OUR Vision - A Message From the Owner, Amanda Sykora

In order to express the vision and purpose behind Pixie & Pirate, you'll need to know the history of who I am as owner of this amazing brand.


My husband Shawn and I met as teenagers in high school. We went through hell and back it seemed at the time - sticking out our small town high school relationship through both of our graduations two years apart, college separation, and busy lives. Eventually we found ourselves married, living in the same county we both grew up in, and starting a family. Over the next seven years we would bring 3 "perfect" sons into the world. A lot happened from our teen years to our young adult years - but we managed to hold tight and grow up together.


We have roots. Deep roots. We are small(ish) town people, with a very long history. We are simple. Easy. We love life. We love each other. We love our families. We love raising kids in the same county, attending the same schools, that we did. We love Pixie & Pirate Destinations and what it stands for.


PAPD's values are deep rooted too. Simple. Customer service driven. Word of mouth powered. PAPD's beating heart is the people who stand behind the brand - who live and love this business and this industry and the urge to travel. We want to bring our clients that "small town" feeling of welcome and friendliness.


From day one I didn't want a complicated, convoluted company that was too big for itself. I wanted to grow something that stood for something. Being heavily focused on customer service and the idea that peoples' needs could be met by just being .... real. By being friendly, open, giving, caring, we are showing our clients that this is who we are. And over time is what they have come to expect. We have a reputation to uphold. And we are working towards continuing to be amazing.


My vision for our brand has always been to be a friend to those that want to travel. Being real and being available and being what everyone is looking for - a friend.


We are not a big, fancy travel agency. This is not who we are. Instead my focus has been on good people and good support systems.


The values that I have hammered away at and tried to drive into our team have helped to build a brand that is more than a technical website with lots of bells and whistles. What you see is what you get.


The original vision for PAPD has continued to be basically the same as it was on day one. While some aspects of our company and brand have changed, the basics have remained the same. Relationships are number one - between our team, and between our DVPs and their clients.


While I realize that this vision is not something that everyone will understand, it is something I am personally VERY proud of and I would not change any of it for anything. Our journey has been amazing and will continue to be amazing. We've achieved creating bonds within the PAPD family, with clients, and helped clients create bonds within their own families. What we do is important. And will continue to be very important for generations to come. We touch lives. And I'd like to think that one reason why these lives are touched as they are is because of the deep rooted values that PAPD has always stood for.


Thank you for reading. Thank you for being a part of this journey and for understanding the importance of our roots and values.

--Amanda Sykora, owner
Pixie & Pirate Destinations