Kassie Roehr’s love of travel grew during her high school years, once her three younger siblings were old enough for more frequent family vacations. Her mother usually handled the planning, and while the trips were memorable, Roehr didn’t fully realize how much work went into making them feel effortless. That perspective shifted during a family trip to Costa Rica while she was in college, when she began to understand the many logistics, costs and decisions involved in coordinating travel for a family. Seeing how much responsibility falls on one person behind the scenes eventually inspired Roehr of Britton to start her own business, Wanderlust Travel Concierge.
Roehr, originally from Mankato, Minnesota, attended South Dakota State University, where she met her husband, Tanner. Following Tanner’s graduation, the couple moved to Britton in 2018, a community Roehr now proudly calls home. Being part of a small community, she says, has shaped how she approaches her work, with accessibility, accountability and relationships at the center. She completed her elementary education degree online while working as a paraprofessional, then later taught at Britton-Hecla until late last year. While education was her original career path, an unexpected opportunity in the travel industry opened the door to a new direction.
As a child, Roehr says travel was limited, but once her younger siblings were older, her family began traveling more frequently. Trips to destinations such as Costa Rica and the Virgin Islands left a lasting impression. Those experiences weren’t just vacations, she said, but cultural and educational opportunities that taught lessons far beyond the classroom.
“Looking back, I probably learned more in one week of travel than I could have in months at school,” Roehr said.
Those family trips were planned largely by her mother, whose “fly by the seat of your pants” approach left room for both adventure and uncertainty. While Roehr didn’t recognize it at the time, that lack of structure helped shape her own instincts as a planner.
“It forced me to become the planner,” she said. “I learned quickly what worked, what didn’t, and how much better trips could be with the right preparation.” That understanding deepened during the family trip to Costa Rica while Roehr was in college. Only later did she recognize the extensive coordination involved, from flights and lodging to transportation, budgeting and safety considerations for a large family in an unfamiliar country.
“That was the moment it really clicked,” Roehr said. “I realized how much responsibility one person carries to make a trip feel easy for everyone else.”
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