Greetings! My name is Jeff Shumas, founder of Meridian Sea Society and recent corporate defector. The picture above is me along with my amazing family - my beautiful partner and wife Lisa, son Andrew (20) and daughter Avery (16). Thank you for taking some time to learn about Meridian.

First and foremost, we are not a travel agency. When we begin offering curated voyages, all travel arrangements will be handled through our established travel agency partner. Most group travel brands start by marketing itineraries to the general public. We think the difference is that we start with people, not itineraries. We will accomplish this by launching an exclusive community aimed at bringing together like-minded people navigating life's next chapter. Typically, people in their 40s and 50s that are asking themselves questions such as: Should I leave corporate and start a second career? Should we finally move out of the suburbs and shake things up? We don't want to sit around waiting for our 401k accounts to hit a target number - are there more modern ways to approach retirement income? How do we help our kids achieve success in a constantly evolving AI-driven world? I have been asking myself many of these same questions over time. I certainly do not have all the answers, but I know many of you have so many great ideas and thoughts to share on these topics!

From there - engagement. An invite to join the Meridian Circle Community (launching soon), introductions, discussions about meaningful topics, and opportunities to create new friendships. We specifically use the term "friendships" over "relationships". We have many types of relationships in our lives including professional. However, there are plenty of topics and activities that you simply would not engage with your co-workers. You might not even feel comfortable talking about certain topics with your current social circles. We are not trying to become another social media platform. We aim to connect you with people who share common but more personal life interests. Maybe even people who you may consider cruising with. As such, we are NOT an anonymous community. Those places already exist. Meridian Circle is built from the ground up to be a safe space to share who you are and converse openly about topics that matter to you today. Careers, early retirement, family, finances, business ideas, health, happiness, and whatever else comes next!

If you have no interest in participating in future travel opportunities curated for the community, then no worries! Simply continue to engage in Meridian Circle without any requirements or expectations. However, we think travel has the power to make this community really something special! We believe one of the best ways to explore the world is on a modern luxury cruise ship. For this, we will partner with the new and upcoming luxury cruise brand, Explora Journeys. Make no mistake - this is anything but your typical cruise. These are upscale voyages for people choosing a more elevated travel experience compared to when times were tight as a young, growing family. For many of us, family vacations were all about the kids. Now it's your turn to be part of the adventure again. On a Meridian curated journey, you won't find an overly crowded pool overrun by young kids or the need to wake up at 6am to secure a lounger. Many of us have already done the world's largest ships, water parks, crazy crowds, and Mickey Mouse breakfast. You also won't find yourself on stuffy ships waiting for tea time with unrelatable ultra-wealthy retirees. With Meridian, you get to experience an entirely new world of modern cruising and exploration...perhaps one you didn't even know existed. And when you add the Meridian Circle community, thats where everything changes. You're no longer simply seeing the world - you're experiencing it with family and friends, both old and new. Our goal is to curate groups of 25 to 50 people...not too big, not too small. And we won't move around like a rigid group tour. You will enjoy your voyage in any way that best suits how you and your family vacation. Within that, we will weave in various Signature Meridian touches - experiences designed to foster fun, social interaction and lasting friendships!

That's why Meridian starts with community. Not because we're trying to create another social network, but because enriching friendships enable more meaningful, memorable, and fun travel experiences!

So have a look around. Learn about the Founders, spend some time reading Jeff's Journal and have a look at what we are building with the Meridian Circle Community. If the ideas hit home with you, fill out the interest form and let us know why! We have big plans, and our vision is ambitious. But it starts with all of you.

Oh...one more thing. You may have noticed some AI imagery throughout the site. Not ideal...but guess what? This is a brand new venture and we haven't launched our first voyage yet! After our inaugural cruise, we will begin replacing the imagery with photos from real Meridian experiences. So come join us and maybe you'll even be a part of our first Meridian photo gallery! Let's build this together!