About Us
Specialty: Group Travel
In 1999, two pillars of the Seattle area, Rick "the Peanut Man" and Sally Goodgion, started Catalyst Travel specializing in trips group trips. With Rick "the Peanut Man's" love for baseball and Sally's prior experience leading yearly groups to baseball's Spring Training, Catalyst Travel led its first group. Quickly, many other speciality groups were added to this list: the Holy Land, family reunions/trips, friend-cations, etc. As a result, people began looking to them as the "go-to" group specialists in the Seattle and Kent areas.
Over the years, Catalyst Travel has become a full-service agency providing travel services from the moment you walk out of your house to your destination and back home. All of the agents are dedicated to continuing the legacy for creating high-quality groups of various sizes. Group trips are not a "thing of the past." With CoVid-19 adjusting how travel is done, people want to be with their loved ones again. They just want to do it in a safe way. Having already established connects with travel providers, we are uniquely positioned to work with groups in this CoVid-Era to book private and semi-private groups with health and social distancing in mind.
Over the years, Catalyst Travel has become a full-service agency providing travel services from the moment you walk out of your house to your destination and back home. All of the agents are dedicated to continuing the legacy for creating high-quality groups of various sizes. Group trips are not a "thing of the past." With CoVid-19 adjusting how travel is done, people want to be with their loved ones again. They just want to do it in a safe way. Having already established connects with travel providers, we are uniquely positioned to work with groups in this CoVid-Era to book private and semi-private groups with health and social distancing in mind.
Our Agents
|
Sally Goodgion founded Catalyst Travel in 1999 after working in various local travel agencies in the greater Seattle area. After falling in love with everything baseball, she hosted her first Mariner's Spring Training trip and has never slowed down. Now she hosts group trips all around the world--Spring Training trips, Holy Land tours, business conferences, birthday trips, and anniversaries. Without a shadow of a doubt, Sally has established herself as a pillar in the Kent community. Oftentimes, she is seen at the coffee shops helping with various city initiatives and non-profits throughout the region. Instead of operating Catalyst Travel as a purely money-making business, she has positioned Catalyst Travel as a community-based enterprise that cares deeply for every person--no matter what race, ethnicity, religion, gender, creed, or political party.
Sally's favorite destination is Israel. After every trip, she exclaims all over again how much she loves this country--despite having gone over 20 times. Sally specializes in group travel of various kinds. |
|
Amy Johnson joined Catalyst Travel in 2018 after years of hospitality experience at 1) a local bed and breakfast, 2) one of the largest hotel chains in the world, and 3) most recently in casino entertainment. It's been Amy's lifelong dream to help people create an experience full of unique experiences, gut busting laughter, and impactful vacations.
Her favorite destination is a cruise of any type. Going to the Caribbean was a highlighted experience especially zip-lining through Cozumel. She had a blast with the railway excursions on the Alaska cruises and says, "Red-dog saloon should be on everyone's bucket list." Amy specializes in group cruises, honeymoon packages, and grant-funded travel. Without a doubt, any time you work with Amy, you'll come away from the experience with a smile on your face and a good story to tell your friends. |
|
Anthony Johnson joined Catalyst Travel in 2018. After going through graduate school in International Community Development from Northwest University, Anthony saw the need for people to travel with a purpose. He says, "There's so much happening in the world that we need to be aware of and get involved in. There's extreme poverty and sex trafficking and people without proper sanitation systems throughout the world. If we are going to travel, we should do it to be more aware of what's going on and how we can get involved in a solution." So when his mom (Amy) approached him about the opportunity to get involved with Catalyst Travel, he jumped on the opportunity.
If you are interested in planning a group trip to learn about different cultures and social issues around the world, Anthony can help you plan your next life-changing trip. |
|
Ernie Lou joined Catalyst Travel in the summer of 2019. As an avid traveler, Ernie has explored a lot of the world having gone to 6 out of 7 continents (North and South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa--Egypt and South Africa). A native Seattleite, Ernie is a diehard Washington sports fan rooting on the Sounders, the Huskies, the Seahawks, the Mariners, and soon coming Kraken. No wonder why he is THE perfect person to schedule your next sports trip whether it's one of Catalyst Travel's Spring Training trips or chasing one of our trophy winning teams around the country.
After earning his degrees from University of Washington, Ernie has worked in tech and PR lending his voice to social causes and education. He has not only been a leader various community groups and organizations like the Seattle Asian American Film Festival, but has also crafted his own documentary on how CoVid-19 has affected the LGBTQIA+ community. Contact Ernie if you are looking for LGBTQ+ destinations or group trips. |
|
Janessa Steely joined Catalyst Travel in 2021 after 9 years of doing occupational therapy. She is known for always making you feel seen, heard, and special and will always find a way to make you laugh.
Her favorite thing to do is to explore and find unique places that people don’t always know about. Anything “Off the beaten path” is her go-to when vacationing. Janessa specializes in LGBTQ+ (specifically L Travel), Lifestyle (LS) Travel 🍍, destination travel to Florida, the Caribbean, and East Coast, and women’s retreats. |
Mark Roberts specializes in LGBTQ+ travel, group travel, vacations in Mexico, and cruise bookings. After using Catalyst Travel's services for a year, he was inspired to work as a travel agent to help others book the same kinds of vacations that he enjoys.
“It’s easy to set up travel on your own, but I actually enjoyed working with my travel agent on the trips I was going on," Mark says, "Plus, I didn’t have to keep things organized myself—my agent did it. When I wanted to extend my stay and change my flights, all I had to do was text my agent instead of waiting on hold. I could do it easy on my own, but I loved the value of having a travel agent.”
Mark's favorite destination is Puerto Vallarta. He could lead a newcomer around Zona Romantica with his eyes closed. If there are beaches and if there is fun to be had, he definitely knows where to go.
“It’s easy to set up travel on your own, but I actually enjoyed working with my travel agent on the trips I was going on," Mark says, "Plus, I didn’t have to keep things organized myself—my agent did it. When I wanted to extend my stay and change my flights, all I had to do was text my agent instead of waiting on hold. I could do it easy on my own, but I loved the value of having a travel agent.”
Mark's favorite destination is Puerto Vallarta. He could lead a newcomer around Zona Romantica with his eyes closed. If there are beaches and if there is fun to be had, he definitely knows where to go.
|
Solange Mea joined Catalyst Travel in November of 2021 after retiring from Delta Airlines. She is from the Ivory Coast, Africa and plans to take groups over to Africa and throughout Europe.
Her favorite destination is her home country Ivory Coast. If she had to choose a second favorite destination it would be France, on her way to her home country. Most people do not know how beautiful the Ivory Coast is. They have clear blue water with over the water huts (just like Tahiti). Solange specializes in African and European trips. You will not want to miss her upcoming trips to the Ivory Coast with her where she will give you a special tour of the major, historical destinations of her country. |
Stefanie Zobus joined Catalyst Travel in 2019 after many years of customer service management plus experience in hospitality management at several major hotel chains as well as an eclectic boutique hotel.
Her favorite destination is being at the happiest place on earth whether staying at one of the Disney resorts, visiting one of the theme parks or sailing on a Disney Cruise. This spills over into her personal life as well, she currently has more than a hundred different collectible Fantasia Mickeys in her personal Disney collection.
Stefanie specializes in Disney and Universal Studios travel designations, designation weddings, honeymoon packages, and family themed vacations. With her dedication to small details, Stefanie will you plan your next trip with your needs in mind to create a lifetime of magical memories.
Her favorite destination is being at the happiest place on earth whether staying at one of the Disney resorts, visiting one of the theme parks or sailing on a Disney Cruise. This spills over into her personal life as well, she currently has more than a hundred different collectible Fantasia Mickeys in her personal Disney collection.
Stefanie specializes in Disney and Universal Studios travel designations, designation weddings, honeymoon packages, and family themed vacations. With her dedication to small details, Stefanie will you plan your next trip with your needs in mind to create a lifetime of magical memories.
Become A Travel Agent
In 2022 Catalyst Travel had 13 travel agents. Some of those agents were very part-time enjoying setting up trips for their close contacts and creating a memorable group experience for their 30 or 40 best-friends a few times a year. Other agents were full-time creating a niche within the group travel industry that has catapulted them to host specialty groups all around the world.
Being a travel agent is a renewed profession. Since the world halted and since newer generations have come to enjoy the ease and expertise of a true professional in the service industry, the travel agent role has increasingly become a MUST-HAVE.
If you are interested in joining this field and want to become a Catalyst Travel, travel agent, you are in the right place. Click the button below to learn more about it and to sign up for one of our upcoming trainings starting January 12, 2022, July 13, 2022, January 11, 2023, or July 11, 2023.
Being a travel agent is a renewed profession. Since the world halted and since newer generations have come to enjoy the ease and expertise of a true professional in the service industry, the travel agent role has increasingly become a MUST-HAVE.
If you are interested in joining this field and want to become a Catalyst Travel, travel agent, you are in the right place. Click the button below to learn more about it and to sign up for one of our upcoming trainings starting January 12, 2022, July 13, 2022, January 11, 2023, or July 11, 2023.