About
There are trips you take… and then there are the ones that quietly change how you see the world. And yourself.
The Nomadic Network was built for travelers who want more than a vacation. Our small-group journeys are designed to get you into a place, not just through it. Through meaningful cultural experiences, hands-on moments, and the kind of adventures you wouldn’t typically plan on your own. From trekking to Machu Picchu and celebrating Holi in India, to riding through Vietnam’s countryside or heading out on safari at sunrise, these are the moments that stay with you. Not because they were easy, but because they were real… and a whole lot of fun.
Our approach is simple: you don’t have to be an expert at anything, you just have to be in. Our travelers are curious, open, and up for trying something new: whether that means a full day on your feet, navigating a new city by motorbike, kayaking across a mountain lake, or sharing a meal with locals. It’s active, engaging travel that balances adventure with comfort, and connection with just the right amount of independence. And while we keep things adventurous, we also know the value of a good night’s sleep, a thoughtfully chosen stay, and those little unexpected extras along the way that make you feel taken care of.
How We Started
The Nomadic Network was founded in 2019 by Matt Kepnes as a budget-conscious way to bring like-minded travelers together and explore the world more meaningfully. That spirit of connection remains, but the experience has evolved. Lisa has been part of that journey from the very beginning, working with TNN before ultimately purchasing the company in 2024. Since then, she has refined the tours into something more elevated and intentional, where quality, depth, and the details that shape your experience are always the priority. Every element is thoughtfully considered, so what you experience feels seamless, meaningful, and truly worth your time.
Because the truth is, you could plan a trip yourself. But that’s not what this is.
We design experiences you wouldn’t think to piece together, create access to moments you wouldn’t find on your own, and handle the details so you can be fully present in it all. If you’re looking for something predictable, this probably isn’t it. But if you’re ready for something a little more adventurous, a little more meaningful, and a lot more fun… you’re in the right place.
After all, like Helen Keller famously said, “life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
Meet Our Team
Lisa Field, CEO
Lisa has been part of TNN since its earliest days, contributing in many roles along the way, from community leader and facilitator to tour host and trusted face of the brand. In 2024, she officially took the reins as Owner, bringing with her not only years of involvement, but a clear vision for how these experiences should feel.
Thoughtful, seamless, and deeply meaningful.
Since stepping into leadership, Lisa has personally overseen and led tours across the globe, from trekking into Machu Picchu and exploring the Sacred Valley in Peru, to navigating the energy of Vietnam’s cities and countryside, to unforgettable camel encounters in Morocco. She has helped guide travelers through markets, mountain trails, coastal villages, and cultural experiences that most people would never attempt to plan on their own. With each journey, she brings a level of care and attention to detail that travelers feel from the moment they arrive. The pacing, the experiences, the small thoughtful surprises along the way. It is all intentional.
Because for Lisa, this is not just about running tours. It is about creating something people carry with them long after they return home.
Her love of travel began at 15, sparked by a film set in Santorini, Greece, and that sense of curiosity never left. Since then, she has explored destinations across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the South Pacific, and Australia. Whether she is wandering local neighborhoods, sharing meals with families, or participating in medical mission trips, Lisa approaches travel with a desire to connect, learn, and truly experience a place.
With a background in Interior Architecture, project management, and years of experience leading group travel, Lisa brings both creativity and precision to everything she does. She is outgoing, thoughtful, and genuinely loves bringing people together. Based in the Pacific Northwest, she has also led countless local hiking and snowshoeing adventures, and has raised two daughters who share her passion for exploring the world.
At the end of the day, what matters most to Lisa is how people feel on these trips. Supported. Energized. Connected. Fully in it. And that is exactly what she works to create, every single time.
Erica Virvo Hackman, Consultant
Erica has been a driving force behind The Nomadic Network since its earliest days, helping shape the community-first spirit that still defines it today. As a co-creator of TNN in 2019, she played a key role in building the foundation of what would become a thriving global travel community, centered around meaningful connection and a shared love of exploring the world in a more local, immersive way.
A true people person and self-proclaimed super connector, Erica led hundreds of in-person and virtual TNN events, bringing travelers together in ways that sparked lasting friendships and unforgettable experiences. She also helped launch and support our earliest tours, contributing to the first 25 trips across destinations around the world and helping shape the style of travel that continues to define the company today.
With well over a decade of experience in the travel industry, Erica has built a strong reputation for her approachable, experience-driven perspective on exploring the world. Her insights have been featured in Forbes, as well as across podcasts, blogs, and travel conferences, where she has shared her passion for meaningful, accessible travel.
Erica’s own travel experience is extensive and deeply rooted in living abroad. She has called places like Qatar, northeastern Thailand, South Korea, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Zambia, and the mountains of Costa Rica home, and has spent time working remotely across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Today, she is based in Virginia and winters each year in Ghana with her husband and two children, continuing to build a life that reflects her love of travel, culture, and connection.
Timathea Workman, Tour Leader & Consultant
Timathea is an award-winning writer, photographer, international speaker, and beloved writing coach who splits her time between helping people achieve their writing dreams, leading writing retreats and international group tours, bringing solar lamps to people around the world who have no access to electricity, exploring North America in her camper van, and of course, writing about the world she discovers on her adventures.
Before focusing on travel and writing full-time, she taught English and writing in high school, middle school, and college extension programs. She has also worked as a freelance journalist, tour manager and album cover designer for rock bands, ghostwriter for A-List actors on major motion pictures, and special effects researcher at Lucasfilm.
She lives in Los Angeles with her musician husband, artist son, three cats and two rescue pigeons, and has explored 57 countries, 6 continents, and all but one of the US states.
Annie Sisson, Operations & Tour Leader
Back in 2008, Annie took her first overseas trip with less than twenty-four hours’ notice and fell head over heels in love with the world. Since then, she’s been on a mission to create unique, meaningful travel experiences that go beyond the expected—always seeking out off-the-beaten-path adventures, incredible local food, and the kind of moments you don’t find in a guidebook. Connecting with people wherever she goes and building friendships around the world is fuel for her extroverted heart.
Annie is what we call at TNN our organizational rockstar. Annie has been part of The Nomadic Network for years and is both one of TNN’s tour leaders and an absolute force behind so much of what we do. Behind the scenes, she keeps things running smoothly: coordinating details, supporting operations, and helping ensure each tour comes together seamlessly. She’s the kind of person who thinks ten steps ahead, solves problems before they happen, and brings a calm, steady presence to everything she touches. Simply put, she’s our organizational rockstar.
Her travels have taken her across much of Europe, from the Westfjords of Iceland to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and she continues to build a location-independent life that allows her to work and explore from anywhere. With a natural talent for planning and a deep love of discovery, she brings both structure and spontaneity to the TNN experience.
When she’s not abroad, you’ll likely find her wandering the forests of the Pacific Northwest, exploring around her adopted hometown of Olympia, Washington, and spending time outdoors with her beloved “tree friends.”
You can learn more about Annie and her work at intothebold.com.
AnneMarie Field, Community Storyteller
AnneMarie brings creativity, intuition, and a strong sense of storytelling to everything she creates. She leads all aspects of @the.nomadic.network‘s social presence, from content creation and visual storytelling to day-to-day engagement across platforms. Her work is focused on capturing what these experiences actually feel like and sharing them in a way that draws people in and makes them want to be part of it.
Driven, creative, and a natural leader, AnneMarie thrives in spaces that balance structure with creativity. She has a strong appreciation for thoughtful, sustainable sourcing in everything from winemaking to fashion, and brings that same intention into her work. With a background in marketing and a long-standing love of photography, she has a sharp eye for moments and an instinct for what makes people stop, feel something, and lean in.
She spent a year living in Brisbane, Australia, where she worked with local brands on social media and took every opportunity to get out and explore. Beaches, hikes, weekend trips—if there was something to experience, she was in. Now based in Denver, she’s fully leaned into mountain life, catching concerts at Red Rocks, sneaking in ski days in Breckenridge whenever possible, and occasionally making an appearance at a Rockies game. There’s usually a Maggie Rogers song somewhere in the mix.
At her core, AnneMarie is a storyteller. She captures the moments that matter – the laughter, the movement, the connection – and shares them in a way that feels real, inviting, and undeniably fun. Her work plays a key role in bringing our travel experience to life, often becoming the first glimpse of what it feels like to travel with TNN.
Connect with her on LinkedIn!
Curt Hawkinson, Finance & Policy Director
Some people discover travel through a passport stamp or a flight overseas. Curt’s origin story is a little more rugged than that.
He was six years old when his family loaded up the van in small-town Nebraska and pointed it north — all the way up the Alaska Highway to Anchorage. Dirt roads through the Yukon. Wildlife around every bend. Eight flat tires. A snowball fight in June. By the time they arrived in Alaska, Curt didn’t know it yet, but something had been set in motion. That same curiosity has followed him across four continents and 49 of the 50 United States ever since.
These days, Curt is perhaps best known within TNN for his work on the financial and policy side of the house. But the instincts he brings to that role were forged on a bicycle, deep in the French Alps, where the details are everything. Alpine cycling demands constant, calibrated awareness — reading the road ahead, picking the right line through a technical descent, knowing that the details you planned for are what carry you through. He has cycled thousands of kilometers across Europe, and finished the grueling Haute Route race not once, but twice. Many of his journeys he organized from the ground up — routes mapped, contingencies considered, always ready to adapt when needed.
That same mindset runs through three decades of practicing family medicine, leading as a Medical Director, and shaping policy through a US Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellowship. Caring for patients over so many years sharpens something essential — a genuine attentiveness to people, and the ability to truly listen. Those skills don’t stay in the exam room. They travel.
He brings all of it to TNN: the belief that a well-run experience, thoughtfully planned and ready to flex when the moment calls for it, is what allows travelers to be fully present in the moments that matter. Curt approaches every destination the way he approaches a long climb: curious, prepared, and genuinely excited about what’s just around the next bend.
Allie Field, Community & Experience Coordinator
Allie serves as Community & Experience Coordinator, focused on building connection and creating a seamless, supportive experience for travelers from the moment they begin considering a trip. She works closely with our travelers: answering questions, easing concerns, and helping people feel informed, comfortable, and genuinely excited before departure. She also works with the team hosting community events, information sessions, and pre-trip meet and greets, giving travelers the chance to connect early and feel part of something before they even arrive.
She brings a natural mix of initiative, warmth, and an ability to connect with people wherever she goes. With a degree in Communications and a minor in Spanish, Allie has built her experience around creating meaningful, engaging environments. An experienced traveler herself, she has explored both independently and in group settings and truly enjoys meeting new people. Her smile and energy are contagious, and she has a way of making people feel comfortable, included, and excited to be there.
Allie also spent three years with Domaine Serene, one of Oregon’s most high-end wineries, where she developed a deep understanding of exceptional customer service and relationship-building. Working with guests who expect the best, she learned how to anticipate needs and deliver experiences that feel both elevated and effortless. Her two summers in Barcelona, Spain, reflect that same initiative. After studying abroad there, she returned home and proposed representing the program at her university, where she led student outreach, organized local events, and significantly increased engagement. She later returned to Barcelona to work onsite, supporting students through their own international experiences.
At TNN, Allie brings all of this together—helping travelers feel connected, prepared, and excited every step of the way.
Daan Dommels, Web Developer
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Daan started traveling at a young age. Most of his summers were spent camping with family and friends in France, and in his teenage years, he expanded to camping his way through western and southern Europe. While going through his bachelor’s in engineering he spent a short stint living and working in Sint Maarten where he met his future American wife Paige, and further developed his passion for traveling as he island-hopped around the Caribbean.
While Daan pursued his master’s degree in engineering, he continued to backpack and travel around the world exploring Australia, South-, Central- and North America with friends. After a 5 ½ years long-distance relationship, Daan and Paige married at a beautiful old castle in his hometown in the Netherlands, followed by a long honeymoon camping and traveling through Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar, where they both developed their love for Africa, before officially immigrating to the US.
Daan is lucky enough to combine work and travel, as his job has brought him to some of the more traveled destinations in the world, like New Zealand, East Asia, Southern Africa, Brazil, etc., and some of the lesser traveled more remote destinations in the world such as Central and West Africa, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka, to name a few.
Daan currently resides in Portland, Oregon with his wife and two teenage daughters.
Laura Cox, Travel Pro
Laura has always been fascinated with travel, but it wasn’t until her study abroad semester in Sevilla, Spain and then her 1.5 years of working in Prague, Czechia, did her love for travel grow. She has since made a goal to travel to 80 countries by the time she is 80 years old and has currently visited 71 countries on her own, and 59 with her teens. She is documenting her journey via her blog and IG page, Travel 80 by 80, to inspire others to see the world. While she continues to provide tips, guides and advice on her blog for those looking to plan their own adventures, she is also a travel advisor and has helped many clients travel the world by offering customized itineraries to best suit their own travel styles.
Laura strives to immerse in the culture of a country, connect with the locals, visit lesser-known destinations, have an adventure, and most importantly, find joy in every destination she travels to. She joined TNN in 2019 as a San Diego Chapter Leader and continues her involvement as a host with virtual and in-person events. She currently lives in San Diego with her husband and two teens and is always up for the next travel adventure!