elevate destinations: who we are

Dominique Callimanopulos
Founder and President, Elevate Destinations

Dominique Callimanopulos, Founder of Elevate Destinations, is a lifetime world traveler committed to combining singular journeys with social good.

Dominique grew up witnessing the disparity between tourists and local conditions they visit and created Elevate Destinations to provide unique and enchanted travel for clients, while caring for local people, wildlife and natural resources.

Dominique studied the impact of tourism on social change in the Seychelle Islands for her Anthropology thesis at Wesleyan University and continued to explore global social and human conditions through 25 years of work with social change organizations in the fields of human rights, international development, environmental protection and psychology before founding Elevate Destinations in 2005.




Elevate Destinations: Make Travel Matter. Elevate Destinations is a designer of Responsive Travel: travel that makes a difference to the countries we visit. We custom design extraordinary individual, group and family trips, giving a percentage of profits to the protection of natural resources and community development in destination countries. Visits to community projects as well as short-term service and volunteer opportunities are available to all interested travelers. We also create donor trips for non-profit organizations to highlight their successful overseas work. Whenever possible, we select eco-luxury accommodations for our travelers: green options that do not compromise on aesthetics, amenities, service or security. We invite you to take a journey of a lifetime that also makes a lifetime of difference to others. Learn more about our team by selecting any photo on the left.

Kristie Giannetto
Program Director

Kristie is an avid environmentalist who is constantly searching for ways to integrate her passions for nature, travel, and human life. Having earned degrees in Environmental Studies and Spanish, she is focused on creating a sustainable way of life around the world. She is grateful for the amazing knowledge and relationships she has gained from the 15 different countries she has visited and she now thrilled to give back to those locations and many more through her work at Elevate Destinations.

Toby Fenwick-Wilson
Director of Travel, Africa

Toby is one of the leading rifle-licensed walking guides in East Africa, and he is a member of the Kenyan Professional Safari Guides Association.

He is an accomplished explorer whose quest for adventure has led him regularly into the more remote regions of Africa. He holds an MA honors degree in history, and the historical and cultural traditions of tribal Africa particularly fascinate him.

Toby's most recent exploits include leading a research team in to the off limits war zone of Southern Sudan and walking 350 miles through the deserts of Northern Kenya trading camels for a documentary film.

Toby's private client base includes royalty and the rich and famous of film, politics, and industry. His contacts within the conservation field are second to none.

Beyond Africa, he has led high-altitude treks in the Himalayas and been a university lecturer in northern China. Toby maintains a keen interest in these areas.

Andrea Atkinson
Special Project Coordinator, Sustainable Design

Andrea is a sustainability professional with a background in international relations, non-profit management and sustainable program development. Andrea grew up in Brazil, Bolivia and Niger and has travelled extensively, always with an eye for intercultural relationship-building and social and environmental perspectives.

Before starting her consulting entity, Scopa Group - providing sustainability solutions and programming for communities and companies, Andrea most recently worked with The Green Roundtable, a green building organization, launching and managing NEXUS Green Building Resource Center, an educational center in downtown Boston. She has a degree in International Relations with a focus on sustainable development, Latin America and Africa and has experience working with the United Nations and other national and international organizations.

With Elevate Destinations, Andrea designs and leads educational and interactive programs for green designers and social entrepreneurs to locations around the world with exemplary green building, sustainable community and other environmentally, economically and socially conscious elements.

Margaret Davies
Private Travel Associate

Margaret is a dedicated traveler and a committed environmentalist who believes that travel and the experiences one gains through exposure to different cultures shape our lives in invaluable ways. Margaret lived in the Turks and Caicos where she studied the social and environmental impact of increased tourism. This instilled in her a respect and admiration for local communities working to balance the economic advantages of tourism with the critical need to preserve their unique environments. She is delighted to be part of a company that weds the experience and exploration of new places with a focus on giving back and protecting the social and natural environments that make each destination so exceptional.

Kate is a graphic and web designer with a background in marketing and arts education. She has traveled extensively throughout New Zealand and has spent time in Kenya and Costa Rica.

Kate believes in the power of design and its ability to create positive social impact and meaningful relationships. She runs a design studio, Three Square Design, which provides creative services to creative and philanthropic companies.

Han Andre Iluk
SouthEast Asia Coordinator

Han organizes small group tours throughout the diverse islands of Southeast Asia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Bhutan, emphasizing education and awareness of people and their projects: to sustainable living from weavers of textiles to those working with orangutans in the forests of Borneo.

With a personal interest in Buddhist studies, Han has explored Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Bhutan. Han is particularly fascinated by the countries along the Mekong, which are undergoing tremendous cultural revival. When not traveling, Han devotes his time to promoting programs and grass roots education and environment projects.

Han founded the Sadhana Alam Indah Foundation in 2002 to help gain support to dedicated people and projects helping others to help themselves. Sadhana is a Sanskrit word that refers to the realization of our own nature and ability to journey a path of meaningful discovery.

Samantha Taylor
Associate Partner, Corporate Donor Travel

‘Sam’ Taylor focuses on reputation issues management, brand marketing and corporate social responsibility program development for the lifestyle, professional and financial services industries. She brings more than 15 years of experience in the business-to-consumer and business-to-business sectors having worked in both agency leadership and corporate marketing roles. Her key areas of expertise include developing strategic, collaborative cause-related marketing programs, value proposition and positioning, and not-for-profit/NGO alignment. A speaker and advocate of ‘Doing Good in Society,’ she consults with a diverse range of companies who are about to start, or currently engaged in, developing sustainable social, economic and environmental program initiatives.

A native of London, Sam spent an impressionable part of her childhood growing up in Kenya, East Africa. She is currently writing a thriller fiction novel based on her experiences and memories living in Kenya.

Sam is a member of The Marketing Executives Networking Group, The CRO, Financial Communications Society and The CMO Club. She is also a member of the faculty support group for The Broadway Theatre Project and serves on the Business Advisory Board for XpertUniverse, Inc.