About Joycelyn May

I took my first international trip at the age of 10, flying from Hong Kong to Japan with my family and some family friends. Everything felt new and wonderfully different. I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.

A few years later, my family immigrated to the United States, and as a young teenager I learned firsthand what it takes to adapt to a new culture and a new language. That experience still shapes how I travel: with an open mind and a soft spot for anyone finding their way somewhere unfamiliar. More than 35 countries later, I’m just as happy at a Michelin-starred table in Paris as I am on a plastic stool on a Hanoi sidewalk, holding a glass of bia hơi that costs less than 50 cents.

Curiosity has taken me down different paths. I started my professional life as a graphic designer with a BFA from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), then followed up my love of food with a food science degree, earning a master’s and spending years developing food and supplement products. Design taught me how the pieces fit together. It gave me an eye for the beauty of form and function in the world around me.  I can lose an afternoon in a cathedral, a museum, or a quiet side street admiring how a place was built. Product development taught me to test, refine, and sweat the details.

For me, the planning has always been half the fun: the research, the anticipation, making sure everything goes right. I started Tray Tables Up to bring that to people who would rather skip straight to the adventure. As a mom who has traveled with young kids, I know how much it matters that everyone on a multi-generational trip, from grandparents to toddlers, finds something to love. My clients range from families to corporate groups, but they share a love of immersive travel and a curiosity about the world.

I believe seeing the world changes us. The more we travel, the more connected we feel to one another. Let me plan the trip, so you can live the story.