Staff Profiles
One of Southwind’s distinguishing features is our people. Your Latin American journey begins the moment you search our website or call our office and does not end until you return from your adventure delighted, renewed and satisfied. Our home office personnel and local professional guides are committed to outstanding personal service, attention to detail, and providing an exceptional travel experience. To become a part of our team, please visit our Career Opportunities.
USA VIRTUAL Office Staff
Tom Damon, Senior Travel Advisor
Recognized as a “Trusted Travel Expert” for Argentina, Chile, Patagonia, Peru, Ecuador, and beyond on the Wendy Perrin WOW List since 2014 and a “Top Travel Specialist” by Condé Nast Traveler for Peru, Ecuador, and Galápagos Islands since 2005. Tom has a BA in Environmental Science from the University of Denver and an MS in Natural Resource Management & Administration from Antioch University. Prior to joining the Southwind team in 1994, he consulted on ecotourism and sustainability projects in Costa Rica. Tom’s specialty is the design of personalized itineraries for families, friend groups and couples blending active experiences that highlight nature and culture with boutique accommodations. Tom’s expertise includes expedition cruising and lodge-based tours in the Galápagos; the multiple ways to experience the Andes of Peru (Sacred Valley of the Incas, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake Titicaca and trekking the Inca Trail, Salcantay and Urubamba) as well as the Peruvian Pacific coast. In Chile and Argentina, he can recommend the ideal way to connect Patagonia with the Atacama Desert, Iguazu Falls, wine region and vibrant capitals of Buenos Aries and Santiago. In Ecuador, he knows secret corners of the highlands to experience historic haciendas, cloud forest reserves, colorful market towns and national parks such as Cotopaxi. Ask Tom about his favorite spots for viewing wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest on a luxury riverboat cruise or based from an eco-luxe lodge. Closer to home, Tom enjoys hiking and skiing in the Colorado Rockies with his wife and two teenagers.
Brittah Springer, Senior Marketing Specialist
A seasoned professional and travel enthusiast, Brittah has been working in several industries helping dynamic businesses connect with their target audiences since 2015. While building marketing strategies and materials, she has traveled to all seven continents, all 50 states, and 40+ countries including Peru, Costa Rica, Belize, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Antarctica. Brittah is a private pilot with over 200 hours in a single engine airplane flying around the United States. She is passionate about helping people explore remote corners of the world while finding brands that help them experience their dreams, explore unique destinations, and participate in extraordinary experiences. Brittah has developed a robust customer service program while working on an expedition cruise ship and has designed marketing strategies and content targeting high-end clientele. When Brittah isn’t traveling or indulging in spontaneous adventures, she enjoys hanging out in the mountains with her dogs, sipping a glass of Cabernet, practicing her Spanish, swimming in the deep end of the pool or sea, and getting lost in meaningful conversation with loved ones and strangers alike.
Suzie Shride, Co-founder and Advisor
An outdoor educator, Suzie enjoys sharing her passion for travel, native cultures and nature with others. Her journeys took her to five continents before she discovered her love for South America. She has explored remote regions of the Amazon including Bolivia’s Isiboro-Secure, Ecuador’s Jivaro territory, and Peru’s Manu & Tambopata reserves plus the upper Rio Negro River in Brazil, Venezuela & Colombia. She has hiked dozens of Andean routes including multiple trips along the Inca Trail, the Ausangate Circuit near Cusco and the Huayhuash and Blanca ranges outside of Huaraz. She’s trekked the Paine & Fitz Roy areas of Patagonia on several occasions, has photographed wildlife in Brazil’s Pantanal and Venezuela’s Llanos, and snorkeled with penguins and sea lions in the Galápagos. Now daughter Reyna accompanies her mom frequently on trips, making friends wherever she goes. Now a multi-award-winning author, Shride is sharing tales of her adventures with audiences around the world through the Lucy Dakota: Adventures of a Modern Explorer series.
Luis Felipa, Owner and Director of Operations
Selected as a “Top Travel Specialist since 2021” by Condé Nast Traveler magazine for Peru, Ecuador, Galápagos, Chile and Argentina. This Peruvian native is a former seasoned guide and mountaineer. He led trips throughout the Andes for a decade and counts 40 successful ascents on his resume, including Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas (22,834′). After eight years of studying business management and economics at two of Peru’s top universities, he combined this knowledge with his “hands-on” expertise in the field to develop one of the finest tour companies in the country, Trekperu. In 1990 he moved to the United States to co-found Southwind Adventures, drawing on his lifetime of extensive travel throughout South America. With over 40 years of experience, he carries out our mission of providing clients with superb upscale adventures to some of the planet’s most breathtaking destinations. An explorer by spirit, his travels have taken him from Coastlines up the Andes, down to the Amazon basin, and to many remote locations in between. He has scouted out the national parks, wildlife reserves, and eco-resorts in the Central American countries of Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. Most recently, he has journeyed to Colombia’s Cartagena in the Caribbean coast, to Argentina’s Iguazu Falls, the wine region of Mendoza and the Northern province of Salta as well as to Chile’s Atacama Desert and the Colchagua wine country.