We have some happy news to share: Kasey (Austin) Morrissey has joined Privada Travel as a Partner. For Kasey, Carol, and Curtis, it’s a chance to work together again after years of shared adventures, friendships, and a love of helping people explore the world. We’re excited for this next chapter together. Read the full announcement below.
Press Release
Former Austin Adventures President reunites with Carol Austin and Curtis Fox to bring a fresh approach to personalized travel.
BILLINGS, MT & WATERBURY, VT — October 30, 2026 —
Some partnerships are years in the making.
Privada Travel is delighted to welcome Kasey (Austin) Morrissey, former President of Austin Adventures, as its newest Partner, reuniting three longtime colleagues and friends who have spent much of their careers creating extraordinary travel experiences together.
For Morrissey, the move is both a new beginning and a return to her entrepreneurial roots.
The daughter of adventure travel pioneer Dan Austin, Morrissey grew up in the business. From exploring Yellowstone and the Canadian Rockies to swimming with sea lions in the Galápagos, travel was never just a family business—it was a way of life.
She started as a junior guide at 16, was leading trips by 21, managing the guide team at 22, and became President of Austin Adventures in 2019. Along the way, she learned the business from the ground up: packing gear, guiding guests, developing trips, building teams, and ultimately leading one of the industry's most respected adventure travel companies.
Following the acquisition of Austin Adventures, Morrissey remained with the organization and played a key leadership role in the growth and integration of Austin Adventures, Active Adventures, and Discovery Bicycle Tours. Working across all three brands, she helped shape strategy, strengthen team culture, and maintain a consistent focus on exceptional guest experiences. In addition to serving as President of Austin Adventures, she oversaw product development across the portfolio, helping shape travel experiences spanning six continents and multiple styles of travel, from family adventures and active journeys to cycling expeditions and small-group exploration.
"Kasey has quite literally done it all," said Curtis Fox, Partner at Privada Travel. "She's cleaned bikes, guided trips, built incredible teams, managed complex operations, overseen travel experiences across three brands, and led an entire company. But what makes her special isn't just her experience. It's her genuine love for people and her ability to bring out the best in everyone around her. I couldn't be more excited to be working together again."
Morrissey joins Fox and Privada Founder & Partner Carol Austin, bringing together three familiar faces with decades of combined experience designing, operating, and leading journeys around the world.
Their shared history runs deep, as does their belief that the best travel experiences begin with great people, thoughtful planning, and a healthy dose of curiosity.
"Watching Kasey grow from a young guide into an exceptional business leader has been one of the great joys of my career," said Carol Austin. "She's earned the respect of colleagues, guides, suppliers, and guests through hard work, kindness, and an extraordinary commitment to people. Having her join us at Privada is incredibly special."
For Morrissey, the reunion represents an opportunity to build something new with people who share her passion.
"After so many wonderful years at Austin Adventures, I knew my next chapter had to be something I was genuinely excited about," said Morrissey. "The chance to reunite with Carol and Curtis, bring our experience together, and create something that feels truly our own is pretty incredible. We've always believed travel should be fun, personal, and full of discovery. Now we get to build a company around exactly that."
Privada is a private travel company built on a simple idea: great travel should be personal.
The company brings together two sides of the travel industry that have traditionally operated separately—the firsthand destination expertise and creative capabilities of a tour operator, and the flexibility, global access, and ongoing relationships of a travel agency.
The result is a more personal approach to travel, where guests aren't limited to a company's existing itineraries or a narrow selection of products. Instead, Privada gets to know its travelers, understands what matters to them, and puts decades of experience and trusted relationships to work creating the right experience for each journey.
"We've spent our careers on the inside of this industry, figuring out what makes a trip truly exceptional," said Fox. "Now we're taking all of that experience and putting it directly to work for our guests. We can design an incredible adventure from scratch, recommend the perfect place to stay, or simply help someone make smarter travel decisions. What matters isn't what we're selling. It's making sure our guests have the best possible experience."
For travelers, Morrissey's arrival means more expertise, more connections, and more people personally invested in making every journey exceptional.
And for the Privada team, it means a chance to build a company around the things they've always loved most about travel: exploring the world, cultivating meaningful connections, and creating experiences worth remembering.
"We don't aspire to be the biggest travel company," added Austin. "We want to be the one people trust when travel matters. And we want to have a whole lot of fun doing it."
Built on Experience. Designed for You.
Privada Travel is an independent private travel company rooted in Montana and Vermont. Founded by seasoned travel professionals, Privada combines the destination expertise of a tour operator with the independence, global connections, and personal service of a boutique travel agency.
Led by Founder & Partner Carol Austin and Partners Curtis Fox and Kasey Morrissey, the company draws on decades of firsthand experience to help curious travelers explore the world with greater confidence, ease, and connection.