Meet Numinous
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.” — Anthony Bourdain
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FounderIn her professional career as a leukemia nurse practitioner, after witnessing countless patients’ lives turned upside down, Julia felt the urgency of living fully in the present. Motivated by the realization that “one day” often never comes, she began traveling the world, averaging 15 trips a year, and fell deeply in love with exploring new cultures, discovering hidden gems, and seeing the world through a different lens.
At first, with her passion for photography, she was drawn to the idea of becoming a travel influencer, but quickly realized that the mainstream travel industry, with its focus on mass tourism and exploitation of beautiful destinations, didn’t align with her values. Rather than contribute to the pressures of over-tourism, she set out to create something more meaningful: Numinous Travels.
Numinous Travels was born out of a desire to show people that travel can be both luxurious and sustainable, off the beaten path yet deeply respectful of local communities. Julia believes that travel should not be an escape from life but an opportunity to regain life—by connecting with other cultures, understanding the impact of tourism, and supporting the communities we visit. Numinous Travels encourages conscious travelers to explore with purpose, traveling better, smarter, and more mindfully while making a positive impact along the way.
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Co-Founder
Meagan’s passion for exploration started at a young age. It was ignited by her family's unconventional adventures all over the world: overnight buses from Mexico City to Zihuatanejo, stays in remote Italian convents, and road trips around Hawaii's volcanic Molokai. These early experiences sparked a lifetime of insatiable curiosity and ultimately led to a travel writing career.
After decades of traveling the world both personally and professionally, Meagan became disillusioned with the tourism industry, feeling disheartened by the growing disconnect between travelers and their destinations. She observed travel turning into a rat race of bucket list tick boxes and creating content for “the ‘gram.” The destinations and cultures, it seemed, were getting lost along the way.
This inspired her to use her reach to educate others on not only how to travel well, but to travel better — mindfully, sustainably, and with purpose.
