How One Couple Pivoted from Selling Disney to Pairing Luxury Cruises with Faith-Based Journeys

Though just four and a half years old, Dogwood Travel Designs is the culmination of owners Fred and Stacey Baker’s lifelong passions. 

The Asheville, N.C. husband and wife have not only been traveling since they were young but also working closely with people – Fred as a pastor and global mission leader and Stacey as a portrait photographer. And as all travel advisors know, they’re in the people business. 

It also helped that they started a family who adored Disney World, making them experts and landing Stacey her first job in travel in 2016. Now, the Bakers’ Christian faith, love of helping others, and spirit of giving back all shine through in Dogwood Travel Designs. 

From Disney to Luxury Cruising

Fred and Stacey have two sons, both now in their early 20s, who they brought to Disney World often when they were children. Their youngest is on the autism spectrum, and Disney “was his obsession – that’s what he loved. It’s where he felt safe and comfortable,” Stacey told TMR. 

Disney also knew how to cater to their family’s dietary needs at a time when food restrictions were not as well-known in hospitality. “We just couldn’t do a vacation like that anywhere else,” Stacey said. 

“Every year, we would go to Disney, sometimes multiple times a year,” she added, “and that’s how I became an expert in Disney. I was helping so many people plan their Disney vacations.” 

On one of their many Disney trips, Fred and Stacey ran into an old friend who owned a Disney travel agency. At this point, Stacey knew it was time to leave her photography career behind – and start getting paid for all the expert advice she was doling out. 

She joined her friend’s travel company in 2016. As the years went on, her clients grew out of Disney and into cruising – and so did she and Fred. Then when COVID hit, Stacey saw it as an opportunity to branch out and start her own business selling more of what she loves.  

The Bakers officially launched Dogwood Travel Designs, and joined Gifted Travel Network, in August 2020. Fred continued working as a pastor but has helped with operations and finance and will join the business on a more regular basis later this year.  

Building a new client base after leaving an agency was a challenge, but Stacey found clients by meeting people in-person to tell them what Dogwood Travel Designs is all about. One opportunity was a “fireside chat” presentation at a gated community about the benefits of using a travel advisor, which yielded the affluent clients they were looking for. 

“It’s those personal connections and then those referrals that seem to be the way we get the clients that align with us the best,” Fred told TMR. 

Now in full swing, Dogwood Travel Designs primarily sells luxury ocean and river cruise lines such as Oceania, Silversea, AmaWaterways, Avalon, and Celebrity, as well as pre- and post- travel and tour arrangements. 

Pairing Cruise with Faith-Based Tours

The name “Dogwood” derives from a spring flower with Christian symbolism of rebirth, resurrection, purity, and strength. “As we serve our clients and others in the travel industry, we want to be a reflection of Christ’s love for the world,” the Bakers say on the agency’s website. 

Fred, a pastor at Fellowship Asheville in western North Carolina, has led more than two dozen mission trips over the past three decades to places such as Russia, Brazil, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. He and Stacey now incorporate their Christian faith and expertise into their guided Ancient Paths itineraries. 

So far, they have led one in the western Mediterranean, have two planned in 2025, and hope to host one in Israel in 2026 as the country reopens to visitors. The journeys are especially impactful because they’re what Fred calls “connecting feet to faith.” 

“Something comes alive in a person when he or she gets to stroll down a Roman road where the Apostle Paul would have walked,” he said. “When they get to stand in a field where Jesus taught, his words have more impact.” 

These faith-based journeys are typically onboard Oceania. They do some land excursions through the cruise line and coordinate others through local DMCs in Istanbul and Athens to see key historical sites such as Ephesus and Corinth. 

Pairing these experiences with luxury cruising ensures they get to see a lot in one a day – and have the energy to see even more the next. 

“Cruising allows you to see one location and wake up the following day in a different one,” Fred said. “When exploring these destinations on land-based trips, which are excellent too, you have to live out of a suitcase. Cruising allows you to unpack once, enjoy exploring during the day, and relax at night.” 

As travelers, the Bakers recognize that there are people in need in the destinations they visit and want to ensure they give back. They do this by donating a portion of their income from Dogwood Travel Designs to the Reshma Project, an organization that helps women escape lives of forced slavery around the world. 

“Being a travel advisor focused on luxury travel, we help our clients experience the very best a culture has to offer,” Stacey said. “However, we all know every culture has a dark side. If part of our income can help bring light to the darkest places in a culture, we consider this an excellent way to help.”