Last updated: 12:45 PM ET, Tue October 27, 2026
Emily Meredith Prentiss.
Bio
Exploring destinations, people and cultures of the world has always been Emily Meredith Prentiss' passion. From family trips that included retracing roots in Austria, spending multiple summers in Switzerland, to studying anthropology, she realized travel was something she wanted to pursue as a career.
Prentiss started as an in-house employee, mentored by Valerie Wilson and her daughters, Jennifer and Kimberly, and remained with Valerie Wilson Travel for over 12 years prior to joining In the Know Experiences four years ago. Years of travel experience and relationship building gave her the confidence to tap into entrepreneurial skills and eventually launch her own extremely successful travel company.
She entered the travel industry immediately after graduating college in 2010, at a time when there were only a handful of young advisors. She was determined to embrace the challenges and become a voice for the younger generation. Prentiss has spoken at university career events, encouraging students to enter the field, and has taken every opportunity throughout her career to mentor others. She was featured in the Travel Section of the New York Times in 2012 and was named one of the “Top 35 Travel Agents Under 30.” In 2016, she was awarded Virtuoso Rising Star.
Prentiss, 38, has also built a travel consulting firm with several million dollars in annual gross sales that has consistently placed her on Global Travel Collection’s list of top-performing advisors. She believes wholeheartedly in the value of the power of human connection.
"Being named to the TravelPulse 40 Under 40 is a great honor," said Prentiss. "Over 16 years have passed since I entered the travel industry and I can confidently say that I love my line of work as I did during years one, five and 10. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have worked—and continue to work—alongside industry icons and wonderful colleagues, building meaningful relationships with partners around the globe. Most importantly, I am fortunate to have clients who appreciate and trust me."
"I would like to thank those who believed that the future of travel could include a younger generation of travel advisors. Their support was monumental in my success, and I hope to continue to pay it forward with mentorship to the next generation of advisors," added Prentiss.
Industry References
"It's rare to find someone who embodies both the deep, traditional foundation of this industry and its modern evolution and Emily is one of those people," said Angie Licea, President, Global Travel Collection. "Emily is consistently one of our top-performing advisors, regularly landing in our Circle recognition and generating over $3 million in gross sales."
"Why I am so impressed with Emily is that she carries the deep, foundational training of an industry veteran while also actively contributing to where the industry is headed. For this reason, she has become a genuine resource to her peers, fellow suppliers, and to her clients alike," added Licea.
"She has served on four Virtuoso Preview Advisory Boards, was named Virtuoso Rising Star in 2016, and has spent the past decade lending her perspective to conversations that shape the future of this industry. She's also become a go-to source of guidance for newer advisors entering the field, sharing the kind of institutional knowledge that only comes from having done this work both in-house and as an independent contractor," she said.
A longstanding client commented on how they are “endlessly impressed with the relationships Emily has with hotel managers and tour guides. They love her—as do we—”. The couple “regard Emily as not only our trusted and beloved travel adviser but also a friend… [we] cannot imagine any other travel consultant rising to her level of expertise, sensitivity, and warmth.”
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