Marilyn Downing Staff

Marilyn Downing Staff is the driving force behind her company, Asia Transpacific Journeys, which she founded 24 years ago, and an expert on travel to the Asia and Pacific region.

After university, Ms. Downing Staff set off on worldwide travels and settled in Thailand. While living in Thailand, she became one of the first to offer tours for Americans to this fascinating country, which is how her company was born. After traveling to all corners of the country, she gained a deep understanding and insight into the local culture and also adopted a son.

She used her base in Thailand to visit all the other countries in Southeast Asia as well as other destinations on the continent such as India and China, making her a veteran of far-flung adventures that span three decades and the most remote corners of the region.

When she decided to bring Asia Transpacific Journeys back to the U.S., Ms. Downing Staff settled in Boulder, Colorado, where the company has its offices today.

To date, Ms. Downing Staff has led dozens of tours throughout Asia and travels back to the region two to three times a year, adding up to a total over 60 trips to the continent. She is also an accomplished photographer and an excellent resource for experiential, luxury and cultural travel within Asia. As a result, she is frequently sought out as an industry expert, interviewed by the trade media, newspaper publications, Travel Talk Radio, as well as speaking and hosting panels at museums, universities and industry conferences.

Ms. Downing Staff has successfully established Asia Transpacific Journeys as the leading tour company for travel to the Asia and Pacific region and it is no surprise that the company is the tour operator of choice for such prestigious organizations like the American Museum of Natural History and the World Wildlife Foundation, and alumni associations of the country’s most prestigious universities such as Harvard and Yale.