About Us
Sue McGarvie
Chief Love Officer, Travel Whisperer & Finder of Crocodiles, Coffee, and New Friends
Sue McGarvie feeds crocodiles on her birthday, collects red dresses like souvenirs, and somehow...
Sue McGarvie feeds crocodiles on her birthday, collects red dresses like souvenirs, and somehow turns every airport lounge into a meet-cute waiting to happen. A Sex & Relationship Counsellor and one of North America’s leading experts on modern love, Sue has spent nearly a decade guiding groups through Los Cabos sunsets, Dominican beaches, Florida hideaways, Italian villages, and Parisian boulangeries—always with a story, a snack, and a knack for creating instant community.
After one unforgettable trip to Paris, Sue realized her adventures weren’t “just trips”… they were tribes in motion. So built Playful Coconuts around one irresistible promise: life gets juicier when you travel with people who lift you up, laugh with you, and occasionally steal your fries.
She’s not taking you rappelling off a cliff (Sue likes a comfy bed and a strong shower pressure), but she will lead you off-trail to the best hidden café, introduce you to five new friends before breakfast, and create pre-trip mixers and post-trip reunions so your adventure doesn’t end at the airport.
Sue is a world-class community builder. She can’t stop matchmaking—accidentally or on purpose—and her groups regularly return home with new travel buddies, crushes, confidantes, and occasionally soulmates.
She’s your guide if you love great coffee, great company, great sheets, and safe little stretches of adventure that make you feel alive again—all while she checks under rocks for leprechauns and hunts for the perfect Merlot.
Follow Sue McGarvie. She’ll take you somewhere unforgettable.
Debra Chiabai
Travel Whisperer & The Woman Who Holds the Entire Trip Together With One Perfectly Packed Carry-On
If some people are “born to travel,” Debra was practically issued a passport at birth. Her early trips...
If some people are “born to travel,” Debra was practically issued a passport at birth. Her earliest adventures weren’t in theme parks, but along the rugged edges of Canada’s wild landscapes—where she built the confidence and curiosity that still shape how she travels today.
Those early trips sparked more than wanderlust. Debra is someone who doesn’t just explore the world, but helps others experience it with ease, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
Today, Debra is both a seasoned traveler and the organized force behind every well-run trip. She has a natural talent for turning complex plans into seamless experiences—managing details, coordinating logistics, and creating structure behind the scenes so everything feels effortless for her travelers.
What truly sets her apart is her care for people. She’s the one checking in, answering questions, easing worries, and making sure everyone feels comfortable, included, and genuinely taken care of—whether it’s your first trip or your fifth.
And yes, she still brings the fun. Debra is just as at home sipping wine on a sunny patio as she is diving into Caribbean waters or embracing something a little off the beaten path—always bringing warmth, humour, and connection along the way.
Debra is Playful Coconuts’ travel whisperer—organizing the magic, caring for the humans, and creating the kind of experiences that turn into stories you’ll tell for years.
Come travel with her—the world is more fun when everything’s taken care of… and the coconuts are shared.
Cathleen Cogan Bird
Diplomat’s Daughter, Global Nomad & The Heart of Every Playful Coconuts Adventure
Cathleen Cogan Bird is the heartbeat of Playful Coconuts— the woman whose warmth, worldliness...
Cathleen Cogan Bird — the woman whose warmth, worldliness, and wildly impressive resume somehow all come wrapped in the friendliest smile on the bus.
Before joining the travel world, Cathleen ran major businesses and helped build one of Ontario’s largest retirement home communities. Translation: she can talk to anyone — toddlers, CEOs, hotel staff, exhausted travellers, and 92-year-old grandmothers who just want a dance partner. With Cathleen, everyone becomes “local.”
As a diplomat’s daughter, she spent her childhood roaming Africa, Asia, and more East, picking up languages, life skills, and the kind of effortless cultural fluency you simply can’t teach. She has a magical ability to navigate any situation, any street market, any surprise twist on the itinerary — with charm, grace, and usually a helpful phrase in the local language.
Cathleen is also our resident ambassador of kindness. She’s the one who arranges school visits, brings gifts for the staff’s children, and finds meaningful ways for us to give back wherever we go. She sees community everywhere — and makes sure we leave every place a little better than we found it. And don’t let her elegance fool you: she is the world’s happiest lightweight. One drink and suddenly she’s the delightful, giggly life of the party — hugging everyone, cheering you on, and lifting your spirit just by standing beside you.
Cathleen is our travel director who makes things happen, holds your hand when you’re nervous, remembers your birthday, and finds magic around every corner. She’s our heart — and you’ll feel it the moment you meet her.
