Hailing from a small town in Connecticut, I have always dreamed of expanding my horizons and seeing the world. I set my heart on France and began taking French lessons after school in the fourth grade, a hobby that snowballed into a passion and ultimately led to a college degree. After graduation, I spent a year living in Toulouse and working as a high school English teacher.
Living only an hour from the Spanish border, I took frequent trips to my southern neighbor. Some of my most poignant memories from my year in France are from my time in Spain: sharing tapas with my coworkers, skiing in the Spanish Pyrenees, and exploring the calas and prehistoric monuments on my first-ever solo trip to Menorca. Now confident in my French skills, I needed a new passion project, which quickly became learning Spanish.
Working at Audley has allowed my passion for travel to thrive, taking me to Egypt and Madeira, places I’ve always dreamed of visiting.
Start planning your tailor-made trip with Riley
-
617-223-4521617-223-4390
- Make an inquiry
Q&A with Riley
Where would you love to travel next?
I’ve always dreamed of exploring the natural beauty of Thailand, particularly its stunning beaches and coastlines. Most importantly, Khao Soi is my ultimate favorite food, so I am dying to try it from the source.
What’s your most vivid travel moment?
One of my most memorable trips was to Lake Bled in Slovenia. Nestled in the Julian Alps, we decided to spend our last day by going on a sunrise hike. When reality set in and this turned out to mean four miles uphill in the dark, I’ll admit that I was a bit grumpy. Once we made it to the top, I quickly ate my words upon seeing the reflection of the pink-streaked sky on the lake, the cloud-filled valleys, and the miniscule villages lighting up one window at a time. The community I felt with the other hikers who braved the early wake up and views straight out of an impressionist painting are striking to this day.
What’s the best local dish you’ve tasted?
Cod, or bacalhau, is considered Portugal’s national dish and the Portuguese boast 365 different methods of preparing bacalhau to have a unique meal each day of the year. One of my favorite preparations was the ‘Cobblestreet’ salted cod at Alma in Lisbon. A play on bacalhau à bras — a typical dish that features shredded cod, potatoes, onions, scrambled eggs, and black olives — the chef proposed this mixture topped with a cod crudo sectioned off with a black olive tapenade that evokes Lisbon’s iconic cobblestone streets. An exquisite blend of flavor and history, this dish was truly unforgettable.
