Meet Hillary Murray
LOCAL FOREIGNER’S TEAM OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
This post is part of our series celebrating our Independent Contractors and Hosting Program. The Local Foreigner's Hosting Program provides a platform of systems and support for independent travel advisors.
Learn more about joining our team +
Where the Wild Things Are
Hillary Murray had a childhood out of a South Florida storybook – the family farm was home to ten horses, pigs, dogs, and iguanas (and several alligators in the property pond.) Her mom tells a story of driving down the street and finding her daughter trying to catch a gator with a ball of twine and fishing hooks. They traveled within the state, to Okeechobee and the Everglades, but also, ventured farther afield as a family, to the beaches of the Bahamas and throughout Italy. “My parents were always part of the adventure and encouraged being part of the culture, and that’s why I love the Local Foreigner so much - we help our clients experience each destination and be a part of the place, as opposed to just being a visitor.”
“My parents always encouraged being part of the culture, and that’s why I love the Local Foreigner so much - we help our clients be a part of the place, as opposed to just being a visitor.”
-Hillary Murray
Hedging her Bets
Following boarding school in Connecticut and college at Penn State – where she studied abroad in Salamanca and was the first female student body president – Hillary moved to New York to join Lehman Brothers. She had been on the desk for one week at the time of the 2008 crash that closed the bank, and subsequently joined Barclays. Her time in finance meant she was constantly back and forth to London, before joining a fund that specialized in distressed debt and restructuring. Having completed what was functionally a finance boot camp in the early years of her career, she went to the University of Virginia for her MBA, which is where she fell in love with the pace and creativity of the startup world. “I got addicted to the energy of the startup world – I worked for Tequila Ocho slinging tequila, absinthe, and rum, and then in my second year of business school, I started my own juice company and manufacturing business called Lumi, which distributes to hotels and pro sports teams and has been sold at Whole Foods, Fresh Markets, QVC, and Amazon.”
“I just love making people happy, and I think that a well-planned, stress-free vacation is the best way to bring people together to decompress, recharge, and experience shared joy.”
This Land is Your Land
That startup willingness to try something new has extended to her travel habits as well. “I am always saying yes to adventure, and I take my passport everywhere. When I was 18, I was in JFK on a layover en route to Florida and bought a ticket to Athens on a whim and left right then. I also think US travel is underrated – we have amazing things down our streets and in our cities. I love to discover little hotels that let you experience big cities. Every trip I go on, I come home with a new best friend that I stay in touch with and who goes on the Christmas card list. And now that I have my own kids, I am always saying ‘yes’ to bringing them along for the ride as well.”
Hillary met Alex Erdman Ely, head of Local Foreigner’s IC program, through their shared UVA connection, and the conversation about joining the travel industry and Local Foreigner began between the two of them in 2019. In 2023, Hillary finally said “yes” to this newest adventure, launching Scouted Adventure and bringing her significant business experience and acumen to bear on planning incredible experiences for her clients. “I just love making people happy, and I think that a well-planned, stress-free vacation is the best way to bring people together to decompress, recharge, and experience shared joy.”
And while Hillary is comfortable planning adventures for her clients all over the world, she doesn’t have one particular destination or type of trip that she prefers to plan – in fact, the destination is secondary for her in the planning process to making sure her clients feel heard. “Some of my favorite trips to plan are for multi-generational family groups, where everyone has different personalities and interests. It makes me happy to figure out how we can incorporate something for everyone into an itinerary, to synthesize conflicting viewpoints and plan something awesome. What differentiates me is understanding my clients' needs and delivering on locations and experiences that are meaningful to them. I’m naturally enthusiastic, so when someone mirrors that enthusiasm back to me, it makes me so happy. The best thing a client can say to me is, ‘It’s like you read my mind.’”