About Us
Meet Steve Jermanok
Dream Day Designer
In the summer of 1990, Steve Jermanok left his job as a broker in Manhattan and booked a year-long ticket to the South Pacific. Upon his return, he would write his first article, “Dining with Descendants of Cannibals in Fiji,” for The Miami Herald. Today, he is considered one of America’s most prolific travel writers, having explored close to 100 countries and written over 2000 articles on a broad range of subjects, from food to art to adventure. In 2012, Steve opened ActiveTravels with his wife, Lisa, with the desire to create the same magical adventures he had the good fortune to savor firsthand. He uses his contacts around the globe to create authentic travel experiences for his clients that only a local could know.
Steve’s Top 10 Travel Experiences:
1.
Going scuba diving off the coast of Bali. Eighty feet below the water, I look over and see my brother Jim waving at me. He had never scuba dived before and was certainly not certified.
2.
Staring at the Eiffel Tower from the window of our sumptuous suite at the Plaza Athenee in Paris.
3.
Feeling like Lawrence of Arabia while being pelted by a sandstorm in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
4.
Going an hour out of way to try the highly praised Iskender Kebap at a restaurant in Kayseri, Turkey. It was worth the detour!
5.
Spending our day in the seaside city of Busan, South Korea. Started our visit atop a hillside at Gamcheon Cultural Village and ended aboard a catamaran on a sunset cruise.
6.
Watching my family rock climb up a sheer cliff in the Canadian Rockies.
7.
Getting in a jumping contest with Maasai villagers in the Masai Mara region of Kenya.
8.
Hiking to Lake Tangimauthia on the island of Taveuni, Fiji. To reach this volcanic lake hidden inside the island’s mountainous interior, we had to trudge through mud and water up to our waist for almost a mile. It led to one of my most memorable stories.
9.
Getting freshly made challah and halvah on a Friday afternoon at the Mehane Yehudah market in Jerusalem.
10.
Seeing a family of scarlet macaws on a tree in the Costa Rican rainforest. You couldn’t help but hear them, they were squawking so loudly.
Meet Lisa Leavitt
Curator of Travel Joy
After working in the arts for two decades as curator and content writer at several art museums including The Jewish Museum in New York and the Danforth Art Museum in Framingham, MA, Lisa Leavitt decided to fly over to the travel industry, joining her husband Steve to co-found ActiveTravels. She is now recognized as one of New England’s top travel advisors, using those same detail-oriented skills she learned as curator to custom-design memorable trips around the world based on people’s passions. Favorite trips she designed include Searching for Orangutans in Sumatra, Finding Aboriginal Art Colonies in the Australian Outback, and a Private Yacht Sail from Bora Bora to Raiatea, French Polynesia.
Lisa’s Top 10 Travel Experiences:
1.
Taking a breathtakingly beautiful seaplane ride from Whistler to Victoria in British Colombia and just walking two minutes with my suitcase from the seaport to my hotel at the Fairmont Empress.
2.
Canoeing down a river in the French Polynesian island, Raiatea, and meeting some children laughing as they swung from the tree into the river. Soon after, they showed us around their island leading us to a papaya field where the vines grew over our heads.
3.
Meeting Jambo the elephant in Botswana on my first safari.
4.
Being among the crowds in Venice during their riotous holiday of Carnevale in February.
5.
Biking to Monet’s gardens in Giverny and seeing the artist’s paintings come to life before my eyes.
6.
Riding a dune buggy fast through the forests of Negril in Jamaica with my son.
7.
Discovering what a sea cucumber was on the most magical island in the Marquesas in the middle of the South Pacific.
8.
Riding a hot air balloon high above the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. Photo: Hot Air Balloon in Cappadocia.
9.
Finding hidden beaches and lively squares in a small Greek island called Folegandros on our honeymoon.
10.
Enjoying a sail on a schooner to a private island off of Camden Maine to indulge in an authentic Maine lobster bake with my family and friends.
Meet Rachel DeLong
Director of Fun
Rachel graduated Newton’s Lasell College with a degree in Fashion Design and a minor in Special Event Planning and EcoTourism. From 2012 to 2014, she worked at Liberty Travel, specializing in honeymoons. She took a hiatus to raise two adorable boys before joining ActiveTravels in January 2017. Rachel now handles many of our Wellness trips, Girls Getaways, and travels to the Caribbean and Scandinavia.
Rachel’s Top 10 Travel Experiences:
1.
Seeing the worlds most spectacular sunsets in Namibia and South Africa.
2.
Watching the northern lights from a traditional Sami Lavu.
3.
Exploring Machu Picchu one of the 8 wonders of the world.
4.
Spending the night in a hammock in the Brazilian Amazon Jungle listening to monkeys, jaguars, parrots while I slept.
5.
Visiting viking ruins and grave sights in Sweden.
6.
Spending the Night at Cabra Castle in Ireland on my honeymoon and hanging out with their Irish wolf hound, Henry.
7.
Living in London for 6 months to study Fashion design.
8.
Climbing ice glaciers in Iceland with my husband.
9.
Horseback riding in Kauai on cliffs near the ocean while watching.
10.
Stuffing my face with gelato in Italy.