About me

Life before Swoop

Never one to take the direct or easy path (much as I might try), I came to Swoop by way of a PhD in English Literature. A life in academia is hardly the obvious prerequisite for working in travel, but here I am! And in fact, I had been training for this all along.

Thanks to the school year’s very convenient Christmas breaks and 3-month summer vacations, I’ve been able to spend the better part of the last decade hiking some of the most incredible trails in the United States and across the globe.

Since becoming infatuated with trekking on my first visit to Torres del Paine and El Calafate in 2013, I’ve done multi-day hikes through Canada, Italy, Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, and more - steadfast in my conviction that the vistas always look better, the food always tastes better, and the beds (or sleeping bags) always feel better when you have to work for it.

Patagonia makes you work for it. Nowhere plays hard-to-get (or harder to get to!) quite like Patagonia. But when you earn it, you better believe it's worth it.

When I'm not out adventuring, I can be found at home on lounging on my couch in sunny Southern California, either reading a good book, watching inordinate amounts of television, or - of course - planning my next trip and yours!

Swimming near Osorno Volcano, Patagonia, Chile

Swimming near Osorno Volcano

Day to day at Swoop

Thanks to our ever-expanding US-based team, the sun almost never sets on the Swoop empire. I work remotely from Los Angeles, helping provide this round-the-clock service to our Patagonia-bound customers.

I love planning trips nearly as much as I love going on them, and in my role here I get to do that all day, chatting with travellers about their ideal Patagonia experience and making sure that their own planning process is as simple and seamless as possible.

On the Loma del Pliegue hike

On the Loma del Pliegue hike

Why I love Patagonia

Sometimes it’s good to have a reminder of just how small we are on this planet, and nowhere makes me feel smaller (in all the best ways!) than Patagonia. Towering peaks, sprawling plains, and a starry sky that goes on and on and on…

The sheer scale of Patagonia is nothing short of sublime, and being in this transcendent place at the end of the world puts everything else into perspective.

Sydney

Gazing out at Los Cuernos, 'The Horns of Patagonia', in Torres del Paine

Customer review background image

What our customers think of Sydney

The advice and service of Sydney and Lewis were outstanding. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Matthew Clarke - Australia

The most valuable quality of a tour operator to me is if the representatives have been to the destination and have personally seen the properties they are suggesting. I was a travel agent, so I know the value of experiencing a place and the properties first hand. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Leanne Lockhart - USA

Thanks to Sydney for putting together a well organized itinerary and finding the properties for us. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2023

Leanne Lockhart - USA

Our American tour planner Sydney was professional, helpful and personable. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2023

Monica O'Connor - USA

Working with Sydney was easy and fun. I really enjoyed the planning process with Sydney. And the follow up contact was great. I never worried about anything after Swoop took over the trip. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2023

Deanna Rennebaum - USA

Sydney was our first contact and filled with helpful information and enthusiasm. Marcela was our contact after that and she was most helpful with the details and answering questions about our trip. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2023

Karen Coakley - USA

Sydney listened to our preferences regarding where to visit, type of place, and advised accordingly. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2023

Barbara Lesher - USA

Sydney and Lewis were both excellent. They were good listeners who translated our interests very well. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2023

Barbara Lesher - USA

We love Carys and Sydney! Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Laura Nicola - USA

I had so much fun planning our adventure with Sydney. Upon our first conversation, she felt like a friend who really understood our family and our travel goals. Sydney was super communicative and made adjustments with our itinerary to fit our budget and timeframe. Once we arrived in Patagonia, all of our booked experiences were amazing. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Andrea Cohen - USA

Listened to us as we were planning and developed a perfect itinerary based on our needs and wants. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Kristine McNally - USA

Sydney was great. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Jaime Roman -

Sydney Miller is great. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Susan Stilwell - USA

Great planning advise, Super helpful and quickly responsive with emails and phone calls - Thank you! Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Jaime Toigo - USA

Every day was the best day!! Sydney chose excellent guided hikes for us. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2022

Diane Kyker - USA

Love Sydney. Swoop made the trip so easy and I didn't feel stressed coordinating days for our 30 person group because of all their prep work. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2022

Mariel Sabraw - USA

Sydney was a joy to work with and her first hand knowledge of Patagonia was invaluable. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2022

Suzanne Ricca - USA

I’m glad we selected Swoop and are very happy with Sydney and the whole team!!! Read the full review

Travelled: April 2022

Seth Pound - USA

Sydney was the best! Responsive, knowledge, accommodating, really listened and worked with us to create the ideal custom trip. Read the full review

Travelled: March 2022

Adam Backman - USA

Swoop is amazing! Sydney at Swoop helped me so much with logistics as my team booked this trip and prepared to get into Chile. Without her help, we absolutely would have had so much more of a challenge. Swoop is amazing! Read the full review

Travelled: March 2022

Julia Ormond - USA

Sydney was extremely helpful with planning everything! Highly recommend her and the company to anyone. Read the full review

Travelled: February 2022

Michael Gioia - USA

We had a great agent, Sydney Miller, who made all our travel smooth. There were so many things that we needed regarding traveling and requirements related to Covid. She helped us make sure we had everything in order. She was very knowledgeable about the country and helped guide us in our vacation. Read the full review

Travelled: January 2022

Tammy Orozco Mellon - USA

Sydney was always there to help me through the logistical challenges of traveling during COVID. She was always reassuring, she helped me with details of travel that I couldn't have coordinated, and she just took off a lot of pressure that I was feeling. Aside from the logistical help, Sydney helped me and family decide on the appropriate trip for our abilities and time we had available. Read the full review

Travelled: December 2021

Ashley Williams - USA

Sydney was fantastic. Enthusiastic and helpful in every way. Read the full review

Travelled: November 2021

Jeff Lambert - USA

We loved having your assistance in planning our trip through Patagonia! Read the full review

Travelled: January 2020

Steven Ray - United States Of America

Review:

The next adventure

If there is a mountain with a view, I want to hike it. If there happens to be a hut there with a warm bed and a warm meal, even better. I’m on my way.

Sydney

Relaxing on holiday in Canada

Ready to plan your Patagonia adventure?

1
Listen

Listen

We'll spend some time listening to your aspirations, then discuss the kind of experience that might suit you.

2
Match

Match

Next we'll discuss the options, shortlist the best trips for you and present you our impartial recommendations.

3
Reserve

Reserve

We'll place a 24 hour hold on your preferred option - without obligation - whilst we talk through the details.

Whatever your budget, group size, length of stay, preferred activity or appetite for adventure, we can help.

1-855-369-7866