Our Team
Intrepid Travelers. Passionate. Professional. Happy.
Laura Hagler
Travel Specialist
Laura grew up in Missouri counting the days till she could set off and see the world. After jumping at the chance to study abroad in the UK and travel through Europe and Africa, she returned to Florida Atlantic University to complete her Sculpture degree. Following her interest in Asian Art and heeding her ever growing wanderlust, she moved to rural Japan to live and work for the next five years. A passion for road tripping and mountains led her to explore and hike her way through the hidden corners of Japan, obsessing over museums, temples, and dodging the occasional monkey. Living in Asia was a dream come true and allowed her to dive with sharks in Sipadan, taste the finest street food in Yangon, celebrate New Years on the banks of the Ganga, and trade recipes with the local grandmas in Japan's onsen. She loves to help her clients soak up the unique culture of the countries they visit. Talk to Laura about travel to Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania and more.
Laura Roundy
Travel Specialist
Laura's love of adventure began by climbing trees in New England and reading her grandmother's subscription to National Geographic magazine. She then lived in the melting pot of Montreal while pursuing a degree in Literature and Cultural Studies. Post college found her living abroad in Costa Rica for 6 months during a volunteer internship and language immersion program. Laura then embarked on a one-year backpacking trip that took her all over Nepal, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Upon her return, she settled down on the West Coast in the San Francisco Bay Area. After brief stints working in academia and Silicon Valley, Laura began her adventure travel career in 2002 and never looked back. She truly enjoys working with clients to develop their ideal trip and is passionate about tourism that gives back to local communities. Her specialty areas include Africa (9 times and counting!), Asia, and Latin America.
Valentina Michaels
Travel Specialist
Growing up with a father who traveled internationally for work, it’s no surprise that Valentina’s wanderlust emerged at a young age. Following a college semester abroad in Scotland, Valentina decided to pursue a Master’s degree in International Tourism Administration from George Washington University, with an emphasis on Ecotourism & Sustainable Development in Latin America. Her thesis led Valentina to Belize, Venezuela and northern Guatemala, where she worked with ProPeten (in partnership with Conservation Int'l). Now with 20+ years of travel industry experience and having visited 22 countries, Valentina continues her work throughout Latin America and Africa with a focus on adventure, eco and philanthropic travel. Equally comfortable in the office, exploring the rainforest, or out on safari, Valentina is thrilled to be working with Global Basecamps and helping create highly customized, off the beaten path adventures for her clients.
Celeste Michaels
Product Specialist
Raised in a family of avid travelers, Celeste was always interested in seeing the world. Moving to Sweden at 16 cemented her love for other cultures and exploration. Since then she has travelled all around Europe & Central America, and lived abroad in several countries. Passionate about cultural connections, new adventures, and giving back to local communities, Celeste is thrilled to help clients curate trips of a lifetime!
Alys Landeros
Travel Associate
From a young age, Alys was taught that education and travel come in tandem. With this in mind, her travel experience started out as a study abroad in Alicante, Spain where she learned Spanish and spent every other weekend traveling to different countries all over Europe. Soon after graduating, Alys went back across the pond to teach English in Prague, Czech Republic for the next two years while soaking up the local history and enjoying the City of a Hundred Spires. With a clear passion for travel, she returned to the states and began her exciting career in the adventure travel industry. Since then, she’s hiked across the Balkans, explored the remote wonders of Iceland, summited volcanoes in adventure packed Guatemala and even ventured to the end of the world in Patagonia. Having visited over 25 counties, Alys loves to talk travel and help match clients to their dream destinations with unique, unforgettable itineraries.
Michael D'Amico
Co-founder
In 2005, Michael D’Amico and his wife Casey embarked on a year-long journey, across the globe. Taking a full year to completely emerge themselves into various cultures was a life changing experience The experience was the beginning of a passion project, which would enable those seeking an authentic, unparalleled, experience of a lifetime, to have the perfect trip. This was the beginning of Global Basecamps. Michael D’Amico, the Co-Founder of Global Basecamps, has over 20 years of experience leading the success of operations, in some of the most competitive ecosystems, domestically and abroad. Michael oversees Global Basecamps’ strategic planning and pilots its day-to-day operation. He has deep expertise in multi-channel sales, service operations, and strategic partnership and alliance development. When Mike is not working he enjoys traveling and spending quality time with his wife, daughter, Olivia, and son, Leo. And, he looks forward to showing Olivia, Leo, and you, just how beautiful the world is.