We Journey Together

Invested Traveler connects culturally curious individuals and communities to their heritage — transforming travel into belonging, and belonging into legacy.

Mission

To help culturally curious travelers reconnect with their ancestral roots, rediscover identity, and experience the healing power of place—while driving economic opportunity in underserved destinations through tourism and real estate investment.

Vision

To be a global leader in heritage-inspired travel and cultural storytelling, empowering individuals to journey deeper into their personal histories while uplifting communities through meaningful connection, economic growth, and shared humanity.

Core Values

  • Belonging – Creating spaces where everyone feels at home.
  • Authenticity – Honoring cultural traditions and local voices.
  • Legacy – Transforming journeys into lasting impact.
  • Collaboration – Building bridges between diaspora communities and local partners.
  • Sustainability – Ensuring tourism benefits communities for generations to come.

Our Origin

Invested Traveler began with a simple but profound question: Where do I truly belong? Founder Crystal Sargent’s personal heritage gap revealed a universal longing shared by many — to understand our roots, walk the lands of our ancestors, and create lasting connections that transcend vacations. With over 20 years in marketing, community development, and event planning, Crystal transformed this calling into a movement: heritage travel that builds personal and community legacy.

Explore our Offerings

Signature Series Conferences »

Private Group Gatherings »

Legacy Builders »

Our Founders

Crystal Sargent

Founder & CEO

Crystal Sargent is an award-winning marketing and business development leader with more than 20 years of experience building growth strategies for global brands in financial services, hospitality, and travel. She earned her B.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Master of Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology, blending a deep appreciation for culture and heritage with a sharp strategic and operational focus.

Prior to founding Invested Traveler, Crystal held senior leadership roles at Torrey Pines Bank in San Diego and Harris Bank in Chicago, where she drove market expansion, championed community development, and shaped client engagement strategies. She also gained valuable experience in the hospitality and travel industry working with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, where she deepened her understanding of curated travel experiences and guest engagement.

Recognized as one of San Diego’s Most Influential Business Leaders and a former member of the Forbes Agency Council, Crystal leverages her extensive global network — from artisans and historians to hoteliers, real estate developers, and civic leaders — to help travelers and local partners transform heritage into connection, community, and lasting legacy through Invested Traveler.

Carol Tohsaku

Co-Founder

With a background in educational technology, linguistics, economics, visual arts studio, medicine and music from UC San Diego and SDSU, Carol has combined her professional and personal interests to promote life-long learning, international cultural understanding through projects with other universities abroad and children’s programs emphasizing universal living values in art and humanities, sciences and social sciences. In addition, Carol supports programs that enhance community leadership and safety, and she believes that women need to be leaders in their communities because they, in general, understand the importance of supporting their households and family through health, nutrition, education and commerce.

As a world traveler, Carol has visited 50+ countries, usually, on her own. She first researches topics on culture, language, customs, history, archaeology, security and safety before embarking on a trip. In addition, she makes contacts at universities, museums, libraries and the consulate before her trips. Carol’s hobbies include traveling, meditating, studying healing, reading, watching international films, listening to music, and creating art from paper/mosaics/fabric/recyclables. Her parents (Nisei) emphasized the importance of volunteering to help people, animals and plant life. And so she believes that this world would be a better place if people would focus on helping others with passion, combining heart and mind. 

Find Your Place

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