About
It was clear there was a need, especially in the realm of family travel, for someone with relevant travel experience to share their knowledge and insider intelligence to improve people’s travel experiences. This applies whether we are constructing a bespoke multi-country sabbatical or simply nailing the location that offers all the appropriate amenities for a school break on the beach. Because she is regularly obtaining first-hand experience, very often with 4 children in tow, you can rely on her reviews and suggestions.
As an avid lifetime traveler, Christy was one to painstakingly pour over the details on her own. She then found herself regularly sharing itineraries with friends, family, and colleagues to help them streamline their own planning process.
Why work with Menzies Luxe Retreats?
Connect with Christy
We pay CPAs, financial advisors, lawyers, private coaches, and personal trainers. Executing a plan from an idea takes work and time; let’s strategize together and make the process fun. There is so much to gain from a wonderfully crafted travel experience with those you love the most.
We want to be your trusted advisor, your go to when you have thoughts, questions, or dreams about a destination.
Menzies Luxe Retreats has an entirely different approach to travel planning.
Connect with Christy
She worked in sales on a trading floor for several banks for 10 years. Here she fine tuned her analytical problem solving skills as well as relationship management IQ and understanding the importance of defining each client’s unique proposition while meeting their needs. She now has 4 children from ages 1-7 years old and resides just outside of New York City in Darien, CT where she exists in a perpetual state of planning her family’s next adventure.
Christy (Paluf) Menzies was born in the Midwest and spent what now equates to the first half of her life in Cleveland, OH. Her most treasured memories growing up were her family road trips to the south for spring break. These were highly anticipated and unforgettable. Her competitive nature brought her to Yale University where she was captain of the volleyball team. She used this time as a springboard to truly get out and see the world for the first time studying abroad for a semester in Barcelona. Multiple milestone trips later from all across Europe to New Zealand, Australia, and throughout North America, it was apparent Christy was a travel lover for life.
Meet Christy
Connect with ellie
Ellie’s desire to travel led to a mother/daughter tour of Ireland along with a hiking trip on the Routeburn Trail overlooking the Remarkables in New Zealand, where she and her husband got engaged. Ellie and her husband then honeymooned on Safari in South Africa, enjoyed great food in Cape Town, and witnessed Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. They have also traveled to France and the Amalfi Coast and skied in Park City, Jackson Hole, and Tahoe.
Ellie joins Menzies Luxe Retreats after a dynamic career, first working on Wall Street at a proprietary credit desk, then joining the NYC Teaching Fellows where she obtained her master’s and taught high school math in NYC. For the past eight years, she has been raising her three adorable boys with her husband in Darien, CT. She has a passion for exploring, creating memories with her family, and reading a great book while on the beach as she enjoys a sundowner.
Her love for travel was sparked when she studied abroad in Florence, Italy. During this time, she was able to travel throughout Europe to more than twenty cities. Later that year she also enjoyed a trip to Australia to play lacrosse with her teammates from Notre Dame.
Meet Ellie
Connect with harrison
Upon graduating from the University of Alabama, she spent three summers guiding leadership and service trips for teenagers in Maui, Fiji, and Iceland in between working for a residential interior designer in Atlanta, GA. Through these experiences, she learned how to get the inside scoop as she dove into each new destination. In 2018, she joined the Admissions + Marketing team at Moondance and oversaw family communication and the student experience. Her passion lies in connecting and building relationships with clients while always keeping her calm under pressure. Travel and excellent hospitality run in her blood, and she is excited to bring these passions to Menzies Luxe Retreats!
Harrison Newman hails from Charlotte, NC, but she currently resides in Boulder, CO with her fiancé, Franklin. She has a lifelong passion for travel, connecting with others, and creating meaningful experiences. When not planning or dreaming about travel, she spends her time outdoors hiking, climbing, and trail running on Boulder’s vast network of open space trails, perusing interior design magazines, or visiting her local yarn shop!
Harrison’s deep love for travel began at the age of 16 when she attended a Moondance adventure - participating in a 17-day climbing, backpacking, and white-water rafting trip in Wyoming and Idaho. This sparked a fire to explore the world and seek experiences far outside of her comfort zone. She has found that life’s most meaningful moments happen when we put our phones down and spend time with loved ones or new friends.
Meet Harrison
