Leisure Travel Specialist

Pont du Hoc on the Normandy Coastline.

My love of travel began when my Dad would play "globe games" with me - having me find cities and countries around the world. I was determined to spend at least a year in Europe after I finished college - and ended up spending two years in Stuttgart, Germany. From there I traveled whenever and where ever I could visiting about 25 countries during that time. 

I became a full-time travel agent in 1981 - and have been in the business ever since. My travels have taken me to 50 countries, and I've been on over 20 cruises. 

One of my favorite places is Hawaii, and I've been to every island that travelers are allowed to go (except for Ni'ihau...a very private place with very little access). People ask me what's my favorite island - and my answer is always "The one I'm on!" Each island is so different that it's hard to compare them. 

South America is also a favorite destination - and I'm especially fond of Chile. The fjords (they do rival those in Norway) and Patagonia are simply breathtaking. Of course, Peru (and Macchu Pichu) rank very high...along with a jungle excursion on an Amazon tributary! And then there's Buenos Aires. Wow, what a fabulous city - truly the Paris of the West!

A wise person once said...If you go to only two continents in your lifetime, go to Africa twice. There is nothing quite like a safari and seeing the animals in their native land.Lions feasting on a freshly killed zebra, or a gazelle giving birth - this is nature in the raw. Brutal...and beautiful  It's quite humbling to see the Masai people walking miles just to collect their daily supply of water - then get to your hotel where there is a huge swimming pool beyond the foyer. We learn that life is not always easy.

We love to cruise - and have found that visiting many places as your "hotel" transports you around is a delightful way to travel. Cruising continues to gain in popularity and cruise lines keep raising the bar in onboard activities. Zip lines, surfing, go-carts, rock-climbing, ice skating, water slides...it gets more crazy every year! Then there's river cruising - the total opposite. Fewer people, slow cruising, leisurely travel. What a great way to see so many places in Europe instead of the ubiquitous bus tours!

So, my specialty is leisure travel - I really love helping clients find just the right places to suit them and make their trips truly memorable. This is a process, one in which I learn about a client's past travels, what sorts of things they enjoy, and what their goals are for a particular trip.

Using all the resources available to me, I'm able to find things and make arrangements that a DIYer would most likely overlook - or not find at all. I look forward to being a real "travel partner" with my clients, and enjoy the process immensely.