Europe Experts

Karen and Dave go above and beyone with responsiveness and communication. They are very helpful and knowledgable

Karen helped me and a small group coordinate and everything went so smoothly. It helps so much to have someone handle logistics. Thank you Karen! Looking forward to the next group trip!

We used Karen for Cunard trans-Atlantic crossing as well as for information for stays in New York City, Canterbury, and Krakow. I was blown away by her knowledge of various places and her suggestions tailor-made to my husband and me. The Cunard voyage went perfectly, as did the rest of our trip.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience with Karen Ballad! With only a few days’ notice, she managed to pull together a seamless trip for me that felt like it had been planned for months. Every detail was thoughtful, well-organized, and perfectly tailored to what I needed. What impressed me most was how stress-free the whole process felt. Instead of scrambling, I got to just show up and enjoy myself knowing everything was taken care of. That kind of peace of mind is priceless.

Karen gave very organized, timely information as we planned our trip. She effectively conveyed costed options for both the shipboard and land-based parts of the trip and liaised very well wth the Craft and Publishing Voyage organizers. Her proposals were clear and responded extremely well to our stated preferences.

Karen and Dave did a great job handling my group cruise. From airport transfers to onboard amenities, they went the extra mile and made my trip easy, so we could all focus on having fun. I especially appreciated how responsive they were even while we were onboard, and they helped adjust some last minute things we needed.

We had an amazing trip to Olympic National Park. Karen found us a great hotel to stay in Seattle with a perfect location and helped us with tickets to the Chihuly Gardens and the Space Needle. She also booked a car for us and found amazing houses for us in Forks and Port Angeles. Both were close to the park and had all the amenities that we needed.

I don't typically use a travel agent but I've now discovered the joy and ease in doing so. It was great to have trouble-shooting assistance and an easy to use itinerary. I always felt that I could contact Karen with any question and get immediate expert assistance.

Karen and Dave were wonderful to work with from the outset of planning our trip. They were responsive and helpful at all times, and helped us resolve an issue that surfaced after we were already underway. We would highly recommend them to anyone.

Karen and David handled our booking for a Cunard cruise and the air travel to and from the ship. Their advice about rooms onboard ship were spot on, their ability to find a very reasonably priced upgrade to first class seats on the flight to London was a wonderful surprise, they were always so responsive to emails and phone, and they are very clear communicators. Everything went smoothly. Would definitely work with them again!

We reached out to Karen to help us plan our trip to Ireland and Scotland to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary. I didn't want to plan anything for this trip. Karen made sure to take into her planning all my wishes and desires for accommodations, tours, and locations. She nailed it! From the perfect cities to visit, to the most incredible tours, to the most elegant hotels, we were treated like royalty! There were no worries, no issues, and the confidence that if something did come up, they were there to help! Best vacation ever! Thank you Karen and Dave!

Flights and cruise ship. Flew TPA to London, then boarded ship Queen Mary2 for 7-day cruise to NYC. So well organized and taken care of by Karen and Davis.

Karen and Dave worked tirelessly to make my cruise on the Queen Mary2 a success. They responded to questions quickly, almost immediately. It’s clear that they love their work and want to make your trip the best possible. Thank you Karen and Dave!

I asked Karen to help me with several side trips beside our group trip on the Queen Mary. Her response time was short and she researched plane, train, and car times and costs, booking where she could. Even got me aisle seats on all plane flights. Excellent help!

Karen and Dave made this trip stress-free for me. They handled everything and were so patient and accessible! I’ll call them for it next trip.

Working with Karen and Dave was so easy. They got back to me extremely quickly with any questions or concerns I had.

Karen was very prompt on finding our accommodations!! We couldn't ask for better service. She is the best!! She answered all our questions!!

Accommodation's from the room to the beaches to the pools and restaurants were amazing. You feel very catered to and valued

Karen and Dave were very helpful and thorough planning our trips. Always updating us and giving us info. I would definitely recommend them to plan any trip!

Karen was so helpful to ring the entire planning process and trip very communicative, very detailed and attentive!

Within a day of contacting Karen, flying from a small town in the US to an even smaller town in France, I was ticketed for the best possible travel plans much to my relief. My seat preferences on flights, my concerns, and questions were all answered with care, quickly and efficiently. I knew I was in good hands!

We were so very happy with our entire trip. Karen did an amazing job organizing our 25th Anniversary Celebration. Karen organized a small trip prior to getting on the cruise ship. Accommodations were top notch along with all scheduled transportation. Karen assisted me with excursions. I had picked some out and then she made suggestions. It was nice to meet in person to discuss. We extended our stay a week in a seaside town in Italy. She made sure our transportation to/from the airport was handled and our rental car was secured. She and Dave (TravelMatePros) made our entire vacation seamless. So easy, they took care of everything. I will be using them for our next vacation/cruise for sure. Thank you so much Karen and Dave, I knew we were in good hands!

Karen and Dave took care of all of our arrangements for our Hawaii trip and did an excellent job, answering all of our questions and concerns. The hotels were top knotch, the tours were wonderful, tour guide was great, airline and transportation needs were great, food was great. Couldn't have ask for a better vacation. I would use them again and highly recommend them for your travel plans

Karen was so great to work with. She and Dave not only found us an amazing cruise on Explora 11, they were always available to answer questions and help with bookings. We have booked 4 trips with their help and expertise and each time has been a great experience.

We wanted to skip the holidays and go away. It was a very last minute decision and I am pretty high maintenance. Karen made everything happen perfectly and was a delight to work with. We’re all ready to start planning our next trip - this time with plenty of lead time - but will absolutely work with Karen again.

This was only the second time I ever used a travel agent and that was years ago--an experience I vowed never to repeat. I have always booked strictly on site for air travel, cruises, adventure trips, resorts and hotels. Dave and Karen came highly recommended by a trusted friend so I took a chance. I was so glad that I did. They understood exactly what I wanted, made meaningful suggestions (not upselling), and when there was a glitch they fixed it, staying in touch with me the whole time until it was resolved. They helped me with the app for the cruise line, especially when it ate my paperwork! I'm will be using them again...and again!

This was the first time I worked with a travel agent and Karen was amazing. She found us the best places to stay, booked excursions for us, helped us build the perfect itinerary, and was always there to answer any questions.

I really appreciate Karen and Dave’s guidance for my trip. I haven’t traveled internationally in years, so it was very helpful to work with them; they are fun and friendly professionals who made great suggestions, provided a detailed itinerary, implemented all the arrangements, and promptly answered all the questions I had.

On my return, when I was stuck in Amsterdam due to canceled flights and delays, they were right there by my side, even with a six-hour time difference. They recommended a most beautiful, serene, and conveniently hotel in Florence. Couldn’t ask for more!

Thank you Karen and Dave for an easy and happy trip!

We recently returned from an incredible two-week vacation to the Amalfi Coast and Greece, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the exceptional service provided by Karen Ballard, our travel agent. From the moment we began planning, Karen demonstrated remarkable knowledge of both destinations. She took the time to understand our preferences, recommending unique experiences and accommodations that perfectly matched what we were looking for.

What stood out most was Karen's attentiveness during the trip itself. She was always just a message away, ensuring that everything went smoothly, from transfers to reservations. Her local insights were invaluable, and she truly went above and beyond to make sure we had the best possible experience.

Thanks to Karen’s meticulous planning, we were able to enjoy a stress-free and memorable vacation. If you’re looking for a travel agent who is professional, knowledgeable, and always there to help, we highly recommend Karen Ballard.

We highly recommend working with Dave and Karen when traveling. They were on top of everything! We had zero stress when traveling. All went like clockwork.

From the start, Karen and Dave helped plan our family vacation to meet our needs. They listened to what was important to us and made suggestions to help narrow down location. They then took care of everything for us, from coordinating flights from different areas in the US, to room requests at the resort and shuttle services; we were in very good hands! They updated us throughout the planning period, offered suggestions on excursions and pretrip hotel accommodations and then while away, kept us informed and checked in with us to see if we needed them for anything. Once our trip was planned, they even helped when my brother and family decided to join us by coordinating their travel to CR. Talk about amazing customer service!!!! I am forever grateful for their assistance and will absolutely use them for all of our travel needs! They put our minds at ease and it was so reassuring to know we had them in our corner should we need anything while in another country!

Having new used a travel advisor before, I admit to being INCREDIBLY apprehensive about doing so. Shame on me! Karen is AMAZING! From the very start of our planning, clear through to the completion of our trip, Karen went above and beyond to ensure every little detail was exactly as we expected it to be! We received the best pricing, additional perks, upgraded accommodations, superior recommendations and the most wonderful excursions! Karen will be planning ALL our adventures effective immediately!

Expert knowledge on all aspects of our summer vacation

Karen answered every question I had with excellent information! From the start, her responses were quick and so helpful! She also checked in to see how my trip was going and if I needed any help throughout my trip. I would recommend Karen to everyone!

Karen did a fantastic job at answering all of our questions and helped us with all our concerns