Elevated Escapes Travel, LLC

This was the first trip of this magnitude for my wife and I. We let Michelle handle all the details and we were very happy with the results. She was detailed and knowledgeable, so it took all the pressure off us to prepare. She was quick to respond to our questions and concerns. She was thorough with step by step directions for all travel needs, lodging needs, and sightseeing advice. We could never have done this without her help. Thank you Michelle!

My wife passed away 1 1/2 years ago and she did all of our trip set ups. Now alone I found out about Michelle from a friend. I wanted a pretty simple trip to Tamarindo in Costa Rica. Michelle set up every detail including a great hotel, shuttles, flights and even a golf cart delivered to the hotel. I will definitely us her again when I take more complex trips in the fture. She made it easy? Charlie Kyte, Northfield, MN

If you are looking for a travel agent who is thoughtful, thorough, and genuinely invested in your experience, I cannot recommend Michelle Shrader with Elevated Escapes enough. Michelle worked with us for about nine months planning our Europe trip, and every step of the process reflected her commitment to excellence. From multiple planning meetings before we traveled, to answering countless questions, to making sure every detail was handled, she truly crossed every “t” and dotted every “i.” She booked our flights, trains, airport transfers, tours, and hotels—literally all the things—so we could travel with confidence and peace of mind. What really sets Michelle apart is her depth of personal experience. She has traveled extensively and is constantly exploring the world herself, which means she doesn’t just book trips, she shares firsthand insight. She knows what to expect because she’s been there, and that shows in the way she prepares her clients. Her guidance felt informed, intentional, and incredibly reassuring. Even while we were abroad, Michelle was there for us. When a couple of true “911 moments” came up, she stepped in immediately and handled them, allowing us to stay focused on enjoying our trip rather than stressing over logistics. Working with Michelle felt less like hiring a travel agent and more like having a trusted guide and advocate in our corner. If you want a well-planned, elevated travel experience with someone who genuinely cares about her clients, Michelle is the one. (Our travel was to Switzerland & Italy.)

We started planning for my 50th birthday celebration in March 2024 for travel in September/October 2025. Michelle was patient and helpful as we narrowed down our options and figured out where we wanted to go. We set a budget and then Michelle started building the itinerary once we settled on Italy. We started and ended in Rome, and made our way through Sorrento and Sardinia. Michelle found flights, hotel rooms, and organized travel in between destinations. Despite the time change, she checked in and updated us on possible delays on flights and luggage. She suggested tours and booked most of our excursions. She also recommended restaurants from personal experience in areas where she had traveled and got other recs from concierge from hotel stays. It was a wonderful trip and Michelle really took away a lot of the stress of organizing it all. We traveled by plane, train, boat, and car and had no issues. The only slight negative is we went over budget. That is mainly because we added a few more activities and things like renting a car for 5 days in Sardinia. A few unexpected fees like paying for private transportation in cash at one property and luggage fees on one airline caught us off guard. But all in all, Michelle did an excellent job listening to our wants and needs and curating a trip tailor fit for us. We will definitely call her again for our next epic trip!

Michelle made our 20th anniversary trip absolutely seamless! We started our celebration in Munich for Oktoberfest and then flew to Italy and visited Sorrento, Florence and Rome! From start to finish, every detail was thoughtfully planned, from the hotel selections and restaurant recommendations to the transportation arrangements between airports, train stations, and hotels. It truly made the experience mindless in the best way possible! We didn’t have to worry about a thing and could simply enjoy every moment of our getaway. I especially loved how organized everything was! All our travel documents were easily accessible from our phones, so we never had to stress about finding confirmations or meeting points for tours. Everything we needed was right at our fingertips! Every recommendation Michelle made for restaurants and tours was spot-on, and we’re so grateful for how stress free she made the entire process. We can’t wait to plan our next adventure with her!

Michelle was so helpful and professional. She really cares. I would highly recommend her!

Michelle is so awesome to work with. What I truly appreciate most is that Michelle is so detailed. Every part of our trip was planned perfectly and we had a detailed agenda. Our resort was wonderful and it was a great week soaking in the sun. Michelle is our go-to.

Mechelle Shrader (aka Carmen Sandiego) was the best! My wife and I have little experience traveling. This is our 2nd trip using Michelle (we had traveled to the Hawaiian Islands in 2023). We loved her on our 1st trip and did not think twice about who to call for our next adventure. My wife and I met 50 years ago and decided to celebrate. This trip was to London and Paris. Mechelle is truly an amazing planner. Any time I called or texted her with questions or needed help, she was there. Although we were inexperienced (and a little nervous), we knew she had everything laid out for us. We packed tons of things in our 11 days. We loved London and even went to Stonehenge. We saw an amazing concert at Hyde Park (Van Morrison, Cat Stevens & Neil Young). Wow! All our events went as planned. Paris was amazing and romantic. People greeted us with smiles and kindness. The service was great in both counties and cities. Wonderful architecture! Both cities were overly exciting. The culture, people, music, and beauty made it an unbelievable experience. The only problem facing us now is... how to decide where Carmen will take us next?

?????????? We just returned from an incredible 2-week family trip to Italy—Italia con Carlo—to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday, and I can’t say enough great things about Michelle! This was our first time working with her (we met her on an excursion in Greece a few years ago), and she made the entire planning process fun and effortless. She really tuned in to how our family likes to travel and offered phenomenal suggestions that made the trip extra special. Everything was beautifully organized, and she was an absolute pleasure to work with. Highly recommend and can’t wait to plan with her again!!!

Michelle thought of everything! This trip was amazing and everything was taken care of by Michelle, like our transportation to and from the airport, hotel stay and cruise details. Flawless execution down to the most minute detail and much appreciated!

I really did not expect the arenal area in Costa Rico to be as nice as it was I would definitely go back!!

Michelle did an amazing job of planning and organizing a 7-week trip for me in Italy. It started as an idea and quickly became the trip of a lifetime starting in Milan and touring the northern part of Italy, heading to Florence and the Tuscany region, the Amalfi coast, Sicily, Sardinia, and ending in Rome. Michelle mastered all the details, reservations and connections when friends joined me at various locations. Michelle was quick to respond to questions and did a great job communicating. I highly recommend Michelle for all your travel plans!

My husband and I traveled to Secrets Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic for our 20 year anniversary. Michelle was great with helping plan our trip and answering all of our questions!

Michelle's guidance and support prior to, during, and following our trip made this one of the most enjoyable and effortless trips that I've taken.

Thank you Michelle for helping my family and myself - a group of 10! plan for an amazing Land and Cruise to Alaska! You helped us so much! Thank you for getting our rooms all close together! It really was such a memorable trip and you helped make it that way!! Great job!!

We just returned from a wonderful trip to London and Paris, including a cruise up the Seine to Normandy. Michelle's planning for this trip was excellent. We had lovely, well-located hotels in both cities before we joined our cruise, and our tour guides in both London and Paris were exceptional! Michelle went the extra mile to arrange our transportation to and from airports and the ship, which made for a stress-free vacation. We're already talking about where we'll go next, with her help. Thank you Michelle!

We had the most amazing time visiting our son who was studying abroad. Michelle’s hotel picks were fantastic and we got the best rooms in the house in Copenhagen, Florence and Rome. The excursions were just what we wanted without knowing what we wanted and the timing and order of excursions was perfect! Michelle made what felt overwhelming and complex into manageable and fun. I would highly recommend Michelle especially for trips to Europe to visit kids in college as her picks worked for all of us and our son had a great time as well.

Xxx

Excellent travel agent. Was very thorough and available at all times for questions etc. she worked well with our schedule. She provided tips for currency, train usage and provided us options for accommodations. Which were incredible.

Experienced Travel Agent

Michelle was fantastic to work with from beginning to end. We gave her a list of things we wanted to do and she figured out how to incorporate them over our 12-day trip (London, England and then to Paris, France), found us beautiful places to stay near public transportation, made all of our restaurant and tour reservations (which was a lot) and took care of all the little details. She knew how long we needed between tours to get from place to place, which was incredibly helpful as we had absolutely no idea never traveling overseas before. Even when we had to switch flights at the last minute, she was aware and helped ensure our driver was at the airport to meet us at our different arrival time. We had several phone calls together as we worked to get the trip of our dreams. It was very overwhelming to book a trip that was so long and so far away, and we were so grateful to her for her fantastic help.

Collaborating with Michelle is akin to having a finely tuned machine in your corner. Her exceptional organizational skills ensure that planning a vacation is stress-free. Michelle truly takes the hassle out of travel. Thank you!

Michelle is always professional and curates the trip to best suit your needs, wants, & desires. She gave us several options and ensured we had everything we needed and prepared documentation for our planning purposes. Always quick to respond and very friendly. I will only use Michelle for any traveling we do and I highly recommend her.

This lady exudes professionalism and she does not miss a beat in making sure your every need is met from the planning process, to the pricing, to the travel home. So often she has even helped us while on vacation make change of plans or reroute us to get home timely. We love the ease of Michelle and appreciate her expert advice and attention to detail.

Great experience. Super responsive with great suggestions.

Michele was the ultimate professional that will inject your travel experience with expertise and calmness. She is very pleasurable to work with and I would highly recommend her.

I did a review earlier and picked the wrong country. User error. Michelle has helped me plan trips to Australia, Italy, the Caribbean, Chicago, and the Gulf Coast. She is an outstanding travel agent and person! I have enjoyed working with her and not even consider another travel agent. She gives you options, and helps you find your adventures!

I have worked with Michelle for several years and every trip she has helped me plan has been wonderful! My first trip was to Australia and it truly was a trip of a lifetime. Everything was perfect! Last year she helped plan a trip to Italy and it was so wonderful I'm going back this year! She always gives you choices and helps you to refine what adventures you're looking to experience.

Michelle has help us with trips to NYC, Ital. Mexico and more. Always love the hotels, excursions and her suggestions. She makes is easy for us and we appreciate that she knows what’s she’s doing! She’s a pro!

Michelle's attention to detail is awesome. She has worked with us to plan every aspect of our trips. She fast to respond to questions. Best of all Michelle is so crazy organized she provides us every piece of information we need including excursions. She is our go to.

Michelle is great to work with! She has excellent recommendations for accommodations, things to do, and how to make the most of your vacation. This was our second time working with her, and I’m sure we will work together again in the future.

Michelle is thorough! She meets with her clients to learn exactly what they are looking for and follows through on what her customers want! Friendly, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented. She is a world traveler and shares her experiences to help guide us through new travel spots. I always click the "easy" button and call Michelle before all my travels!