Meet our new Operations Specialist, Kayli Kirkegaard! She began working in international travel as an in-country guide for high school travel groups in Central America and is now excited to help Knowmad travelers become enraptured with Latin America time and time again. Read on to find out what Kayli’s passions are, what motivates her, why she is drawn to the travel industry and more…
Words with Kayli: An Interview With Knowmad’s New South America Operations Specialist & Travel INdustry expert
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF…
Minnesota born and raised, I love the changing of the seasons: the lakes in the summer, colorful leaves in the fall, ice skating in the winter and hiking in the spring. With a mild addiction to Pinterest, brunch and live music, I also read avidly and sing often. I am intrigued by the interactions of cultures and peoples, and after studying sociology and anthropology in college and traveling with every possible free moment, I have found a little music, a little love and a lot of life! Travel, both close to home and far away, reminds us that the world is a colorful, intricate and wondrous place waiting to be explored.
Fun Facts Countdown
5 words to describe you? Enthusiastic, craft-y, patient, positive, curious
4 things you like to do? Do puzzles, salsa dance, sing, lay by the ocean
3 biggest addictions? Dark chocolate, watching HGTV, splurging on scrapbooking supplies
2 favorite places? My family’s cabin on Palmer Lake, Jarabacoa in the Dominican Republic
1 little known fact? I’m allergic to nickel
Travel Countdown
5 South America Bucket List destinations? Iguazú Falls, The Galápagos Islands, Bariloche in Argentina, Lake Titicaca, Los Roques in Venezuela
4 Favorite drinks or foods from your travels? Mate tea in Peru, lemon soda in Cinque Terre, chinola (passion fruit) juice in the Caribbean, sopapillas in Chile
3 Things to read while traveling? National Geographic, the classic travel novel On the Road by Kerouac, anything by Carlos Ruíz Zafón
2 Favorite travel memories? Star gazing in the Atacama Desert, hiking to waterfalls in Panama
1 Must-have travel item? Ziplock bags – useful for for a gazillion things
What are your passions?
What do you crave? I crave late night rambling conversations with friends, watching my flowers grow, and chocolate ice cream. I crave time with my family, nights in front of the fireplace, outdoor music festivals and visiting waterfalls.
What do you love to read about? I love reading fiction novels set in the 1800s and early 1900s, and being transported to a world unlike any I know. I am also enthralled by news on global climate change and the science surrounding what we’re currently witnessing in our environment.
What do you daydream about? They say “where your mind goes when it wanders is where your heart is.” My night-owl tendencies mean that much of my daydreams actually happen late in the evening, when I imagine ambitious interior design projects and intricate scrapbooks that I want to spend days creating and crafting.
What are you living for? My goal in this world is to create positive energy. By focusing on this we can live dynamically, connect deeply and see differently. It takes intentionality to only focus on the positive, but that is how we can make this world a better place.
Chau Chau, Kayli
Kayli is an Operations Specialist at Knowmad Adventures, a company dedicated to creating unique, private and custom trips in South America. She has danced, swam, zip-lined and hiked all over Central and South America and is always excited to help others dream and plan their adventures. Read Kayli’s biography and others to learn more about the Knowmad team.
