How National Parks Trips Inspired a Lifelong Traveler to Become a Travel Advisor

Morgan James, owner of Go with Mo Travel Co. in Nashville, has seen what she calls “the most beautiful sunset that I’ve ever seen in my life” at Olympic National Park’s Ruby Beach in Washington state. 

She’s seen 16 grizzly bears at Yellowstone National Park and foot-long banana slugs at Redwood National Park. Her now-husband proposed to her at Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida, then the couple spent their honeymoon at Maasai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti National Park in Africa and Valentine’s Day at Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. 

Those are only a few highlights of James’ journeys to 49 national parks around the world. James became a travel advisor two years ago – and started her own agency just this year – to spread the joy of these experiences to others. 

“I became a travel agent so other people can use my knowledge to get to experience what a beautiful world we live in,” James told Travel Market Report. 

Discovering Beauty in Our Backyard

James caught the travel bug from a young age and hasn’t stopped jet-setting since. It all started with her very-first international trip to Cancun at 5 years old. 

“I still remember the resort to this day – it’s still open, The Moon Palace in Cancun,” she reminisced. “There’s a photo of me with all four of my front teeth gone, and I’m eating a popsicle, and I have beads in my hair and a tie-dye shirt on.” 

Her travels continued with her family, who took her on international trips every spring break growing up, and then as a college cheerleader attending competitions across the country. After college, her job in healthcare sales also took her all over the U.S.; she booked her own travel and eventually was booking the entire team’s travel, as well. 

But when James was tired of corporate life, she decided to take a sabbatical in 2019 and spent the year solo traveling all over Europe. When COVID hit, she wasn’t ready to give up traveling – so 2020 became the year she discovered her love of national parks. 

“They were only allowing a certain amount of people in and social distancing,” she said. “But national parks were pretty much the only thing that was still open in 2020 during the pandemic. I still wanted to continue my sabbatical, so I took it from Europe to national parks.” 

As she posted photos of herself in some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes, more and more friends and family encouraged her to write a blog about her adventures. Though she did start a newsletter, she had bigger ideas – in 2023, James joined a travel agency as an independent contractor. 

“I fell in love with national park travel and wanted to help other people book national park travel,” she said, “because I really believe that the U.S. is just full of natural gems literally in our backyard and quite easy to get to.” 

“It’s a great way to bond with your family, especially with your little ones, seeing things like the Grand Canyon for the first time or Arches National Park,” she added. “I think nature is also incredibly healing for anybody in any path of life. During that sabbatical I was personally going through some things, and I needed to heal, and hiking a lot of trails in a lot of U.S. national parks helped me heal in a way that has made me who I am today.” 

Go with Mo Travel Co. is Born

From travel enthusiast to I.C. to agency owner: James has now completed the cycle and yet is just getting started. The idea of creating her own brand excited her, and Go with Mo Travel Co. was born in early 2025. 

“Being able to be my own boss and have that creative freedom to build my own website, build my own logo, my mission, things like that, was why I decided to go and create my own travel agency,” she said. 

Earth tones and nature imagery are the basis of her brand as an avid national park traveler, though that’s not all she sells – she also specializes in Europe. In her newsletter, The Expert Traveler, she offers all kinds of traveler-focused tips, such as how to earn credit card points on flights (she doesn’t book air) and other ways to stay savvy while seeing the world. 

For U.S. national parks travel, James recommends getting the $90 American the Beautiful annual pass. When she plans trips for clients, she tries to incorporate multiple stops to make the most out of it. 

“One of my favorite ways to take advantage of national park travel is looking on a map and seeing, ‘Ok, the family wants to go to the Grand Canyon. Well, what other national parks or cool monuments are within that driving vicinity?'” she said. “If your family is going all the way out to the Grand Canyon, why not also drive to Zion and Grace Canyon, which is a couple hours down the road? So you can see multiple national parks throughout the trip and it’s only going to cost you one flight.” 

James asks clients a list of questions that include budget requirements, medical needs, ages of children, and more, to tailor trips and create custom national parks itineraries. “Being able to be a good listener to my clients’ needs and building an itinerary around that has helped me create successful trips for my clients,” she said. 

She also has clients sign a waiver saying they will not disturb the animals, ensuring they will “not try to pet the bison or try to feed the alligators in the Everglades or things like that,” she said. “I just share firsthand experience with them, and most of my clients are very respectful of nature and animals that they encounter along the way.” 

Bring binoculars, stay their distance – and maybe, just maybe, they’ll spot some of the world’s wonders on the most picturesque trip of their dreams.