A cultural anthropologist at heart, Jennifer Spatz is Founder of Global Family Travels, whose mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse,” offering travellers the opportunity to authentically connect with the local people, cultures and natural environment of the destinations they visit.  She is a Transformational Travel Designer and Ally for the Transformational Travel Council and served as a Chapter Lead for the Greater Seattle Chapter of Impact Travel Alliance.

Jennifer is passionate about creating family-friendly trips that are impactful and transformative, encouraging travellers of all ages to become both stewards of the environment and citizens of the world.  Her wanderlust stems from years of traveling with her own family as a young child, living in many countries, including Austria, Germany, Norway, Taiwan to Turkey.  She is blessed to have enjoyed multi-cultural travel experiences, which both forged a deep bond among her immediate family members and made her realize that travel, at its most rewarding and fulfilling, encourages genuine and meaningful interaction with others that ultimately leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of yourself and those you meet on the journey.

Jennifer’s vision is to unite humanity and inspire travellers to take responsibility for the challenges and opportunities facing our increasingly inter-connected planet. Using regenerative tourism principles, and in partnership with global and local non-profits, the trips that Jennifer designs support many United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), such as quality education, conservation and gender equality, and feature a unique mix of cultural and educational activities, homestays and participation in projects aimed at directly improving the lives of people in the communities visited.

As a thought leader in the travel industry, Jennifer uses a regenerative approach to tourism, to ensure that the travel experiences she designs benefit local communities and intentionally improve social and environmental systems so that all beings can thrive.  She has spoken about the topic at several travel conferences and was featured in a recent Podcast on the topic:  Regenerative Tourism: When Sustainability isn’t Enough and featured in Travel Age West magazine:  Regenerative Meets Family Fun.

She has also been recognized by Travel & Leisure for the development of Impactful family-friendly trips, including This Family Trip to Iceland Will Teach Kids About Climate Change to Inspire a Better Future.

Prior to founding Global Family Travels, Jennifer spent her career in international development, trade, and finance and holds a double B.A. in International Studies and Anthropology from Bates College, and a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.  Having worked in the international development field in the early part of her career, Jennifer firmly believes that sustainable tourism can make a meaningful contribution to people’s lives and our planet and can be an instrument for positive change in our world.