Trusting someone else with your family’s travel experience, thousands of dollars and precious vacation time off from work is a tall order.  It can be nerve wracking despite the service you’ll receive.  That’s why you deserve to know who you’re working with up front.  I want you to have a better understanding of who I am and feel like you actually know me.  Isn’t it interesting that, with today’s technology, social media, video and voice, it is possible to know someone without even meeting face to face.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot we never know about people we do business with, I am not naive to that.  But connection and trust is possible.  I sure wish I could meet each client face to face.  That simply isn’t a reality.  I am an Oregon travel advisor, based in my hometown.  I love where I live, and despite wanting to move a few times in recent years, God has settled us here.  For that, I am grateful and peaceful. Today, my hope is that you can get to know me a bit, that I can earn your trust and encourage you. I want you to say in your heart, or out loud if you’re a talk-to-yourself kind of person, “Hey!  This Shelby is my kind of people.”  If you love your family, enjoy your children and put value and priority on your marriage, the family unit, time well spent and rest and peace over busy-just-to-be-busy, you’re my kind of people!

Hi, I’m Shelby

First and foremost, I am a Christian gal. If that turns you off, that’s ok.  I serve a God of grace and mercy, and I’m happy you came by, and I hope you stay.  You do not have to believe the same as I do.  Oh, I do hope one day everyone will come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Though not the primary purpose of my content, it is an eternal part of who I am, and I do talk about it.  I hope that despite our difference in beliefs, you could still get to know me and the service I can provide you as your vacation planning expert.  You are my kind of people because you were created by God in His image, and I am happy to serve you when the need arises.

If you’re a Christian too, or somewhere in between, I’m happy you’re here, also.  Either way, my hope is to share a little about who I am as a person, a wife, mom and friend.  My faith is who I am.  My identity as a person is first found in Jesus.  Everything else flows from that.  I don’t profess to be perfect.  No one can, truthfully.  I love getting into the Word, a deep study and prayer.  I do not get to it as often as I’d like.  I love the Lord, I trust Him unconditionally, a trust I only more fully learned last year with a health crisis.  A story for another day.  But I can tell you, my relationship with the Lord is everything to me and you will see it in everything I do at Harbor and Hearth Travel.

I’m a wife to a wonderful husband and mother to three beautiful children.  Marriage and parenting have been the most wonderful and at the same time, the hardest experiences I’ve ever had!  Can you relate?  Both take work beyond comparison.  Both offer blessing and joy beyond anything else this world can offer.  I have been blessed to be a homemaker for the past 15 years.  I recently began building Harbor & Hearth Travel into the business I feel called to and really love doing.

I am a native Oregonian and Pacific Northwesterner.  I love this area of the country.  We are blessed to live on small acreage, which allows us to have our own brand of funny farm.  We have a horse for our cowgirl.  She is starting her barrel racing career.  We have a pet sheep.  She was an orphan and my friends called me up to take this little lamb.  She now thinks I’m her momma and she isn’t sure if she’s a sheep, dog or horse.  We’ve got dogs and cats also, and it all makes for a full heart.  My family enjoys all the critters.

I struggled with discontent with where we live for a long time.  We are about 25 mins from our main town where we do all our shopping and business.  But over the years, my heart’s been changed to contentment and joy and gratitude for where we live.  We have a beautiful view of the western sky and mountain range.  It provides such beautiful sun sets and a panoramic view of summer thunder and lightning storms right from our porch.  The porch is my favorite place to be from April to October.  You can find me porch sitting with my coffee some mornings, with a cocktail in the evening and soaking up the sun for a few minutes in the in between times.  The porch is where we eat dinner as a family sometimes, also.  Those times are always enjoyable.  Our children seem to open up more and talk with us when we’re outside under the sky.  My husband and I have some nice conversations as we unwind from our days out on the porch.  Something about creation and the vastness and handiwork of God does that to people.

I love sewing!  Any sewists out there?  It is a problem.  My fabric stash, patterns, notions everywhere.  It is a big, beautiful problem.

Why I Became a Travel Advisor

I had a career in banking and customer service prior to homemaking when we had children.  I have always loved serving people in a professional capacity, getting to know them and building relationships.  It has been 15 years since those days, and I still see and visit with past customers when we run into each other in town.  I love that about living in my home town.  I just love people.  I love visiting and getting to know people.   I also love travel and after my experiences traveling with and planning for my own family, it has really turned into a passion, a calling.  Traveling with my husband, just the two of us is always such a refreshing and wonderful time of reconnection.  After starting to travel with our girls as a family, we realized how rich it was taking our children along to new places and experiences.  We also regretted taking so long to do it!  I know the time and dedication it takes to nurture a marriage and raise multiple children.  It can be daunting, it is so hard some days, and it can be a thankless job.  We need rest from the day-to-day, we need time to connect with our spouses and children without the stress of the to-do list at home.  And our husbands need a break from the honey-do list.  It is also true that some people simply hate travel planning, don’t have time or it just stresses them out.

That is what I’m here for.  That is why I am a family travel advisor.  I didn’t know it at the time, but when my daughter said to me “You need to be a travel agent”, that was the catalyst to Harbor and Hearth Travel.  I didn’t realize how important travel was to me, and how I could use it to help other families like mine until she made that comment.  I put a lot of thought into why and how I could help couples and families see the value in investing time and money into life experiences, memories and time well spent with your family before the empty nest comes.  Harbor and Hearth Travel exists to encourage you, embolden you to take that leap and go!  Take that trip you’ve been dreaming of.  Let me handle the planning for you.  I promise, you won’t regret taking that time and making those memories you’ll cherish forever.

What Travel Means to Me

To me, travel isn’t about simply visiting beautiful places. It’s about making space for and connecting people who matter most.

Life is busy. Between work, raising children, maintaining a home, and keeping up with everyday responsibilities, it’s easy to put off the trips we’ve dreamed about and even the couples getaways we need. We tell ourselves we’ll go someday, when

life slows down or when the timing is better. But I’ve learned that those moments rarely just appear—we have to choose them and make them a priority.

Travel gives us something that everyday life often doesn’t: uninterrupted time together. Time to reconnect with your spouse. Time to laugh with your children. Time to step away from the never-ending to-do list and remember what matters most.

Some of my favorite memories have been made while traveling with my husband and our daughters. We’ve explored new places, experienced different cultures, tried new foods (frog legs!!  EEK!), and shared adventures we’ll talk about for years to come. Those experiences have enriched our family in ways I never expected, and I only wish we’d started sooner.

That’s why I believe travel is an investment, not an expense. The memories, the conversations, the traditions, and the perspective you gain last long after the suitcase is unpacked.

Have you ever heard someone say you should create the life you want so you don’t need an escape from it?  I always took that to mean you shouldn’t need a vacation if you’ve ordered your life correctly.  If that is what they were getting at, they’re wrong.  Creating a life with our families can and should include travel as a part of living life well, not as an escape.  So don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for enjoying life with travel and unplugging from the daily tasks and responsibilities once in a while.

As your family vacation planner, my goal is about more than planning a vacation. I want to make the process easy, remove the stress, and give you the confidence to finally take that trip you’ve been putting off. Because years from now, you won’t remember what was on your to-do list—you’ll remember where you were, who you were with, and how those moments made you feel.

If I can help create those moments for your family, then I’m doing exactly what I was called to do.

The Kind of Travel I Love Planning

If you’ve spent any time around me, you’ll quickly learn that I have a soft spot for cruises.

There’s just something special about waking up in a new destination each morning while only unpacking once. I especially love seeing whales, dolphins or other marine life as an unexpected treat.  I love the elegance of cruising—the beautiful ships, exceptional service, incredible dining, and the feeling of being completely taken care of. It’s a luxury experience that often delivers remarkable value, allowing you to explore multiple destinations in a single vacation without the hassle of constantly moving hotels.

That said, all-inclusive resorts are a very close second. Once my family experienced our first all-inclusive vacation, we were hooked. For land vacations, it’s hard to beat the value. Meals, drinks, entertainment, and so many activities are already included, making it easy to relax without constantly thinking about the next expense. As someone who genuinely enjoys cooking, I never thought I’d appreciate not having a kitchen—but on vacation, I love being able to truly unplug. No grocery shopping. No meal planning. No dishes. Just quality time with the people I love. (Although if the budget calls for it, I’m always happy to help plan a wonderful vacation that fits your priorities.)

Family vacations hold a special place in my heart because I know firsthand how those shared experiences shape childhood memories and strengthen relationships. Couples getaways give busy husbands and wives the opportunity to reconnect and simply enjoy being together again. Multi-generational vacations create precious opportunities for grandparents, parents, and grandchildren to make memories that span generations. And there’s something incredibly rewarding about helping someone finally check a bucket-list destination off their list after years of dreaming about it.

While I specialize in cruises and all-inclusive resorts, my true specialty is matching the right vacation to the right traveler. No matter where you’re headed, I take the time to understand your travel style, priorities, and budget so I can recommend the destination, cruise line, resort, or itinerary that’s the best fit for you—not just what’s popular.

Whether you’re dreaming of a Caribbean cruise, a luxury all-inclusive resort, a European river cruise, a family beach vacation, or the bucket-list trip you’ve been talking about for years, I’d love to help bring it to life. And if your plans look a little different—a girlfriends’ getaway, a guys’ golf trip, a solo adventure, a road trip, or an international tour—I’m happy to help with that too.

Whatever your destination, my goal is always the same: to take the stress out of planning so you can focus on making memories with the people who matter most.

What It’s Like to Work With Me

When you trust me with your vacation, you’re getting more than someone to book your trip—you’re gaining a travel partner who genuinely cares about making it everything you hoped it would be.

I’ll start by asking a lot of questions. Not because I’m checking boxes, but because I want to understand you. How do you like to travel? What excites you? What’s your budget? What are your priorities? What kind of memories do you hope to make? How do you want to feel during and upon returning home?  The more I know, the better I can recommend the right destination, cruise, resort, or itinerary for you.

You’ll always get my honest opinion. If I don’t think something is the best fit for your family, your budget, or your travel style, I’ll tell you—and I’ll explain why. My goal is never to sell you the most expensive vacation. It’s to help you choose the right one.

From there, I’ll take care of the details so you don’t have to. I’ll keep everything organized, answer your questions, help you navigate the planning process, and be there from the first conversation until you’re safely on your way. I want planning your vacation to feel almost as enjoyable as taking it.

And when departure day finally arrives, I’ll be just as excited as you are. I truly love seeing my clients head off on adventures they’ve been dreaming about and hearing all about them when they return.

Although Harbor & Hearth Travel is based in beautiful Central Oregon, I provide personalized travel planning for clients across the United States. Thanks to phone, email, video calls, and online planning tools, we can work together no matter where you call home. Whether you’re planning a cruise, an all-inclusive resort stay, a family vacation, a weekend getaway, or a bucket-list journey around the world, you’ll receive the same personal service and attention every step of the way.

What You Can Expect From Harbor & Hearth Travel

At Harbor & Hearth Travel, you can expect honest advice, thoughtful recommendations, clear communication, and personalized planning from start to finish. I’ll treat your vacation as if it were my own, always keeping your best interests at the center of every recommendation. My hope is that you’ll feel cared for, supported, and confident every step of the journey—before you leave, while you’re away, and long after you’ve returned home.

A Few Fun Facts About Me

Let’s Plan Something Wonderful

Whether you’re dreaming about your first cruise, celebrating a milestone, escaping to an all-inclusive resort, or planning the family vacation your kids will talk about for years to come, I’d be honored to help.

At Harbor & Hearth Travel, I believe some of life’s greatest moments happen when we step away from our routines and spend intentional time with the people we love. Those are the memories that stay with us long after the trip is over.

If you’re ready to start dreaming, have questions, or simply aren’t sure where to begin, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s create a vacation that’s thoughtfully planned, uniquely yours, and filled with memories you’ll treasure for years to come.

I can’t wait to hear where you want to go!