Our Story

your adventure, your way

We understand that your travel should reflect your unique interests and style. You want to feel connected, understand the soul of the destination, and rest assured that you are receiving guidance to make the most of your irreplaceable travel investment.

We take the time to get to know you so you can benefit from the careful craftsmanship of custom travel design to enjoy off-the-beaten path destinations, unique adventures, and creative solutions to balance your priorities. We offer expert guidance, versatility, attention to quality, and a global network of partnerships to create your most memorable milestones. Learn More - How It Works

a zebra looks across the Masai Mara grassland at sunset on wildlife safari tours in Kenya

your travel experts

Darcie Smith

Founder of Painted Dog Travel & Travel Curator

For the last two decades, Darcie Smith has been immersed in adventure and wildlife travel across continents and disciplines, building a massive network of industry relationships and destination expertise. Darcie's double bachelor's degree in Art History and Marketing from the University of Colorado with an emphasis in International Business is perfectly utilized in the travel industry where she brings versatility and breadth of interest to her travel design. Her career experience includes over a decade of customized nature and adventure travel sales where she grew from director of sales into business ownership. Her travel industry history has also included guiding and escorting over 55 group tours to worldwide destinations including India, Botswana, Zambia, Fiji, and Mexico.

Darcie enjoys mixing travel styles and activities to create a symphony of experience. Careful to balance quality and cost, and knowing that travel style is tremendously subjective, Darcie is motivated by travel design that sets the stage for meaningful milestones and leaves a lasting positive impact on both the traveler and the communities they visit. Her travel passion is rooted in a love of the natural world and the magnificence of human civilizations, both of which are most enriching when paired with top quality guiding and local connection.

She is also a landscape painter, an avid scuba diver, hiker, mountain biker, and wildlife enthusiast.

Darcie was featured in ‘U.S. News’ article as an expert on Solo Travel for Women

Nicole Baksa

Social Media & Operations

Nicole Baksa is the ultimate project manager. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Advertising from the University of Colorado and went on to start her own wedding planning business, which she ran successfully in Savannah, Georgia for fifteen years as her family grew. Since moving back to Colorado, Nicole has been a full time mother of four sons who are keeping her on her organizational toes. Her skills with creating celebratory experiences blend perfectly with the organizational needs of operations and marketing to provide careful attention to travel detail and special experiences.