A lifetime of small ship experience, a degree in journalism and global studies, a passion for the outdoors and cultural curiosity has led Mary around the world. She brings a traveler’s eye and a publisher’s precision to the AdventureSmith website—both growing your bucket list and helping you drill down to the details.
Hi, I’m Mary
I help you discover where adventure can take you.
Since 2017, Mary has managed website listings for AdventureSmith’s growing body of trips, ships and lodges. She also contributes to the website’s travel guides, visibility, design and functionality.
Mary’s content work builds on her career in web publishing that began in 2007.
Her AdventureSmith journals recount jetting to Antarctica, drifting among orcas, swimming with sea lions and more. Experiencing the key differences and shared appeal across AdventureSmith’s curated trips translates into unbiased, accurate options with tips and tools to help you decide which trip is best for you. Highlights of Mary’s work include:
- Adventure listings: Maintaining over 350 trips, 150 ships & 150 lodges
- Search engine optimization: Ensuring likeminded travelers find our website
- Comparison tools: Employing deep product knowledge to help clients weigh options
- Firsthand travel: Harnessing intel from 6 continents, 24 countries and counting for our guests & staff
Content, Editorial & Travel Experience
- Managing Editor, PLoS Pathogens: A decade working with editors-in-chief, in-house staff and outside contractors to meet regular deadlines and communicate scholarly scientific research with accuracy. Furthered a unique brand of open-access publishing.
- Travel blogger, Saint Michael’s College: A semester of regular dispatches and photos highlighting everyday life and travel as a study abroad student
- DJ, Program Director & Station Manager, WWPV 92.5FM The Mike: Live on-air presence, managed rotating staff of DJs, and handled all summer operations—from programming to promotions.
Personal Roots & Hobbies
Mary grew up as a part-time deckhand on her family’s motor yacht, cruising the eastern seaboard. Mary briefly lived in Perugia, Italy, and traveled throughout Europe in between studies. She also grew up on the border of French-influenced Quebec, Canada. Now based in California, Mary speaks a mix of French, Italian and Spanish, in a nod to languages of her past and present.
Mary has a passion for radio, with various on-air projects, including a radio show featuring relocated Sudanese residents, and a live music program anchored by interviews with internationally touring artists.
Travel Expertise Straight From the Field
Travel is central to my work at AdventureSmith. Each journey deepens my (and my team’s) firsthand understanding of the ships, crews, and destinations we share with our travelers. The articles below bring that experience directly to you and will help inform and inspire your next adventure. I’ve traveled to every continent, and aboard ships that range from xx to xx guests.
- FULL LIST TO COME of my top blogs like Todd has
Talk Travel with Me
While my day-to-day doesn’t involve planning trips for our clients, my work is always behind the scenes. I consult with our Adventure Specialists daily on trip logistics, insights on comparing itineraries and more. HOW DO WE WANT TO PRESENT THINGS HERE? ADD A LINK TO THE MEDIA PAGE??? Connect with me on LinkedIn and follow my travels and sketches at @lislarsontravel.
