The combined travel experience of our staff makes us experts in our field.  It helps us select the best and most practical products to make your journey more comfortable, safe and rewarding.  We rely on travelers feedback, so please let us know what products you found most helpful.  .....And don’t hesitate to ask us.

Petra Rousu, born and raised in Germany and the owner of The Savvy Traveler, has traveled in over 40 countries. Coming from Europe, she is very knowledgeable about European countries and cultures. Petra started and operated 13 travel stores for a large organization before opening her own store. Years of experience have helped her in selecting the best and most useful travel products. She continues her passion for travel as much as her time allows.

Penny Todd, is a registered nurse involved in ongoing medical missions to Africa. In her travels she has tried many of our products and helps us select the most practical items available. She has traveled much of Europe and has a special passion for Scotland, her ancestral home. Penny has also perfected the art of packing a suitcase and is now teaching thousands of travelers how to choose a wardrobe and pack in a carry-on suitcase that can take you just about anywhere.

Florence Chan relocated to the town of Edmonds after spending 8 years in Boston. Born in China, Florence immigrated to the United States at the age of 5 and grew up in San Francisco. Florence’s traveling days started while she was in college, spending entire summers bumming around Europe in typical student fashion best described as “adventure on a shoestring budget.” Sleeping on trains and staying in youth hostels, she explored every European country covered under the Eurail system. After graduating from college, Florence spent 8 years working as a Fleet Planner for a charter airline. Using her airline travel benefits, Florence expanded her area of exploration to include Hawaii, New Zealand, and destinations in Asia, as well as returning numerous times to Europe. Her more recent adventures, still on a shoestring budget, include 2 big camping trips to the far north. Twice within the last 5 years, she and her husband have taken one-year sabbaticals to travel into the wilds of the Yukon and Alaska, living for months in a tent, kayaking glacier-fed lakes, hiking the tundra and sleeping atop permafrost! Yes …. true lovers of the cold, Florence and her husband, once spent Thanksgiving in Iceland followed by a Christmas “polar camping” in northern Quebec. “It was so cold my toothpaste froze”, Florence claims, but the experience of sleeping in an igloo and dog-sledding across a frozen lake was an adventure not to be missed!

Norma Spoonemore enjoys hearing about travel experiences of others while sharing her own interests in and knowledge of travel.  Her favorite U.S. destinations are the Hawaiian Islands, New York City, and the Oregon Coast.  Many years ago as a college student she spent a summer traveling in England and exploring the European continent, including most countries in Western Europe.  More recently she visited England and part of Europe, adding Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Portugal, southern Spain and Eastern Europe to her travels.  She has also spent time in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru.

Lorraine Thoroughman, a native Midwesterner, came to the Savvy Traveler from the corporate world where she worked for a translation and interpreting company. You will find her charming personality and her customer service background helpful when shopping for all your travel needs. An avid hiker and nature lover, she traveled the U.S. before settling in the Pacific Northwest. Lorraine’s passion for travel started with her family’s involvement with foreign exchange students. Her travels have taken her through Europe, South America and the Caribbean—and she is just getting started! She hopes to see much more of the world with her husband and young daughter.

Silke Harper, a native of Germany, is the bookkeeper for The Savvy Traveler. She keeps the office running smoothly with her attention to detail. She holds a degree in Music from the Conservatory in Cologne and was a soloist at both the Wuppertal Opera and the Hagen Opera before moving to Seattle with her husband, where she has been the German language coach for several productions at the Seattle Opera. Silke has traveled extensively in Europe and North America and loves especially Italy and Hawaii.

Alexandra Rousu, has traveled extensively for her young age. As the daughter of the owner she has traveled to Europe since she was 6 weeks old and has continued her travels throughout the years to many different countries. She recently retuned from her 16th trip to Europe. Currently she is enrolled at the University of Washington and hopes to major in architecture, while working at the Savvy Traveler part-time. She is bilingual with German being her second language. Her visual display skills and travel experience are great assets to the store.

Anita Bennett was born and raised in the Channel Islands of England. She had toured much of the United States and lived in many different cities. Her extensive retail experience and customer service skills are a valuable asset to the store and our customers. She is extremely knowledgeable in putting together travel wardrobes for any types of travel. She’ll answer all your packing questions with great solutions and suggestions.