Cristina Buaas – Founder and Travel Advisor
After graduating from Vanderbilt University, I began my professional career in finance followed by seven years in commercial real estate. Though it was not my initial career path, world travel has been a passion of mine since my youth. What began as informally planning vacations for family and friends led me to found CSB Travel in 2008, turning my love for travel into my full time career.
My goal at CSB Travel is to create transformative experiences and lifelong memories for my clients and their loved ones. I accomplish this goal with my rigorous planning process, which includes actively listening to my clients’ desires, bringing creative ideas to the table, helping them select the perfect itinerary, and executing on every aspect of the trip with attention to detail and dedication to top notch customer service.
Recent travels include Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya, Walt Disney World, Italy, Portugal, Australia, Napa and San Francisco, Vietnam and Laos, Cabo San Lucas, Greece, Morocco, and Peru.
Kristie Beeler – Director of Operations
After studying hospitality in college, I spent a few years as a manager in hotel operations. I found my way into the travel industry when I moved to Houston, and it was a great match! My skills from hospitality, combined with my love of travel, have equipped me to help people enjoy and explore the world. Travel brings people together, broadens perspectives, and cultivates appreciation for our siblings across the globe. I truly believe it is a worthwhile pursuit, and I enjoy supporting the team at CSB Travel as we inspire and create incredible experiences for our clients!
Alison Stokes – Travel Advisor/Social Media Manager
I am a native North Carolinian and have loved traveling and discovering new places since an early age. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in political science. After college, I worked for a documentary production company in Miami, FL, and that was followed by a short stint in Tulsa, OK. My husband and I now live in Houston where we plan to stay.
One of my favorite aspects of being a travel advisor is the collaboration process: I love getting to know new clients and arranging unique experiences tailored to their interests. Every traveler is different, and I strive to design vacations specifically curated to his or her preferences and travel style. I am thrilled to be part of the CSB Travel team and plan unforgettable trips!
Claire Hodges – Travel Designer
After studying fashion and working as an Executive Assistant for a few years I found my way into the travel industry. I have lived in Aspen, New York, Dallas, and now Houston. Through my past and current work, I have been able to gain a lot of experience and skills in the service industry and I always strive to make a relationship with new and existing clients.
I have always had a passion for travel and immersing myself in ones culture. Some of the best reasons to travel are because of the people, food, art, the exposure, and lastly beauty. I am excited to be at CSB Travel to help build amazing experiences for our clients!
Bracken Barnes – Travel Designer
I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BFA in Studio Art. After graduation, I continued my studies at Sotheby’s in London followed by moving back to Texas were I worked as an art advisor. However my passion for art never got in my way for my obsession for travel.
My entire life I have loved to travel and was lucky enough to be in a family who thought traveling was very important. I am a native Texan who grew up in San Antonio. I have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world. I have been cage diving with sharks in South Africa, street taco tasting in Mexico City, vespa touring in Vietnam, and boating in the French West Indies just to name a few. I have been fortunate to have so many amazing experiences! I love helping people, and sharing my passion for both travel and art with them.
Carrie Cutbirth – Travel Designer
Growing up in the Philippines opened my eyes to the benefits of learning from other cultures and seeing beauty wherever you travel. Now, as a mother of two, living in Katy, TX, I want to encourage my children to travel the world, not be afraid to ask questions, and learn from those around them.
My love of history, experiencing awe-inspiring landscapes, and learning from new cultures, lends itself to assisting those interested in traveling the world. I enjoy equipping and supporting the CSB Travel team members as they dream, design, and coordinate memory-making trips for our clients.
Andy Butler – Independent Travel Advisor
I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. After high school, I attended the University of North Carolina for undergraduate, then went on to receive my Medical Doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. I began my professional career as an Emergency Medicine Physician, and am still in full-time practice.
Travel has been a passion of mine throughout my youth and as I grew up, and once in practice I began to see the importance of travel as dedicated time with my family and had the means to be able to travel well.
I have always been a detail person, and my penchant for building and tailoring travel itineraries for my family as well as other family members and friends became a passion. I have been lucky over the past year in my practice to have the time to turn my passion into a career, and am now proud to be a Professional Travel Advisor.
Cat Cain – Independent Travel Advisor
My love of travel began at an early age. Growing up, I was fortunate to have parents who believe in the value of experiencing countries and cultures across the world. I’ve spent the majority of my career in education – working in school operations to support the “behind the scenes” of running a public charter school. Now, I love getting to apply those skills to support others in curating that perfect experience for themselves and their families and friends.
Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or embarking on your first adventure, I’m committed to providing personalized, memorable journeys that exceed your expectations. Join me on a journey to explore the world, one destination at a time, and turn your travel dreams into cherished memories that will last a lifetime!
Julia Robertson – Independent Travel Advisor
Over the past 15 years, I have been fortunate enough to travel all over the world. From golfing in Scotland, exploring Australia, attending cooking school in Italy, honeymooning in Paris, to boating in the British Virgin Islands, I have been able to experience many incredible adventures.
In college at TCU, I had a passion for medicine and helping people, so I pursued a career in nursing. After 6 years of nursing, I realized I wanted to help people in a different way, through travel! I never knew that my career in nursing would help me as a travel coordinator, but being trained to focus on the little things and make sure all details are precise and accurate, I have found my new passion constructing incredible trips for people.
Julia is a part of the MFM Luxury Travel team, an independent affiliate of CSB Travel
Kate Johnson – Independent Travel Advisor
I grew up traveling with my family from our small town in Louisiana. We spent holidays in Hawaii, cruising through the Caribbean and exploring the U.S., rarely visiting anywhere twice and fully immersing ourselves in different cultures.
I studied marketing at Southern Methodist University and while there, had the privilege of studying abroad in Paris and spending several weeks throughout Europe. After working in PR for several years in Dallas, I moved to Palo Alto with my husband and planned trips for ourselves and our friends throughout the U.S., South America, Asia, Canada and Spain.
We’re now settled in Houston with our two daughters and looking forward to showing them the world. I’m thrilled to bring my personal experience and passion for travel to clients to create travel experiences that will last a lifetime.
Katie Rollins – Independent Travel Advisor
After graduating with a BS from the University of Georgia, I began my career at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta before pursuing my deepest passion, my desire to travel. From a young age, I traveled extensively with my parents and came to appreciate the knowledge and wisdom gained from the unfamiliar.
Now I am eager to help others realize their personal travel dreams and the value of stepping outside of our comfort zone while exploring the wonders of the world.
My goal is to create custom itineraries for each type of traveler and memories that will last a lifetime. With unlimited access to Virtuoso and its network of seasoned advisors, exclusive benefits, and elite global travel partners, we can collaborate to enrich your travel experience.
I am here to make your travels seamless by providing consistent dedication to clients, outstanding customer service as well as attention to detail.
Laura Carlson – Independent Travel Advisor
I first worked with a travel advisor for my destination wedding and honeymoon because we didn’t know where to start, there was too much information and we didn’t know what advice to trust. So, we hired a travel advisor that understood our needs and could help create an amazing memorable experience. She provided inspiration, value, knowledge, expertise, trusted advice, saved us time, and gave us peace of mind. I loved what our travel advisor did for us. She inspired me to become a travel advisor and help other people have memorable experiences.
I trained with my travel advisor for 2 years to learn the industry and became a Virtuoso Certified Travel Advisor. I will be your personal concierge throughout your trip, whether you love to relax on the beach, look for the big 5 on safari, cruise around the Mediterranean, or just need a short weekend getaway. Turn your travel dreams into reality with a custom itinerary that reflects your unique interests.
Lisa McKay – Independent Travel Advisor
At the age of 15, after spending time as a foreign exchange student in Brazil, I knew I was born to travel! My education at Colorado Women’s College consisted of studying two languages, then three as well as history, geography and any class I could take that involved learning more about our world.
After spending time in the corporate world for 14 years, I took the leap to follow my passion and haven’t looked back since! I like to get to know my clients before we begin the “Where to Next” discussion. This helps me to recommend little hidden gems for you to experience while you are exploring the world.
My recent travels have taken me to Croatia, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Italy and of course, our beloved Caribbean Islands. One of my favorite treasures is a group of bangles a client made for me that has the flag of each country I have visited; to date, there are more than ninety flags on my bangles!
Lisi Vera Garcia – Independent Travel Advisor
For me, the joy of travel goes beyond visiting bucket-list destinations: It’s about creating lasting memories and bonds between family members and friends, no matter where you are. When I was a child, my world-traveling parents instilled within me a deep appreciation for local culture. They stressed the importance of learning about the lifestyle, foods and traditions of places we visited — from London to Belgium to South Africa, and many places in between. We spent summers with our family in Greece, and holidays hopping around Europe. The Bahamas is another place that is near and dear to my heart; my dad is a Bahamian diplomat, and I met my husband there.
Now that I am a mom of two young kids myself, I am looking forward to crafting those experiences for my own family — and for yours! I specialize in deep-diving the local culture of various destinations, and can create unforgettable trips for a variety of groups at a variety of price points.
As demonstrated by my 10-year career as a fitness instructor and Director of Operations at Houston’s premier boutique cycling studio RYDE, I am passionate about leading a healthy lifestyle and demonstrating impeccable customer service. I enjoy interfacing with clients and building long term relationships. I also have a deep understanding of how travel can bring people together both literally and figuratively. I can’t wait to tailor-make your next vacation.
Lisi is a part of the MFM Luxury Travel team, an independent affiliate of CSB Travel
Maddy Moffitt – Independent Travel Advisor
After finishing at TCU with a Bachelor degree in Broadcast Journalism, I worked in the broadcast field for some time and realized it may not be the best fit. I then went into sales at Hines Securities in Houston, Texas, where I was born and raised. From my Broadcast days, I developed a passion for sports and have traveled to many destinations to see different golf courses, basketball games, and Super Bowls all over the United States.
Since college, I have studied abroad in London, been to many of the beautiful Golf courses in Scotland and Ireland, seen Thailand with my best friend, spent a month in Australia/New Zealand, eaten my way through Italy, honeymooned in Bora Bora and had the opportunity to experience Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Prague, Belize and many more of the great places travel can introduce us to.
I know the importance of having an organized itinerary as well as one that meets the needs of each individual type of traveler. With unlimited access to Virtuoso, exclusive benefits, elite global travel partners, and many industry connections, I am here to customize trips and help bring to life the full experience you are looking for within your travels.
Nanci Cain – Independent Travel Advisor
I have always had a strong desire for studying and experiencing different cultures and destinations around the world. This passion was cultivated by my family hosting many international students during my childhood.
Now as a mother myself of four children, I understand the value of encouraging my own family to discover the unique peoples and customs of this world and all the hidden adventures that await them.
I am a graduate of Texas A&M University and have spent 20 years in the education field with seven years specifically in admissions at an independent school. It is a true gift to now have a career working in a profession in which I can enrich the unique experiences of various cultures and destinations to my clients.
Neelie Shore – Independent Travel Advisor
Since 2012, the beginning of my career in Hospitality, I have been privileged to grow in various areas of the industry. Whether it has been working in-house at the luxurious Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills accommodating stays for guests like the Saudi royal family; representing all of Mandarin Oriental’s 36 worldwide luxury properties through regional sales; or most recently facilitating international operations & logistics to ensure that hotels across the U.S. can provide quality stays for their guests. I am grateful for the holistic understanding of what it takes to ensure the highest-level service for travelers.
The reason I am not still on the hotel side? Life is hectic and unpredictable. To be a true hotelier, one must dedicate themselves to the property 110%. I am a mother of young children that wanted to stay within hospitality, but also be present in the lives of those that I love. Plus, these kiddos have more days off than they do on!
Curating trips for clients, brings me joy and honor. I get to play a part in building forever memories, and what is more cherished than that?!
Neelie is a part of the MFM Luxury Travel team, an independent affiliate of CSB Travel
Sue Worscheh – Independent Travel Advisor
If there’s a place you’ve been dreaming of visiting, my goal is to make it happen for you. I’m excited to talk with you about what makes a great vacation and to craft an unforgettable experience that’s custom-built for you.
I grew up primarily in the UK but have also lived in Australia, France and Algeria, which developed a passion for experiencing different cultures, places and especially food!
After college I worked for British Aerospace which took me repeatedly to the US and Asia and then after getting my MBA at INSEAD in France I joined Merrill Lynch as an investment banker. I bring a strong eye for detail and value while putting my creativity and planning skills to work.
Now based in Texas, I’ve been planning vacations to Europe and beyond for family and friends and I’m looking forward to working with you on your next great memory.
Susan Lindstrom – Independent Travel Advisor
After graduating from Southwestern University as a certified math teacher and a minor in German. I became the Student Activities Director at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. I was in charge of planning, booking and taking the students on weekend day trips, as well as trips during spring break to Disney and skiing.
This experience working with youth groups lead me to my career as a travel advisor. I have almost 20 years experience. I have worked with many churches planning pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Jordan as well as pilgrimages walking the Camino in Spain.
I have a passion for travel and would be honored to help you plan your personal or group vacation.