Tara, Owner and Managing Director of WanderLuxe Destinations, began her professional career in luxury travel after deciding to transition from the non-profit world where Tara worked for the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, liaising between Seton Hall University and the State of NJ. While travel has always been Tara’s passion, she came to a crossroads where she decided to transition her passion into a career and became a Luxury Travel Advisor with Travelong of Summit in Summit, NJ. As she quickly adapted to the business and her client base grew, Tara was offered a Sales Manager position with Wegner Associates, and began juggling both sides of the trade until fully immersing herself into representation; something she quickly fell in love with! Wendy Wegner and Tara began discussing the succession and future of Wegner Associates, and in March of 2019, Tara acquired ownership, rebranded the company and launched WanderLuxe Destinations on July 1st of 2019.

Travel has been such an integral part of Tara’s life from a young age. Growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, her father was a mechanical engineer that traveled the world. She would flip through his photo albums as a child and be in awe of his photos of the Sphinx in Egypt, the Great Wall in China and the Taj Mahal in India. She can remember vowing to herself as young as the age of 5 that travel would be a very important part of her life.

Tara attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and graduated with dual degrees in Political Science and International Studies and minored in both East Asian Studies and Mandarin. Immediately after graduation in 2002, she traveled to China for 6 weeks to begin work on her Masters, exploring Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Dongguan and Hong Kong. Tara always had an appreciation for culture, ethnicity and diversity, however, this trip just solidified that drive within her to make her life one of travel and wanderlust.

Tara resides with her husband, Sal, her children, Salvatore and Ava, and her adorable Himalayan princesses, Lulu Belle and Nala Blu, in Florham Park, NJ. As a family, they travel at least twice yearly to exotic destinations, and Tara and Sal believe that giving their children the privilege of travel will impact both their hearts and minds, shaping them profoundly into the people they will be moving forward. Tara also considers her WanderLuxe family as an extension to her immediate family, as the time spent traveling together, working together, communicating nearly daily and the friendships made are immensely important in her life. As Tara is often quoted, “WanderLuxe is my third baby…and I nurture it the same way as I have my own children”.

In addition to travel, Tara enjoys cooking, gastronomy, wine, cocktails, fashion, interior design and the arts. You can see Tara opening her life and business through her own social media and WanderLuxe’s social media, as living “out loud” is a way we can all connect in the luxury travel industry!

Salvatore D’Agostino is thrilled to begin his journey in the luxury travel industry by recently joining WanderLuxe Destinations, a luxury hotel representation company. A New York native, Salvatore has enjoyed a lifelong passion for travel and cuisine, and has wondered in the moments when those two worlds have been able to collide.

He holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing and a minor in creative writing from the prestigious Babson College in Wellesley, MA. He continued his education by earning a Masters Degree in Communication from The Ohio State University.
Salvatore spends most of his free time while not traveling or working by being engrossed in a good book, or by trying to perfect his golf swing.

Angel’s career in luxury hospitality sales extends over 22 years, with a wealth of experience in sales, reservations, and revenue management across various luxury hotel groups. Before joining Lush Experiences in 2018, he served as Director of Sales at The Mark Hotel in New York. Throughout his career, Angel has specialized in working with travel industry clients across North and South America, cultivating enduring relationships in these regions. He is committed to building trust and maintaining effective communication with our partners and suppliers in pursuit of our mutual success.

Christina began her career in the travel industry almost 20 years ago. In that time, she has enjoyed working with privately owned, luxury hotels, and DMC’s, to help bring them to, and keep them in the minds of, those in North America’s top luxury travel advisor community. Her passion in the industry is working with partners that have a strong sense of place and a unique story to tell. Christina’s prior experience has taken her to different markets and made her well known throughout the industry.

Christina lives in the land of fun and sun, Los Angeles, with her husband, three children and two dogs (on 7 legs!) When not working, she wears many hats and can be found managing the chaos that comes with three little kids. Her family life rounds out her resume, making her a chef, chauffeur, coordinator and financial professional, among others.

With over 12 years of experience working with the same team in the Hotel Representation Field, Joe manages day to day operations of Lush Experiences in tandem with the owners. In addition, as Director of Marketing, Joe creates the Marketing agenda for the year, overseeing the execution of the company’s print, digital and social media activities, as well as their online presence.

Brad and Giuseppe are not only partners in Lush Experiences, but also partners in life, having been together for over 20 years. Their journey began in 2002, when they met through mutual friends while conducting business in New York. At the time, Giuseppe was based in Italy, but his passions in life led him to relocate to New York shortly after.

Between them, Brad and Giuseppe bring more than 50 years of collective experience in the luxury hospitality industry, having held prominent roles at world-renowned companies such as Four Seasons, Orient-Express (now Belmond), Rosewood, Raffles, and Concord, to name a few. Both started from the ground up in operational roles, eventually advancing into sales and executive leadership positions, where they spearheaded efforts for some of the most prestigious hotels globally.

Lush Experiences is driven by their belief that long-term relationships are the key to sustained success—with clients, team members, and partners alike. Brad and Giuseppe are deeply committed to fostering a culture of accessibility and support, ensuring that every member of the Lush team feels valued and empowered. Their open-door policy extends to all aspects of the business, and they pride themselves on being available whenever their team or clients need them.

Giuseppe, with his exceptional acumen in sales and strategic planning, oversees the sales initiatives and operational coordination of Lush Experiences. Meanwhile, Brad, the marketing expert, drives the brand’s vision, ensuring it remains innovative and compelling. Despite these distinct roles, their professional paths frequently intertwine, creating a seamless synergy that fuels the company’s success. Their partnership, both personal and professional, is a testament to the power of collaboration, shared values, and a passion for excellence.

Heidi started her career on the publication side, calling on various travel and tourism companies working for Travel Agent Magazine, she also moved on to cover travel accounts for various consumer publications throughout the years. In 2004, after having twin boys, she decided it was time to take a break from her career and stay home to focus on raising her sons.
Heidi reentered the travel industry 12 years ago, planning Roadshows and events, managing consortia programs, maintaining client relations and working closely with the sales team. Since joining Lush team in 2017, she has shifted her focus entirely to sales, covering Eastern Canada, portions of the Northeast, and Southern States for Lush Collection.
Heidi lives in New Jersey with her family. These days when she is not traveling and exploring the world you can find her in her garden, at the beach or in her kitchen cooking meals for family and friends.

Mckenzie graduated of Colorado Mesa University with a dual degree in Hospitality and International Business. She is a result-oriented professional with successful experience in event planning, client-first approach, communication, customer service, and networking. She is proven leader who has built and maintained relationships, managed teams, and executed small to large events. Mckenzie brings her skill to support Lush Experiences by coordinating with travel industry partners coordinating networking, educational, hospitality events, planning and execution of familiarization trips. She is focused on sales for the Lush Collection throughout Texas and the neighboring South Central states.

Tim’s love for travel began in middle school after spending a summer studying abroad in China. This life-changing experience was the catalyst for traveling and living around the world as a professional musician, performer, educator, and luxury travel advisor. Tim currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA, and has worked and lived in England, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Nepal, as well as in NYC and Monterey, California. He is passionate about food and wine, culture, language, the arts, history, exploration, and sustainability -- all of which have been influential in his career in the travel industry. Tim has a diverse professional background and brings with him years of experience that have shaped and impacted his thinking, communication skills, and relationship-building with a dynamic and authentic level of engagement.

Sandie can be found in in Bloomfield, New Jersey. It is here that she handles the daily office activities such as coordinating sales appointments, billing, managing the database, providing support to the sales team as well as other office managerial duties.