Meet Sara
Traveler | Vegan | Artist
Hello! I’m Sara
My passion for travel began long before I imagined becoming a tour operator. Before I founded Life is More, I was an artist, traveler, vegan, pilot, and lifelong learner with a curiosity about the world, the people who shape it and the stories behind the places I visit.
Below, you'll learn a little about me, the experiences that shaped my approach to travel, and why I founded Life is More.
At 24, I set off on my first extended solo trip with a backpack and a a one-way ticket to South America.
Over the next four months, I traveled through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia on a shoestring budget, staying with local families and volunteering at an ashram in Ecuador, hiking the Inca Trail through the jungle for four days to Machu Picchu in Peru, volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation center to work with monkeys for a month in Bolivia, and much more.
I learned many new skills, met incredibly intelligent and interesting people, and created memories that will stay with me for life. This incredible experience gave me the confidence to explore the world independently, taught me that I’m good at it, and inspired a lifelong passion for travel and Latin American culture.
A few years later, while pursuing my career in graphic design and marketing, I learned to hang glide.
My hunger to fly eventually brought me to Valle de Bravo, Mexico. At this time, the location wasn’t so well known, but I heard a rumor that it was a great place to fly. So, despite not having taken a day off in two years from my senior marketing role at a well-known craft brewery, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to check it out. I took the leap to embark on this new adventure, and it was there that my life changed. I fell in love with the culture, with the flying, and with Spanish. While I was there, renting a glider from a local hang gliding tourism business, I offered advice to the owner when we discussed his desire to develop an international tour program but wasn’t sure yet how best to proceed. At that time, they mainly focused on offering tandems to local residents but wanted to expand. By the end of the trip, I left with a job offer I never expected.
Of course I accepted it.
After returning home briefly to tie loose ends and pack up my life, I moved to Mexico to help develop an international tourism program for the hang gliding community in Valle de Bravo, a quiet destination that would later become one of the world's premier flying sites for both hang gliders and paragliders.
Living in Mexico is where I began my Spanish-learning journey, a pursuit that continues to shape my life today. There, I immersed myself in a culture that challenged and inspired me on every level. What began as a practical necessity eventually became a serious passion. Learning Spanish opened doors to amazing friendships, slower, more intentional cultural experiences, and a better understanding of the places I visit. After returning to the United States, I continued making regular trips back to Mexico, exploring new regions, and strengthening my connection that first began in Valle de Bravo.
While my early solo travels have been adventurous and those experiences taught me a great deal about myself and the world, over time, I found myself slowing down. I became more interested in the qualities that make each place unique. I became fascinated by the artisan who has spent decades perfecting a technique passed down through generations, the local guide whose knowledge comes from years of dedicated learning about the stories of their home, or that natural wonder that takes you outside of yourself.
My tours reflect that evolution. They are intentionally designed to be comfortable, accessible, and welcoming while still offering opportunities for real connection and education for niche passions that I also hold. My focus is on creating experiences that allow people to relax and engage with the space around them while helping to build communities around their passion.
Over the years, friends, family, and fellow travelers would tell me, "I wish I could travel the way you do."
What they meant wasn't about roughing it, or the number of destinations they could visit. They were talking about the opportunity to connect with people and experiences in a way that felt genuine. For me, the most memorable travel experiences have always come from meeting new people, a sense of discovery and being in a new place that made me feel alive. There is something about travel that can wake you up in a way that nothing in our day-to-day lives can. I realized there was a gap between the kinds of experiences many people were looking for and the types of tours that were often available.
That's why I founded Life is More.
Throughout my life, I've been drawn to communities built around shared passions. Whether through art, language learning, travel, veganism or outdoor adventure, I've found that some of the most meaningful experiences happen when people come together around something they genuinely care about. Those experiences have shaped how I travel and how I design my tours.
Through Life is More, I create small-group experiences for people who want to engage more meaningfully with the places they visit while learning more about something they're passionate about. My tours are built around the things that genuinely inspire me: art, language, food, community, nature and culture. I believe travel is most rewarding when we listen, learn, and engage with the people who call a place home.
My background as an artist continues to influence the way I experience the world.
Since childhood, creating has been as natural to me as breathing. Whether through painting, drawing, photography, writing, illustration, design, or whatever, I've always been fascinated by the stories people tell in any number of ways. Life is an art form and creativity impacts everything we experience. Those interests of course draw me toward artisans, makers, and cultural traditions wherever I travel, and they inspire many of the experiences I choose to share with my guests.
When I'm not planning tours or exploring Mexico, you'll usually find me creating art, studying Spanish, playing chess, spending time outdoors, or playing with my dog.
Over the years, I've invested countless hours into building relationships, exploring regions and vetting experiences. I’ve learned how to optimize time and what makes an exceptional trip. Through Life is More, I bring that knowledge together to create carefully curated journeys that balance comfort and authenticity.
My hope is that every person leaves feeling like a welcomed guest in the places we've visited, while sharing the experience with a community of like-minded people who are passionate about the same things.