Deb Koesters is a seasoned traveler with merely one U.S. state left to visit (Alaska), and only Australia left to experience among the seven continents.
She’ll mark those off the list at some point in the not-too-distant future, Koesters said, but her travels are really about seeing the everyday lives of people in other cultures and the remarkable places off the beaten path that don’t necessarily cater to tourists. Through her new venture, So Many Places Travel Co., she’s now bringing that kind of immersive travel to other women.
“There’re only so many places you get to go in your lifetime. And there’re only so many people you get to meet. You know, when you get to meet people all over, you find out that they are so different—and they are so much the same,” Koesters said. “You don’t get to know about people until you really go in and visit and see what they do.”
Koesters’ concept for So Many Places was emerging by 2020, but then came the COVID-19 pandemic. While it temporarily halted international travel, it also made Koesters even more appreciative of the opportunity to see the world and spurred her efforts to create a small-group travel company. In 2023, she took So Many Places’ first group, 10 women, to Oaxaca, Mexico. She’s returning with another group of women later this year, October 29 through November 6, to celebrate the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead.
Koesters was known in the community, along with her husband, Dick, as a longtime owner of SBT Hair Specialists (formerly Salon Bon Ton). Hairstyling is itself an art of sorts, and Koesters has also long expressed her creative talent as, naturally, a fiber artist. She’s fascinated, she said, with the work of artisans from around the globe who work in the same medium.
“There’re a lot of fiber artists out there doing different things,” she said. “I’ve met people from all over because of fiber.”
It makes sense that Koesters also integrates art into her So Many Places trips, not only through local art and artisans, but also by guiding travelers in crafting their own pieces that serve as one-of-a-kind keepsakes. Last year’s activities included creating and dyeing felted scarves and making paper from natural fibers. A cooking activity, such as hand making tortillas, was also part of the experience.
“It’s really about bringing home your own souvenirs that you experienced during the trip,” Koesters explained. “When I say ‘arts and culture,’ it’s eating the food that you are making in the cooking classes and going to the market and buying the food. It’s meeting the people and actually going in and creating.”
In addition to group activities and tours, Koesters builds in time for participants to explore by themselves. She also prices the travel packages for single occupancy lodging, knowing that some travelers like having time to reflect and relax away from the group.
“The reason I do that is because that’s how I like to travel,” Koesters said. “I like to be with people and then I like to be on my own.”
“Deb is detail-oriented and is laser-focused on giving her clients experiences that they’d be hard-pressed to have on their own,” said Chris Christen, a participant in So Many Places. “Her itinerary was well-mapped out with local guides taking us by van to various points of interest in and around Oaxaca. If I had planned my own trip, it would not have been as fun, enriching, or fulfilling. I learned a great deal about life in this part of Mexico from the local guides, made new friends in my travel companions, and came away enlightened about a part of the world that I had not visited before.”
Family influenced her love of travel, Koesters said. Not only did her parents enjoy traveling around the U.S., as a child she admired the souvenirs and stories an uncle collected in his three trips around the world.
“He had things from Africa, he went to Papua New Guinea, he went to Afghanistan. He’d been to all of these places, and I was like, ‘Really, people can do that!’” she said. “I grew up with that.”
In turn, Koesters and her husband have gifted each of their grandchildren a trip with them to the lower 48-states location of their choice upon eighth grade graduation. After high school graduation, it’s a trip outside the U.S. The most recent grandparents and grandchild destination was Uzbekistan.
“I want to teach the grandkids the value of travel,” Koesters said.
There’s more ahead for So Many Places, Koesters said, in addition to the 2024 women’s trip to Oaxaca. Future trips may not all be women-only, and she’s considering a European destination for 2025.
“The next place that I’m looking at is possibly Prague (Czech Republic) and Budapest (Hungary),” she said, adding that both communities, of course, also boast a richness of fiber art.
“They do some fantastic work,” Koesters said.
To learn more, visit somanyplacestravelco.com.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
