We Approach Travel As A Lifestyle
Collaborating with Undiscovered Sunsets ensures your customized itinerary is fully vetted, experience focused, and worthy of your investment - in both time and money.
We approach travel as a lifestyle. And our guess is, you do as well, which means there’s always another trip on the horizon.
Collaborating with us on each of your trips, big and small, means that you can focus on what’s most important (which shoes you’re going to pack and if your phone has space for all those photos) knowing that, together with our exceptional in-destination partners, an itinerary has been authentically and intentionally created for you, the smallest of details have been attended to, and you have professionals on your side, who will advocate for you when challenges arise.
Pour a glass of wine and from now on, enjoy planning your travels just as much as you enjoy the trip itself.
Founder’s Story
Whitney lived as an expat for 10 years (in New Zealand, France, & China) and has traveled to 30+ destinations, sometimes backpacking on a shoestring, other times flying private and enjoying the finest service private guides and luxury hotels have to offer.
On what accidentally became a two-week solo trip in Indonesia, she realized for the first time the lack of authenticity and of a personal touch her travels included because she was letting a guidebook produced for the masses lead the way. Although she enjoyed her travels in Indonesia, she flew home knowing there had to be a better way.
Two years later, her family hired a travel agency to plan their travels in Europe. She was skeptical from the beginning and couldn’t understand why a travel agent was needed. She was also disappointed as she had always enjoyed planning the details of their family travels. During this time, she was living in Shanghai, working in a 5-star hotel, striving to exceed the expectations of their guests every step of the way. This meant that she was generally impossible to impress when it came to service and to the smallest of details.
Upon arrival in Germany, this travel agency blew her away with the details, the customization of the itinerary to their interests and travel style, and the personal touches included every step of the way. It was on this trip that she was inspired to combine her professional background in hospitality with her personal experience traveling the world and living as an expat, to transform these experiences into a business where she could guide travelers to discover the authenticity of a destination that she felt was so often missing. It was on that trip that she began to write the outline of her business plan.
Undiscovered Sunsets, our values and our innovative approach to trip design for the well-traveled, is fueled by the mélange of her personal experience living abroad and traveling the world and her professional experience working in hospitality.
“While my expertise lies in the luxury travel sphere, I believe the greatest luxury of all is designing your trip with intention and traveling in a way that speaks to your heart, to your mind, and to your soul in that moment, on that trip. ”
Meet The Team
Whitney Shindelar
Founder & Principal Travel Advisor
Always sipping on a beverage, treating every meal as if it’s my last (I’ll regret a mediocre meal for days), probably snacking on salty popcorn or something with peanut butter. In my previous life, I wanted to train Olympic athletes (I have a degree in Exercise Science); in my next life, I’ll probably be an Engineer (Industrial, most likely, but I’m leaving my options open). If I’m not in my office, you’ll find me in the kitchen or on my Peloton.
Some fun facts about Whitney…
Most Memorable Trip: Exploring Bangkok & Sailing on Star Clippers in Thailand
On every trip, I look for… a good hike, local coffee, and memorable dining experiences
Languages: French, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish (ish)
If I could live anywhere… Amsterdam!
Laurie Carruth
Travel Advisor
Laurie loves stepping out of her comfort zone to see how people live, what they eat, and learning about their customs and traditions. She loves to fit 10 gallons of travel in a 5 gallon bucket. She’ll keep you busy to ensure you experience all that a destination has to offer.
Some fun facts about Laurie…
Most Memorable Trip: A month-long backpacking trip through Asia with only one pair of shoes. I still have them and I still love them!
On every trip, I look for… local markets for amazing food and authentic souvenirs
Languages: passable French & Spanish plus the words “hello”, “thank you”, and “bathroom” in many others
If I could live anywhere… It would be London. Samuel Johnson was right, “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford"
“Every one of a hundred thousand cities around the world had its own special sunset and it was worth going there, just once, if only to see the sun go down.”
We’re Pretty Passionate About What We Do
Collaboration
We design your experience from start to finish, together. We’re here to curate a selection of experiences just for you, to guide you through the trip design process, and to support you during your travels.
Innovation
Ten years of living as an expat, personally visiting 30+ countries, 4 years working in a 5* hotel, and 6 years as a professional travel advisor means that our approach to trip design is innovative and discerning.
Intention
I strive to authentically connect travelers to the people and culture of a destination by curating experiences and collaborating with partners on the ground with intention.
Empathy
We approach each trip design as if it were our own, we look to maximize value, and we proactively take steps to mitigate any potential challenges.
Transparency
Every recommendation has been vetted by travel professionals with the highest standards. We work on a fee + commission basis to maximize the value of your investment. The price you pay will always be the same or lower than if you book the trip yourself.