Hello, I'm Jonathan.
After many years of leading global teams and scaling travel platforms across the U.S. and Europe, I moved to Helsinki from the U.S. three years ago in search of a different rhythm. I’m married to a Finn, a father, and the creator of Five Senses Retreats. My mission is to bring together my background in travel and hospitality with experiences rooted in nature, culture, and the five senses, creating spaces where people can slow down, participate more deeply, and connect with a place.
My Story
For 20 years, my life was defined by scale, speed, and growth. From leading international partnerships for a large travel booking platform to founding and exiting my own startup, I spent much of my career navigating the fast-paced worlds of technology and travel. I’ve been fortunate to travel to more than 35 countries and 48 U.S. states, often looking toward the next destination, opportunity, or milestone.
But like many people, I reached a point where I began to question whether more was always better. I found myself craving more space, more clarity, and a different relationship with time.
That search eventually led me and my family to Finland. Whether I’m training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, going for a long run, spending time in the forest, or discovering a local tradition, I’ve learned that some of the most meaningful experiences happen when we stop rushing through them. I say this very much as a student, not as a teacher.
Five Senses Retreats grew out of that transition.
I wanted to bring together what I had learned from travel, hospitality, partnerships, and guest experience with a more participatory way of encountering a place. One that invites us to slow down enough to notice what is around us, engage our senses, meet the people behind local traditions, and take part rather than simply observe.
That might mean hearing the resonance of a kantele or breathing in herbs and woodsmoke in a sauna in Finland, learning how makgeolli is made with a brewer in Korea, discovering the aromas and spices of a Moroccan kitchen, or walking slowly through a Portuguese village to notice the landscape, architecture, and rhythms of everyday life.
Each place offers a different way to experience culture through the senses.
This is what slow travel means to me. Not necessarily traveling more slowly in a literal sense, but experiencing a place with greater attention, curiosity, and participation.
Today, Five Senses Retreats creates retreats, workshops, team and private-group experiences, and small-group journeys shaped by nature, culture, local expertise, and the five senses.
At the center of all of them is something I care deeply about: the art of hosting.
One book that has had a lasting influence on how I think about this is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. It is a reminder that memorable hospitality often comes from thoughtful details, genuine care, and an understanding that the experience begins long before an activity starts.
My goal is to create that sense of care while leaving enough room for discovery. To give people the security of a thoughtfully designed experience without making every moment feel programmed.
I want Five Senses to be more than a collection of activities or places to visit. I want it to create opportunities for people to connect more deeply with a place, with one another, and sometimes with parts of themselves that are easier to notice when life becomes a little quieter.
That is the kind of travel, gathering, and experience I want to keep creating.