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Our Team

Meet Our Staff

Dr. Nick Ellis

Founder, MEDLIFE and Good Life Expeditions

As a high school student, Nick set off for Latin America for the first time from his hometown of Bangor, Maine on a school trip. He was hooked and later did college semesters abroad in Ecuador and Panama, while studying International Development and Math at McGill University. The focus was on tangible, on-the-ground education, truly transformative experiences that changed the course of his life – influencing his decisions to study medicine, and start MEDLIFE. Read more about how Nick started MEDLIFE here.

As an emergency medicine doctor, Nick serves as the primary healthcare provider for underserved populations in the United States, mirroring what MEDLIFE provides for thousands of people across Latin America and Africa through its clinics. He later started Good Life Expeditions as a for-profit travel agency with profits funding MEDLIFE, so the two are inextricably linked.

At the core of Good Life Expeditions is the belief in travel as a life-changing, transformative experience, which stems directly from Nick’s early experiences. This is what he wants to offer all travelers – whether you’re a student embarking on a service learning trip, or a company executive taking a quick luxury vacation. It’s the chance to experience beautiful places, have an authentic connection with the culture and people, and reflect on your own life and purpose.

Nick divides his time between the US and Lima, Peru. With his wife he loves exploring national parks, and the chance to connect with nature. In his downtime, his three dogs Charlie, Maya and Luna keep him busy.

Matt Kinch

Director of Operations

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With a deep curiosity to learn and explore, Matt began a career working in tourism allowing him to travel and experience new cultures.  He was born in Ontario, Canada but has spent the past 10+ years working and living in Latin America.

Matt’s travels have taken him around the world, with notable adventures cruising through Iceland and Greenland, the Galapagos Islands, trekking the Inca Trail, and hiking in Torres del Paine National Park. He also spent his honeymoon in Antarctica!

Matt has a deep passion for the travel industry and more specifically the communities which benefit from and depend on tourism. Matt believes in using tourism as a force for good, preserving the places we visit, and supporting the local communities. He has spent years working with Indigenous communities to develop sustainable travel offerings in places like Colombia’s Sierra Nevada, the Andes Mountains of Cusco, and the jungles of Ecuador.

Matt believes that travel brings people together, and allows us to understand the beliefs and traditions of others…and travel done correctly can transform us.

Claudia Cavero

Senior Travel Advisor

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Claudia is a born and bred Limeña, who spent a lot of her childhood in the US, visiting family every other summer. When she was 18, she participated in a Disney College program, meeting people from all over the world. This exposure to different cultures fueled her love of travel and sharing her own country, from an early age. She then attended the University of Houston and gained a double-degree in Hospitality Management (USIL) and Hotel & Restaurant Management (University of Houston).

As an adult, the travel bug has continued, and some of her most memorable trips have been to Colombia and discovering more about her home country Peru. In the most remote and often poverty-stricken corners of the country she notices the little things, like the warmth and friendliness of the people, their respect and reverence for their environment and Pachamama (mother earth), and how eager they are to welcome and share their land with visitors.

Claudia is a senior travel advisor at Good Life Expeditions, and genuinely enjoys planning memorable travel experiences for visitors. She finds it really rewarding that her work is for the ultimate aim of supporting MEDLIFE, and that travelers contribute as well.

In her spare time Claudia is a big soccer fan, supporting FC Barcelona and the Peru national team, and fitness buff. She spends a lot of time weight training in the gym and meal prepping.

Heidy Aspilcueta

Cusco Operations Manager

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Heidy is originally from Cusco but has also lived in Costa Rica and Lima, where she completed an MBA. She loves that her work involves applying her business knowledge and ideas but for the benefit of an NGO that she’s proud to work for. One of her favorite parts of the job is constantly seeing faces full of gratitude. Gratitude on the faces of poor communities that MEDLIFE works with, and gratitude on the faces of volunteers for the life-changing experiences they’ve had.

Heidy believes this feel-good effect also applies to people who travel with Good Life Expeditions – the chance to travel to Latin America or Africa is a life-enriching experience. Travelers return home with a changed perspective of the history and culture of where they’ve visited, but also the communities and their needs, knowing that they’ve made a positive impact on the people they meet along their journey.

She’s traveled around the continent and on her honeymoon in Chile and Argentina developing a love for nature and understanding of the important need to protect it for future generations. Much of her spare time is spent playing with her son, taking him to the park and running behind him to keep him entertained.

Caroline Appert

Marketing & Sales Executive

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During college, Caroline spent a semester studying at a university in Santiago, Chile which hooked her on the beauty of South America and the cultures that call the continent home. Upon graduation, she started her career in New York City working at an advertising agency. Though she loved the work, she was always itching to return south of the equator. Finally she put thoughts into action, and left the states to volunteer and travel across the continent, eventually deciding that Lima would be the perfect place to call home.

At Good Life Expeditions, she combines her passions for story telling, travel, and Latin America as the Marketing & Content Executive. But above all she loves that she has been given a chance to help others see the world beyond typical tourist attractions and do her small part in aiding the MEDLIFE cause.

During her free time, Caroline hops on a bus to any of the nearby mountains, rivers, or beaches because Peru is like a giant natural playground & to her there is nothing better than an outdoor adventure!

Ellen Hays

Marketing Associate

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After growing up in an isolated corner of the globe in Tasmania, Australia, Ellen moved to Melbourne to pursue her passion for social justice by studying law and politics. Her studies took her to Malaysia for a human rights internship and to Europe on student exchange programs. The experience of meeting people from other cultures and hearing their stories only added fuel to her fire for travel. 

Alongside her studies, Ellen worked in social media and content creation for research centers at university. She fell in love with the power of the written word and its capacity to make a difference in the world. After graduating, Ellen knew that she wanted to experience living abroad for more than just a semester. With a Spanish dictionary and one-way ticket in hand, Ellen set foot on the South American continent and never looked back.

Since joining Good Life Expeditions as the Marketing Associate, Ellen has enjoyed putting her passions for story-telling, responsible travel, and social justice into practice. Ellen is delighted to be part of the incredible expert travel team at Good Life Expeditions, while also supporting the transformative work of MEDLIFE. 

From Our Happy Travelers

Good Life Expeditions prides itself on crafting unforgettable journeys for travelers from around the world. Don't believe us? Hear it from the travelers themselves!

Jake, Phillipe, and Michelle tell us about their magical trip!

- Jake, Phillipe, and Michelle

Check out this incredible expedition to the Galapagos Islands!

- Richard and Kara

Check out what these travelers loved about their trip to Peru.

- Sarah and Hakudo

These girls would recommend GLE to friends and family – check out why!

- University of Wisconsin students

Check out what Thu Le has to say about her experience with Good Life Expeditions!

- Thu Le

View All Testimonials