The Intentional Tourist

Megan Grant was just 15 years old when she traveled on her own for the first time. 

While globe-trotting vacations were common growing up, Grant’s solo summer in the Caribbean proved one of the most powerful and transformative experiences of her life. 

She followed that trip with another, backpacking Europe for three months after graduating from MSU in 2016 with a degree in communications. Again, she braved the journey solo, deflecting questions from concerned friends and relatives about a woman traveling alone. 

Grant knew that others struggled to relate, but those formative years were important. 

“Travel, for me, has only further expanded my understanding of not only myself but other cultures, the world around me and everything else,” Grant said. “I’m a much more compassionate person today because of the amount I’ve traveled. 

“And I think that can be true about anybody who chooses to explore the world with an open mind.” 

Grant determined to do more than just proselytize on the benefits of a well-traveled soul. In early 2021, she launched Cherish Tours LLC, a woman-centric travel agency focused on making a positive impact on both individual travelers and the destinations they visit. 

The venture is a combination of Grant’s lifetime devotion to travel and her natural inclination toward planning and organization, which she describes as her superpower. 

For a time, that power led her to the business hospitality industry. Her early career dutifully checked the boxes for both travel and logistics, but her role in event and conference coordination was more unfulfilling than expected. 

“Conferences are in-and-out and you don’t really appreciate the places that you’re in. You go to a conference center, you stay in the hotel and you don’t get anything about the culture,” she said. “Travel in that world was not the enjoyable kind. It was work travel. I was burning out on it.” 

When the industry was crippled by the pandemic, Grant was given the kick she needed to pursue her own vision. She credits MSU for giving her the skills and confidence she needed to become an entrepreneur. 

“MSU gave me my ability to problem solve and to love learning,” Grant said. “I don’t shy away from having to learn something new.” 

Cherish hosted its first tour in 2021 with eight more the following two years and nine planned for 2024. Destinations have included Costa Rica, Panama, Denmark, Iceland, Turkey and Tanzania along with domestic tours in Alaska and Utah. 

Grant’s goal is to create experiences that empower women. 

“There’s something powerful about bringing women from different walks of life, different ages, different communities, all of these people together in a space where they can be their most authentic self,” Grant said. 

The tours themselves continue that mission through the support of local, women-owned businesses at each destination. 

“There are studies that prove when you give a woman a dollar, the effect it spreads in her community is much greater than when you give it to a man,” Grant said. “I believe in the ripple effect of that. The empowerment of not only one person, but many. Supporting women and their dreams creates positive things in the world.” 

Personally, Grant has visited 40 countries with no plans to slow down. 

“I always hope to learn more and more as I continue to travel,” she said. “I hope the women who come on my trips have that same learning experience–a better understanding of themselves and where their comfort zones can be expanded, as well as the cultural beauty of our world and seeing the beauty in people’s differences.”