Katie was born and raised in North Carolina, one of the best states to travel around, offering a variety of landscapes, cultures, and local experiences. She holds dual degrees in International Studies and Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Katie’s passion for travel and discovering the world began when she hiked the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage at a young age. That spark continued through college, where she studied abroad in Barcelona, lived with a Spanish host mom, and spent weekends exploring over ten European countries.

After graduation, Katie spent several years out West, learning the intricacies of luxury hospitality at a well-known family dude ranch in Wyoming and in Jackson Hole. Currently, she lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband and their spunky black lab, Ridge.

After decades of exploring the globe and three years working in-house at a travel agency where she crafted unforgettable experiences for her clients, Katie founded Cornett Travels, in part to give her the freedom to provide her clients with a more personalized, high-touch approach to luxury travel. She is excited to be joining Avant Travel, where her professional goals, core values, and client-first philosophy of creating unique, worldwide travel itineraries for her clients are a perfect fit.

Katie is dedicated to helping clients envision, plan, and experience transformative travel, exploring new cultures, spending quality time with loved ones, and celebrating life-changing moments while knowing every detail is expertly handled. Whether it is a multi-generational trip to England, a romantic honeymoon in French Polynesia, a wildlife adventure in South Africa, an expedition cruise to Antarctica, or a culinary journey through Italy aboard the Orient Express, she looks forward to creating your next unforgettable travel adventure.