EXPERTS IN THE FIELD
A team of travelers and adventurers.
IMAGE COURTESY OF SINGITA
We have slept in the beds, gone from the Michelin-star restaurants to the market stalls, and know the hotel owners and managers by name.
Founded in 2012, our Soho office in the heart of New York City houses a dedicated team of experts, travelers, and adventurers. But our office walls have no bounds, with team members located across the United States and Europe. Someone from our team is always on the road, scouting hotels, testing guides, and cultivating relationships with suppliers around the world — all so we can curate trips precisely to your taste and personality.
Meet Our Partners
ALEXANDRA HANOVER
A dual French and American citizen born and raised in Manhattan, Alexandra has relished every opportunity to engage with worlds different from her own. A nomadic soul and multi-linguist, she has spent much of her life wandering, living, and studying around the world. Upon receiving a Masters in Economics from the Paris Institute of Political Studies and the London School of Economics, she returned to New York and devoted four years to a career in Investment Banking and Real Estate. Recognizing the need for a higher degree of personalization and a more empathetic approach to trip curation, Alexandra founded The Local Foreigner in 2012 as a one-stop shop for inspiration, insider insight, and comprehensive travel planning.
Top Destinations Paris, Mexico City, Saint Barth’s, South of France
Favorite Hotels The Greenwich Hotel, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Four Seasons Hualalai
Bucket List Antarctica, Norway, Maldives, Namibia
ALEX ERDMAN ELY
Alex was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut and grew up spending holidays on the slopes out west and summers in Europe. After graduating from the University of Virginia, her appetite for adventure evolved into a travel obsession. A city girl and an outdoorswoman, she has taught English in the slums of Mumbai, excavated fossils in Mongolia, and trekked with gorillas in Rwanda. After stints abroad in Zermatt and Florence, Alex moved to Manhattan, where her early career was spent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Turner Broadcasting. She is a member of the Four Seasons Travel Partner Advisory Council, and lives in Connecticut with her husband and two sons.
Top Destinations Botswana, Tanzania, Egypt, Greece, Switzerland, Japan, Norway
Favorite Hotels Eden Rock St Barths, Claridges, The Point, Le Bristol, Mont Cervin Palace, Singita Sasakwa, Nihi Sumba, Minaret Station, Bulgari Tokyo
Bucket List Madagascar, French Polynesia, Alaska, Papua New Guinea, Nepal
BARKLEY HICKOX
A Yale graduate and Manhattan native, Barkley spent the majority of her young life traveling before turning her passion into a career. With parents in the luxury hotel business, she spent much of her youth in the Caribbean amidst the chaos of a developing hotel, procuring an acute attention to aesthetics, customer service, and hotel management. After living in Paris on two separate occasions, Barkley spent several years in investment banking before marrying her business skills and love of travel. Over the last 16 years, Barkley has circumnavigated the globe — from traversing the dunes of the Lençóis Maranhenses in Brazil to private island hopping in the Seychelles to visiting censored monasteries in Tibet. Barkley currently oversees our Private Client Team and serves on the advisory boards of Aman Resorts and Travel + Leisure, where she has been a member of the Travel + Leisure A-List since 2014. Barkley lives on the Upper East Side with her husband and two children.
Top Destinations France, Japan, Rwanda, Norway, Greece
Favorite Hotels Villa Feltrinelli, Hotel Le Bristol, Cap Juluca, Uxua, Forestis
Bucket List South Korea, Raja Ampat
BROOKE LAVERY
Brooke grew up in Michigan, where bucolic family vacations at the lake gave way to a teenage sojourn to Spain, and she was never quite the same. She graduated from Michigan State University and began a career for a Fortune 500 company in Chicago. Successful but not content she bought a round-the-world ticket, and spent a year seeking her next path on a slow journey from Europe to India and Nepal, Southeast Asia to Japan, and Australia to New Zealand. Manhattan was the end of the road, and her dual loves for travel and business culminated in a new career. Brooke spent five years at a high-end membership-based travel company based in New York prior to becoming a partner at the Local Foreigner in 2015. She now lives in Darien with her husband and three young boys.
Top Destinations Southeast Asia, Italy, East Africa, South Africa, Anguilla
Favorite Hotels Borgo Santo Pietro, Singita Sasakwa, Amankora Punakha, Deplar Farm
Bucket List Chartering a Turkish Gulet, Egypt, Ol Jogi
Meet Our Operations Team
LIBBY SHILLITO
JORDY LIEVERS-EATON
ABBIE WELLS
CAROLINE SLOAN
In the News
Encountering the Infuriating, Overwhelming and Unwanted Smart Tech in My Hotel Room
The New York Times
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Concierge Services
Avenue Magazine
Stress-Free Vacation Planning
NetJets Magazine
The Future of Travel
NetJets Magazine
Ready for a Vacation? Don’t Bank on Travel Insurance
Bloomberg
A Broader Clientele is Boarding Private Jets in Pandemic Era
Bloomberg
10 Off Beat Honeymoon Ideas for Adventurous Newlyweds
Over the Moon
Beach Bohemia Issue: Entrepreneur Spotlight on the Local Foreigner
Tory Burch
