of your own.

Stacey Schultz Marketing Director
Ski resort billboards across her native Utah featured Stacey catching big air as the local phenom with the golden locks. She earned a degree in Visual Communications from the University of Utah, then spent a season of ski teaching in New Zealand that ignited a lifelong wanderlust. She was an art director in San Francisco during the dot-com boom, changing her course with a four month sojourn through Southeast Asia that ended at Asia Transpacific Journeys' doorstep. Her keen eye for photography and design, balanced with her experience in the travel industry, plays a key role capturing the excitement of travel in print and on the web.

Allison Shepley Predeparture Coordinator
Allison is a native Iowan whose keen sense of precision and composition earned her a degree in Photography from CU. Her passionate nature finds plentiful modes of expression­. When she isn't waist deep in powder she may be found penning a story, up to her biceps in pottery clay, or wandering Colorado's gorgeous canyons in search of the perfect water hole. On her next trip to Asia she'll be tasked with capturing portraits and the area's stunning landscapes on her vintage, medium format, twin reflex-lens Ricoh.

Katie Weiland Trip Coordinator
Katie holds degrees in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin. A love of travel and different cultures was indulged in a year abroad studying in Costa Rica, soaking up its culture, and exploring its eco-systems. A self-confessed music junkie, she’s a fixture at local bluegrass venues and jamband concerts. An abiding love of animals has defined Katie since childhood: she’s been a dedicated vegetarian (and sometime vegan) since the age of 12, and is an impassioned supporter of animal rights. Weekends will find her hiking through Boulder’s beautiful foothills with her English bulldog and American terrier.