Europe - Customized Vacation Experience

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Gretchen Winterstein, CTA, Travel Agent in Chesapeake, VA

Gretchen Winterstein, CTA

Chesapeake, VA Travel Agent
Super Agent

Gretchen Winterstein, CTA

Chesapeake, VA · 10 Years of Experience

Recharge Travel, an independent agent with Lamacchia Jet Stream, a Travel Leaders Network Affiliate Agency
5.0
(130)
100% Recommended
Gretchen is wonderful! She has helped us book a Disney trip w/ family, a couples trip to Hawaii, and a family getaway to Mexico. She is... Read More >
About
Reviews
My Places
Travel Stories & Media

Areas of expertise

Destinations:

Europe

Interests:

Family Vacations, Solo Travel, Escorted Tours, River Cruises, Adult Only

Suppliers:

Tauck, CIE Tours, Viking, Viator, Railbookers

About Me

Admiring the houses in Copenhagen
Admiring the houses in Copenhagen

As a child, I spent six years living in Europe between England and the Netherlands. We traveled extensively whether in search of the Loch Ness Monster or a crepe on the streets of Paris. I saw how the culture, language and food of each country was so unique and I fell in love with the history and architecture.

As a college student I minored in Art History and spent a great deal of time visiting the amazing museums in Europe. I have cruised the Mediterranean twice, taken three river cruises (Rhine, Douro and Danube), visited countless countries by air, rail, car and on foot and have enjoyed every minute of it. 

My children have been to Europe many times and we have played with local children, gone to the zoo, and shown them how kids are kids the world over. I think it is a great lesson for adults as well to get out of your comfort zone (new food and language) and to see and appreciate how others live.

For European vacations, I work with you to determine if escorted, independent, or cruise etc is the best method for you and your companions. We talk through what to expect, how structured you want your days to be, what sort of accommodations you want and more so that when you depart you will feel confident in your vacation plans.

Reach out and lets plan an amazing European adventure for your next vacation!

REVIEWS

Rating: 5.0
130 reviews
100% Recommended
Your trust is our priority. Every review is submitted by verified travelers after they have booked and completed their trips. Learn more about our review guidelines.
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Showing 130 reviews

Stress-Free Planning
Reviewed By Patty - Richmond, VA | Traveled to Hawaii ~ USA
Gretchen is wonderful! She has helped us book a Disney trip w/ family, a couples trip to Hawaii, and a family getaway to Mexico. She is detail-oriented, stayed within our budget, was able to provide insight into local hot-spots and fun activities to enjoy. We have referred her to so many of our friends who have all raved about her as well. Gretchen is outstanding to work with and we can't wait to tap into her for our next trip to ensure it is a stress-free, relaxing experience.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends.
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Outstanding trip start to finish!
Reviewed By Mar - Glastonbury, CT | Traveled to Bahamas | Caribbean
Gretchen did an outstanding job coordinating our female family cruise!!! Attentive, thorough and always pleasant are just a few of the positive adjectives I can use to describe how it was to work with Gretchen! Would highly recommend her travel agent skills and will certainly work on future trip plans with her!!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends.
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Great girl cousin trip
Reviewed By Sjustice - Dallas Texas | Traveled to Bimini Islands | Bahamas | Caribbean
Gretchen was very timely and detailed; she was even able to find my Celebrity cruise info from my first cruise 20 years ago! Look forward to having Gretchen arrange our next adventure
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends.
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Scandanavian Aurora Lights
Reviewed By Bob Rose - Helsinki | Traveled to Finland | Europe
Gretchen worked tirelessly for us in every way imaginable. She was always pleasant and a joy to work with. She is an amazing person and never stops helping and advising us in every aspect of our trips. All of our connections were great as we had 8 different flights during our 8 day vacation. I will always be using her for our travel agent and make sure you listen to her recommendations as she knows best. Thanks so very much Gretchen. You the bestest!!!!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends.
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Our yearly excursion
Reviewed By Big daddy - VA | Traveled to Dominican Republic | Caribbean
Thank you Gretchen our trip was amazing.We were at a wonderful resort in the Dominican Republic beautiful resort and extremely nice employees thanks for the recommendation and getting us there and back
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends.
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My Places

When it comes to travel planning, real-world experience makes a huge difference. Check out the map below to see all the places I have personally visited or booked for my clients. I know these destinations well and can give you reliable guidance.

My Photo Albums and Videos

Tauck - Germany & Danube River Cruise
View Album

    My Travel Stories

    Silver Spirit by Silversea

    Scandinavia aboard Silversea

    In June 2025, my family (3 generations) embarked on a Scandinavian/Baltic Sea adventure. We had been to Copenhagen, Denmark twice before but enjoyed it so much we decided to spend some additional time here prior to our cruise. Copenhagen is a city full of culture, history, wonderful Danish people and the beautiful Tivoli Gardens (inspirat...
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