How It Started: Looking for the origin story?

As Tapestry Travel grows and develops, things may move around on the website from time to time. Here’s the original Who We Are page from when Tapestry Travel launched. The current Who We Are page accurately describes where we’re at now, but for those interested in how it all began, here’s the origin story! :)

Hi! I’m Hannah Eklund, Travel Advisor and Owner of Tapestry Travel.

And I believe that travel is for everyone!  Let me explain…

In 2018 I took a trip that opened the door to the world for me.  I had never traveled outside the United States and Canada, and prior to this adventure, part of me had always believed that international travel was either for the very wealthy or the very brave, and I felt like neither.  What I DID have was an insatiable curiosity, a passion for adventure, and an armful of unfulfilled, world travel dreams I’d been carrying around since I was a little girl.  So what did I do?  What I guess most people would do: Fly alone to the other side of the globe, meet a group of strangers, and travel around with them for a couple of weeks in a country where I mostly knew how to say, “What’s your name?”   “Hello,” “Thank you,” and “So pretty!”  

That trip was transformative for me in so many ways,but the best way was how it opened my eyes to how possible travel really is.  I truly believe travel is for everyone -the budget traveller and the moneyed traveller.  You don’t need a lot of money to experience a place: to meet and share moments with locals and other travellers; to soak in the culture, art and history of somewhere new; to enjoy the natural wonders of our beautiful planet; to rejoice in the unique vibe of a city; to eat delicious food and to sleep in a place that’s safe and comfortable.  You can also enjoy all of these things at a level of luxury, if your budget allows and that’s what you like! 

Tapestry Travel began at my dining room table, as long pandemic days turned into long pandemic nights.  I was up late, reading my fourth travel guide that year, and planning my fifth trip.  Travel to most places still  felt like a distant dream, but it was one that occupied my thoughts and tugged at my heart constantly.  Now at its most impossible, travel felt more important than ever.   It started with a brief, secluded family getaway to the Washington coast in the summer.  Then researching and booking an extensive trip to Yellowstone National Park for the following summer -a dice roll, I knew, but one I was willing to take.  Soon I was planning international trips for “someday, when the world is normal:”  my next trip (or two) to India; a special mother-daughter trip around France; a tour I wanted to take around Morocco.  It was one night when I surfaced from deep  in the pages of a Moroccan guide book that a light bulb blinked on in my head, “I want to be a travel agent.”  

I never felt so much like myself as when I shouldered my bag and walked through that airport, headed off alone to the other side of the world.  I want every client of Tapestry Travel to embark on their adventures filled with that same confidence and excitement, ready to make memories and share in all the beauty and wonder that is this world and her people.  Let’s make your travel dreams come true! Check out the other sections of the site to get a  feel for how using a travel advisor works and thank you for choosing Tapestry Travel.  For supporting my new business during its first year, I have a special perk for you!  Head on over to FAQs to check it out.

Happy Trails, Travellers!  I am delighted to be on this journey with you!

-Hannah