Today we’d like to introduce you to Josephine Shields Recass.
Hi Josephine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I developed a love for travel from an early age through subjects that I studied in high school (Geography, Religious Education, History and Modern Languages, for example), reading novels as well as the travel of family members. This led me to pursue my bachelor’s degree in International Relations followed by a stint in the Foreign Service. Fast forward to 2026, where I have travelled extensively and have an extended network of friends and partners across the globe. I had the desire to create Lejore Discoveries for over 15 years, but had limited time and space because of a demanding work schedule and parental duties. I finally got the opportunity to begin writing the contents of the website in 2018 when I took a career break. This was a family project: my daughter designed the brochure that became the template for the website and she and my son provided comments on the iterations of the website until its completion. True to the international nature of Lejore Discoveries, my web designer was based in Toronto, Canada. Unfortunately, the launch date that we had in mind was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that persons are travelling again, we are poised and ready to offer travel adventures such as Armenia, Namibia, Iceland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and many more. Our destinations include wineries, music festivals, major sporting events (Olympic Games, Formula One races, Grand Slam tennis tournaments and the Super Bowl). We also curate celebrations such as office retreats, weddings and anniversaries, milestone birthdays, graduations, retirements, high school and university reunions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The journey thus far has been anything but smooth. The pandemic happening at the time it did meant that we weren’t able to begin offering travel. And lasting as long as it did led to us losing momentum and operating at a net loss. We are not yet able to access critical market mass to operate at scale. Hopefully, this will change this year?
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have a background in education, having taught part time at high school and pre-university levels. I am a trained diplomacy and have been working in international development for over 30 years. With Lejore Discoveries, we offer our clients the opportunity to enjoy customized adventures (instead of a cookie-cutter approach) and make memories in locations with which we are very familiar: we have lived there, visited there or have trusted associates who live there.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
That we offer inclusive options (we are LGBTQIA+ friendly) to our clients. So that they feel comfortable to be who they are and relax in a stress-free environment.
Pricing:
- All our prices are customized to fit the budgets and interests of our clients
- We accept all major credit cards
- We are IATA certified
- We pride ourselves on competitive and fair prices
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lejorediscoveries.com
- Instagram: @lejorediscoveries
- Facebook: Lejore Discoveries
- Other: Email: exhale@lejorediscoveries.com
Image Credits
Lejore Discoveries, LLC
