Michael’s approach to travel is rooted in a lifelong curiosity about culture — the kind that leads you off the beaten path and deep into the soul of a place.
From Buddhist monasteries in Thailand and Bhutan to the food markets of Oaxaca and Marrakech, he seeks out the authentic over the obvious, with an instinctive feel for a city’s creative pulse — its restaurants, its design, its music, its emerging neighborhoods. He has a well-honed instinct for discovering emerging destinations and exceptional properties well before they enter the mainstream conversation.
What truly sets Michael apart is two decades at the forefront of the contemporary art world — working directly with artists represented by the world’s leading galleries, advising blue-chip private collections, and cultivating deep relationships across the global art and culture community. That world demands a sharp eye, sophisticated taste, and an instinct for what’s exceptional. He brings all of that to travel, designing journeys that go beyond the expected — an exclusive studio visit with an artist, a private tour of a museum exhibition with the curator, a culturally immersive experience that could only be conceived by someone who has spent a lifetime in that world.
His curiosity extends to the physical world with equal intensity — heliskiing the vast wilderness of British Columbia, seeking untracked lines in the lesser-known backcountry of the Swiss Alps, or chasing swells along the wild coasts of Nicaragua. Adventure, for Michael, is simply another form of exploration — one that requires the same instinct for the authentic and the exceptional.
Through his relationship with industry veteran Julie Palo Hayes and the Ramble + Vine team, Michael has quickly built access to some of the most respected relationships and resources in luxury travel. For clients who care deeply about culture, art, and authentic experience, and whose lives demand discretion and seamless execution, Michael crafts journeys that are as personal as they are extraordinary.
Botswana is at the very top of my travel list, and the more I learn about everything this destination has to offer, the more I understand why it occupies a singular place in the world of luxury travel. What sets it apart for me is how utterly unique it is — this is not the safari you’ve seen in magazines. The Okavango Delta is a place that defies logic: a massive inland river system that floods the Kalahari Desert each year, creating a labyrinth of waterways, islands and lagoons teeming with wildlife. Trading a game vehicle for a traditional mokoro canoe and gliding silently through papyrus channels while a hippo surfaces ten feet away — that’s the kind of moment that rewires you. Layer on top of that some of the most thoughtfully designed and breathtakingly located luxury camps in Africa, where the word “remote” feels like a privilege rather than an inconvenience, and Botswana starts to feel less like a destination and more like a calling. For my clients who feel they’ve done Africa, this is where I send them next — and I cannot wait to experience it alongside them.
Choosing just one travel experience feels nearly impossible, but the first that comes to mind is spending a full moonlit evening with my wife and an Incan shaman at Machu Picchu. We had the entire sanctuary to ourselves, the ancient stone terraces bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, creating an atmosphere of pure serenity and magic. As the shaman led us through a sacred ceremony, the energy of the place felt almost palpable — connecting us to the spiritual essence of the land. He spoke in Quechua, the language of the Inca, and even without understanding the words, their meaning somehow reached us. My wife and I felt bound to each other and to the world around us in a way that is difficult to put into words. The vastness of the Andean mountains, the stillness of the night, and the profound sense of history and mysticism made it utterly unforgettable.
Keep up with the places that deserve more than a bookmark, but a check-in.
