05/28/2026
Meet Our Team!
Melony is our manager and has been at Elk River Travel for 26 years:
Hello, I’m Melony. I’ve lived in Princeton for 50+ years. I’ve been married to my husband for 29 years. We have 6 children and 14 grandchildren. I love spending time with them, and especially traveling with them. Prior to attending travel school and working for Elk River Travel, I worked in the medical field for over 20 years.
I love going to Hawaii, Maui in particular - it feels like I'm home every time I go. I love Italy, Australia, Norway, and Europe in general. I enjoy going on Viking River Cruises and we just did Viking’s new Rhine and Main Explorer last August (third Viking cruise). This previous December, my family experienced Christmastime in New York and I visited Key West in February (Surprisingly my first time visiting). Upcoming travel for me includes Italy this Fall, a Christmas market trip in December 2027 with Viking, and possibly Iceland in there somewhere.
England, New Zealand, and the Galápagos Islands (I’m in love with turtles) are on the top of my bucket list, so I have many more trips to plan.
My favorite travel tip: Travel is an adventure, be flexible, don’t expect everything to go exactly as planned, and enjoy the ride!
Sue is one of our Travel Advisors and has been with us for six years:
Hello, I’m Sue! I grew up in north central Minnesota in a large family. Growing up, we traveled all over the US and Canada. After college and marriage, my husband and I have continued that love of travel ourselves and with our three boys. Although my degree is in education, I made the switch to travel advisor and really enjoy researching and learning about destinations all over the world. Traveling teaches us so much!
My favorite place to travel is usually the last place I’ve been. I traveled to Ireland last year and absolutely loved it. It is magical and the people are wonderful! Mexico has a special place in my heart, we go there often, and it’s a perfect winter getaway from Minnesota.
Italy, Greece, Galapagos, Machu Pichu, and Australia are at the top of my travel bucket list, but the list keeps getting longer and longer!
One of my favorite travel tips is to use packing cubes and compression bags; they are a must for me! They’re a great way to stay organized and fit more in your luggage.
My best tip is to not wait for someday - take the trip!!
Grace is our newest Travel Advisor and has been with us for just over a year:
I’m Grace, I live in Big Lake with my family and my three dogs that I love to spend time with. I always loved history, but during my first semester of college, I took a history class and the professor was so good, I decided to switch my degree. I didn’t quite know what I would do with it, but I found this job and everything seemed to fall into place. I love learning about the industry and helping travelers on their way! I just love traveling in general. Whether that be to new cities and exploring museums, trying new restaurants, or going to theme parks. I also love exploring destinations more out of town like national parks, hiking, and especially love anywhere near the water.
The places that top my travel bucket list are Greece, New Zealand, and Alaska. I recently got to check off one of my bucket list destinations- Ireland- this last November!
An upcoming trip that I am really looking forward to is traveling to Switzerland this October.
My favorite travel tip is to learn a bit about the place you are going before you get there. Whether that be the culture, the food, or the history. I think it makes the trip more enjoyable if you start with a baseline of what to expect and know what you want to try to experience while there.
On the other hand, sometimes the best parts of traveling are what you aren’t expecting.
