About
About Michael Beaver
I have been an LGBTQ+ traveler my whole adult life. I know what it feels like to research a destination and wonder whether the welcome is real. I know what it costs, in money and in energy, to get that calculation wrong. And I know what it feels like to get it right — to be somewhere that was genuinely built for who you are, where the only thing you have to think about is the trip itself.
That is why I do this work. Not as an advocate. As someone who has been where you are.
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How I got Here
My first cruise was at age three. I do not remember it, but apparently it took.
The trip that actually changed things came later. A college visit to Malta with our concert band. I went for the music. I stayed for the country. The history, the warmth of the people, the particular feeling of being somewhere that had been lived in for thousands of years. I came home knowing that international travel was going to be a serious part of my life, one way or another.
For the next decade, I worked in higher education administration. Advising fraternities and sororities, managing residence halls, building alumni relationships. What I was actually doing in every one of those roles was listening to people, figuring out what they needed, and helping them get there. I did not know it at the time, but I was learning how to be a travel advisor.
I started booking travel on the side while I was still in alumni relations. It turned out I was good at it, and I loved it more than anything else I was doing. In 2019 I joined Expedia Cruises. In 2024, I made it my full-time career.
The specialty
Cruising, specifically the premium to luxury end. River, luxury ocean, and expedition. These are the trips that require the most knowledge, the most nuance, and the most trust to get right.
I am a CLIA Master Cruise Counselor, one of the cruise industry's highest professional credentials. I have also completed CLIA's Luxury Cruise Certificate and Meetings and Events at Sea Certificate. I serve as General Manager of Expedia Cruises NorthShore in Glenview, Illinois. Expedia Cruises is the number one travel brand in the United States, which means the supplier relationships and buying power behind every booking I make are serious.
The lines I know best: Silversea, Regent, Seabourn, and Crystal on the luxury ocean side. AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Viking, and Celebrity River Cruises for river travel. Swan Hellenic, Quark, HX, and Silversea Expeditions for expedition cruising.
Antarctica sits at the top of my personal list. I have a group departure sailing on Swan Hellenic in February 2028, with spaces still available, if that is a trip you have been thinking about.
What working with me is like
People tell me they feel taken care of. That I listened. That the trip I sent them on was the trip they actually wanted.
That is not an accident. It is the same skill set I spent fifteen years developing in higher education. Understanding what someone needs, asking the right questions, and getting them where they want to go.
The first conversation is always free. It starts with the same question: if money were no object, what does your dream trip look like? Everything else follows from the answer.
Book a Consultation with Michael
Phone or Zoom. Thirty minutes. No obligation. Backed by Expedia Cruises, the number one travel brand in the United States.