Founders

As lifetime travelers with passion for regional cultures and prescience for emerging destinations, we organized a ten-day food and wine trip to the Luberon region of France in 2012 for a group of close friends from around the world. From the rural farmhouse and chef Angeline to the medieval hill towns, rural abbeys, and warm summer nights eating under a candle-lit plane tree… it was a magical holiday.

Upon reflection at home in San Francisco, we were electrified by one realization: that we were just as passionate about planning the trip as the trip itself. 2 million miles and 40+ countries later - with group trips ranging from Vietnam and Mexico to Sri Lanka and Italy under their belts - The Porter Club was born.

Chad’s travel obsession started in elementary school while memorizing the National Geographic Atlas and accelerated in high school with TWA, an Italian penpal, and a road trip from Brescia to Calabria. His 20-year career in philanthropic consulting to the world’s leading foundations, nonprofits, and family offices involved 5+ years of living in Southeast Asia.

After spending a year in Beijing in the mid-1990s studying Mandarin with 3 of his 5 brothers and sisters, Gene studied international relations back in California. Since then, Gene has spent the last two decades pioneering digital marketing across award-winning agencies. His life’s passion has always centered around travel and a constant search for the sublime in local food, art, design, fashion, and music.