Reintroducing Elizabeth Cincotta: The Heart Behind Rising Tide Travel

There are plenty of ways to plan a vacation. But the best trips – the ones that stay with you long after you’ve returned home – rarely begin with a checklist. They begin with understanding.

For Elizabeth Cincotta, founder of Rising Tide Travel, the work of planning travel starts with something simple: listening. Understanding how someone moves through the world, what excites them, and who they want beside them when they experience it. From there, the itinerary becomes something much bigger than logistics. It becomes a story waiting to unfold.

Rising Tide Travel was built on a simple idea: luxury travel should feel intentional, personal, and effortless. Or, as Elizabeth often says: “Luxury stops when the client starts thinking.” 

Her job is to make sure they never have to.

From Hospital Corridors to the World

Before Rising Tide Travel, Elizabeth spent years working in human resources at Massachusetts General Hospital. The role demanded discipline, precision, and constant problem-solving, but over time, the pace began to take its toll. “I was burned out,” she says. “But I also knew I had a lot of skills to offer.”

At the same time, she and her husband, John, were beginning to think about the next chapter of their lives and careers. Both had entrepreneurial instincts. Both loved the idea of building something together. Travel, it turned out, was the perfect intersection.

For Elizabeth, the desire to explore had been planted years earlier by her father, a small business owner who worked tirelessly to provide for his family. Travel wasn’t always accessible when she was younger, but the curiosity about the world was always there.

Later in life, when the opportunity finally arrived to travel more freely, Elizabeth realized something powerful: the experience of seeing the world could reshape how people understand their lives, their relationships, and their place in it.

That realization became the foundation for Rising Tide Travel.

A Business Built on Relationships

At its core, Rising Tide Travel isn’t about destinations. It’s about people.

Elizabeth approaches each client the same way she approached leadership at the hospital: through relationships built on trust. “I treat my clients the way I’d treat my best friend going on a trip,” she says. “Some people save for years to take a vacation. Others may have the funds, but their budgets are very high and they expect the best. No matter who I’m working with, I want them to know that money was well spent, and that I really, truly care.”

That mindset shapes everything she does.

Trips begin with conversations, sometimes long ones. Clients talk about their interests, their families, their dream destinations, or sometimes simply the feeling they want from a trip. From there, Elizabeth starts building the experience.

Sometimes that means guiding clients toward a destination they already had in mind. Other times, it means opening the door to something entirely new.

Creating Moments That Matter

Ask Elizabeth about the moments that make her proudest, and she rarely mentions destinations first. Instead, she talks about people. Like the client who wanted to surprise his partner with a once-in-a-lifetime Christmas trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Elizabeth quietly built the itinerary behind the scenes.

On the second night of their trip, the sky erupted in color. “They sent me photos with the Northern Lights and a double rainbow over a waterfall,” she says, laughing. “I was doing a happy dance in my kitchen.”

Moments like that are the heartbeat of Rising Tide Travel.

Sometimes those moments involve multi-generational families exploring Europe together. Other times it’s a son planning a special trip for his parents, or a group of friends finally taking the adventure they’ve talked about for years. Travel, Elizabeth believes, is one of the most powerful ways people connect.

From Hidden Gems to the World’s Most Exclusive Experiences

One of Elizabeth’s strengths is her ability to navigate the entire spectrum of travel experiences.

Some clients want adventure: Antarctic expeditions, wildlife encounters, or journeys to places far from the typical tourist trail. After traveling to Antarctica herself, Elizabeth became passionate about helping others experience destinations that feel almost otherworldly. “There’s something about being in a place that quiet and wild,” she says. “It changes how you see the world.”

Other clients seek the height of luxury.

Elizabeth has arranged private yacht charters through the Greek islands, secured impossible reservations at Michelin-starred restaurants, and coordinated helicopter excursions over the Grand Canyon, all through a network of trusted global partners.

Often, the most memorable moments are the smallest details.

For one client who owned several restaurants, Elizabeth arranged for the yacht’s chef to recreate his favorite dish: a towering stack of onion rings served as a surprise one evening onboard. “It’s those little touches,” she says. “That’s what people remember.”

A Global Network and a Personal Touch

While Elizabeth travels frequently to scout destinations herself, she also works closely with an international network of travel advisors, hoteliers, and local partners. That network allows her to deliver insights that algorithms simply can’t replicate. She knows which hotels are quietly under renovation, which restaurants are truly worth the reservation, and which hidden spots rarely appear in guidebooks.

Artificial intelligence can generate travel suggestions. Elizabeth delivers lived experience.

“It’s never going to solve a problem when something goes wrong on a trip,” she says. “And it’s never going to give you the peace of mind that someone has your back.”

Travel as a Legacy

One of the most meaningful developments in Elizabeth’s journey has been watching her daughter become inspired by the business. Now studying hospitality, she has begun exploring the same world of travel and experiences that her mother built. For Elizabeth, it feels like something coming full circle.

She remembers the curiosity her father sparked about the wider world. Now she’s passing that sense of discovery to her family and to the clients she works with. “I don’t want people to wait until later in life to experience the world,” she says. “I want them to go now. I want them to share those moments with the people they love.”

Now Elizabeth sees her work as an opportunity to create these legacy-building, memory-making moments for others: families, friends, and clients of all kinds. It’s not just about seeing places; it’s about cultivating moments that bond people you love, creating shared memories that feel transformative, and offering the keys to the world.

As Rising Tide Travel has grown, Elizabeth has carefully built a team that embodies her standards, ensuring every client benefits from the same level of discretion, insight, and personalized care. What began as a deeply personal approach has grown into a team philosophy.

Your Next Journey

Rising Tide Travel serves travelers across the full spectrum of experiences, from bucket-list expeditions and luxury European itineraries to intimate weekend getaways closer to home.

What connects every trip is the same philosophy: Thoughtful planning. Trusted relationships. And experiences designed around the people taking the journey.

Because the best travel stories aren’t written by guidebooks. They’re written by the people who live them.

Curious about how the team can translate your travel dreams into a tangible, thoughtful journey? Reach out to start a conversation and plan your next trip with Rising Tide. Let’s begin designing a journey that feels uniquely your own.