TRAVEL SPECIALISTS

My dedication to providing discerning travelers with the ultimate in luxury travel experiences has also led to my being selected as one of Travel + Leisure magazines “A-List  Agents – The Top 125 Agents in the US” for the past five years. Email Tammi

I have been working in the travel industry for over 25 years – starting with the airlines and moving to the agency side. My college degree is in business and I knew early on that I loved sales and travel. So now, I can combine both of those “loves” and spend my days doing what I really enjoy. Working in the travel industry affords me an opportunity to travel the world every day as I am always planning wonderful adventures for my clients.

Realizing the value of experiencing places and things, I spend as much time as possible traveling the globe. I also realize the value of education and have continued to study earning my CTA and CTC and am currently working on several destination specialties. I am also a Virtuoso Specialist and enjoy the many educational trips I have experienced. The Caribbean is one of my favorite areas and since I live so close, I usually make at least 4 trips annually to the region. It is always such fun for me to plan destination weddings in the Caribbean so this has become one of the biggest areas of business.  Email Cookie

My experience spans 29-years in the travel industry, 22 of those managing two prestigious organizations - Neiman Marcus Travel Service downtown Dallas and Mary Kay Cosmetics in-house travel agency. For the majority of those years I had the privilege of assisting with custom redemptions for Neiman Marcus’s top customers through the InCircle program as well as hosting group departures highlighted in the NM Christmas catalogue, trips such as Carnival in Venice and a Motorcycle Rally across the Southwest U.S.!

My association with Virtuoso allows me to continue as one of only 75 agents nationwide to work with the Neiman Marcus InCircle and CouTour Travel clientele. I enjoy arranging exclusive, innovative travel products which offer the special amenities and value that my clients have come to expect and appreciate. I have had the privilege of arranging trips that span from Concord and Private Jet Around-the-World, private motor yachts and sailing vessels in the Caribbean and Mediterranean to a weekend stay at a luxury resort stateside.  Email Nancy

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Customer Service: That is why you work with a travel agent. Having been an instructor in customer service at a college, and a consumer, I know that customer service is a dying art and I do my best to be sure I keep it alive. My goal is to always exceed your expectations.

Alaska: I am a "sour dough" at heart. Having traveled to Alaska for the past 10 years, I can craft your Alaska experience to meet your personal needs. I specialize in intimate customized small group adventures, away from the large group excursions available from the cruise lines. Whether cruising the Inside Passage, or exploring the Alaskan interior, I will help you plan an experience of a lifetime.

Cruising: Cruising is my passion. I have done clipper ships, river barges, small luxury lines, paddleboats, and large mainstream cruises.

Rail: My husband and I have traveled extensively by rail in the US, Europe and the Far East and would love to help you have a great train adventure.

Groups: I have planned and escorted groups within the Southeast US, and to Alaska, Canada, the Caribbean, the Mayan Riviera, and to Europe. If you want it trouble free, I am the person to contact.

Email Mindy

19 years sales and management experience in individual, family, group and buisness incentive travel.  One of 75 exclusive agents in United States for luxury travel for the clientele of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.  A Virtuoso Agent, providing clients with exclusive upgrades, complimentary pre or post night accomodations.  Based on my personal travel and industry expertise,  I have been published in Virtuoso’s ‘Best of the Best’ Publication.  Accredited cruise counselor for small, medium and large cruise ships.  Specializing in exotic cruise destinations, luxury cruise lines, and private yacht sailings.  Destination Specialist for the Caribbean, Western Europe, Australia, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Walt Disney Vacations, Sandals, Snow Skiing, Greece and Turkey  Email Sharon  800 274-2544  xt 323

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Luxury Travel

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Sports Teams & Germany
Alaska Expert

Little did I know that the first trip for twenty-three seniors would become not only an avocation and but also my ultimate profession. In 2003 after teaching for thirty-four years at West Chester Henderson High School, I retired to pursue my "avocation" fulltime. As an at-home agent, I combine my years of teaching experience, my graduate degrees in literature and writing, and the penchant to see and to experience the myriad cultures of the world.

As I became more involved with the travel industry, I began to cull multi-generational groups who traveled under the auspices of the West Chester Wanderers. In the eighties, I found myself immersed in travel for elite youth sports teams. Having founded the USA/USSR Baseball Exchange in 1980, I sent high school teams to Moscow and St. Petersburg every other year until 1990; in the odd numbered years, teams from Moscow and St. Petersburg would home stay for two weeks with the US teams who had traveled the preceding year. A ‘graduate” of Henderson and the USA/USSR Baseball Exchange Program enlisted me to assist Coach Robert Babb of Johns Hopkins University to begin the Bluejays participation in international baseball competitions. The first trip took us to Cuba and set in motion a series of international, intercultural sports ventures.

NCAA rules allow teams to partake of one international trip every three years; to date, the Bluejays have played in Moscow and St. Petersburg [the first university team to do so], in the Czech Open [held in Prague], the German Baseball Open [held in Regensburg, Germany, as the preliminary to the Olympic Games], in the Melbourne Cup and the Sydney Open, and in the Italy Cup. The team, accompanied by at least sixty family members and alumni, enjoys the camaraderie of the competitions as well as the cultural and historic elements of each host country. In 1996 Nike selected me to coordinate its first Memorial Day Youth Soccer Tournament; the Nike Cup attracted 240 elite soccer teams [boys and girls, 14-18] to Philadelphia from twenty-seven states.

In the thirty-four years I have arranged travel for family, friends, alumni groups, and corporate clients, I have had the privilege and the pleasure of taking one-hundred and thirty two cruises. My seaworthy adventures have assisted my clients in choosing the most suitable ship and itinerary.

Some of my fondest memories of the classroom directly relate to the myriad times I incorporated the sights and sounds of my travels—many times with the students—to the places about which I taught. Because I taught literature and writing, I stress to my clients of all ages that travel serves as man’s best learning experience.

Robert Frost’s words echo within, for I never tire of traversing the road less traveled.  Email Rich

Elisa has been in the travel industry for over three decades and is located in the Main Line Philadelphia area.

Her two passions are Italy and Jamaica and because of her frequent travel to these destinations she has established personal contacts with key industry personnel which enables her to create memories of a lifetime for her valued clients.  Call 1-800-296-2495 x11 or Email Elisa.

Becky has been named by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine as one of the "Top 128 Agents" in the country for FIVE consecutive years. Condé Nast Traveler magazine is the number one national travel publication and receiving this award is quite an achievement!  

She has been selected for her extensive knowledge and expertise in arranging Caribbean Vacations from small intimate island hideaways to luxury all-inclusive resorts as well as all types of Cruises.  Her love of the islands is obvious. She travels to the Caribbean several times a year and makes it a point to experience many resorts first hand.   Becky’s journeys have taken her to Mexico as well as all the major Caribbean islands and remote Cays.   In June she was off to St.Vincent and the Grenadines.  She has planned numerous weddings, honeymoons, anniversaries, family reunions and corporate incentive travel for individuals from all across the country,.  Her expertise is not limited to the Caribbean.  She has planned hundreds of trips all over the world!

Much of her travel knowledge comes from her extensive personal travel to a wide range of destinations including hot air ballooning over the Swiss Alps and cruising on a canal barge through the French Wine Country.

Becky has acquired many certifications and the following are just a few examples of her dedication.  CTA-Certified Travel Associate, DS- Destination Specialist Caribbean, Virtuoso Accreditation, CSS-Certified Sandals and Beaches Specialist, ACE- Aruba Certified Specialist, US Airways Vacation Specialist, and a Disney Specialist.  She has been quoted in national publications such as the New York Times, and Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel.   Email Becky  www.beckyveithtravel.com

A dual national (U.S. and German), Julia was raised and educated in Europe during parts of grade school, high school and college before working in London for two years. Past residences in Düsseldorf, Florence and London have afforded her the opportunity to come to know Europe intimately through travel to every European country but Portugal and Norway. Equally important, her direct participation in European and worldwide travel at various and successive lifestages has provided her unique insights into the aspects of cities and countries which will most fascinate and delight a demanding clientele.

Travel is clearly Julia’s greatest passion. Her desire to see and know the world has led her to the farthest and most beautiful corners of the Earth from Iguacu Falls, to the Galapagos Islands, and on to the Great Wall of China- with time spent on remote Pacific Islands in between.

Julia founded Jet Set World Travel, Inc., a high end travel and concierge service, to encourage other travelers to live their dreams. By handling local on-the-ground details and providing expert, customized guidance – Jet Set enables travelers to explore the exotic and unusual.  Email Julia  www.jetsetworldtravel.com

Lauren’s upbringing in Sun Valley, Idaho fostered her passion for adventure and international exploration from the Cook Islands, to South Australia, to the Tobago Cays in the West Indies. A keen eye for distinctive destinations coupled with an adventurer’s sensibility, Lauren caters to the globally curious traveler looking to venture to the far ends of the world.

At Jet Set World Travel, Inc., we create custom itineraries for each client. Our unrivaled ability to combine the travel and concierge components creates a seamless experience. Whether you desire to hot air balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey, take cooking classes in Mendoza, Argentina, Safari on elephant back, or honeymoon in an over water bungalow in the French Polynesian Islands, Jet Set can facilitate the actualizations of your dreams.  Email Lauren  www.jetsetworldtravel.com

Sue has been in the travel industry for 11 years. She has achieved the prestigious Certified Travel Counselor designation, the pinnacle certification for sales professionals in the industry, awarded by The Travel Institute. She is also a cruise industry certified Accredited Cruise Counsellor. She has earned numerous destination specialist designations from The Travel Institute and tourism boards worldwide. She is a very active participant in the luxury travel network, Virtuoso, and is recognized by them as an Accredited Virtuoso Sales Consultant. As such she is qualified to participate in educationals worldwide, has access to the top training opportunities that the industry has to offer and has connections to travel suppliers worldwide that can assist her in creating travel experiences for her customers that will fulfill their travel dreams.

Sue has been traveling all her life. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), the Caribbean and Western Europe. She is a veteran cruiser having sailed on over 25 cruises on a number of different cruise lines. Adventure travel has been a new interest of hers. She has experienced an African safari and a biking trip through the California wine country. Her husband has recently visited the Peruvian Amazon region staying in rustic lodges. She looks forward to learning and experiencing much more of the world from an Adventure Travel perspective in the years to come.

Travel is much more than a job to Sue, it is her passion. She prides herself in working with her customers in creating special experiences that will fulfill their travel dreams. She doesn’t just book trips…she plans life experiences. Put Sue’s passion and expertise to work for you in planning your next travel life experience.  Email Sue

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Luxury and Incentive Travel

I have been a travel agent for 18 years.  During and before that time I was a High School math teacher in Baltimore County, Maryland.

I have been a Tahiti specilaist for 10 years, and it is my all time favorite destination, for its beautiful azure waters, its serenity, and those wonderful over the water bungalows one finds no place else.  The Tahitian people are warm and friendly, and the food is exquisite.  There is something in the Tahitian Islands for everyone.  I have visited all of the Society Islands as well as all of the Tuamoto Islands.  One must try a mix.  However, the favorites of first timers seem to be Bora Bora and Moorea.

The former Travel Agent Magazine Senior Editor and Editorial Director of Elite Traveler Magazine whose work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure and dozens of others, Small has taken her passion for luxury travel one step further and formed Elite Travel by Stacy. A unique kind of travel agency based in Palm Beach, Florida, Elite Travel by Stacy specializes in evaluating, personalizing and planning your travel experiences based on Small’s own extensive knowledge base and broad network of contacts at hotels, cruise lines, spas, ski resorts, private villas, private islands and even private jets, worldwide. A guru on luxury resorts, spas, ski resorts, cruises and exotic destinations, Small is a 1991 graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University.

Small has traveled on assignment to hundreds of cities and dozens of countries worldwide, visiting hotels, sampling cruises, reviewing airlines, previewing new spas, and interviewing travel industry executives about new properties, emerging destinations and the latest, greatest trends in luxury travel. She also regularly attends trade shows and personally inspects hotels, ships and destinations to ensure that her clients are getting the absolute best product and service wherever they go.    Email Stacy  www.elitetravelinternational.com

I’ve always loved to travel. For instance, as a young boy growing up in London, I would travel the Underground (the Subway) and, before I was 13, had visited every station on the system.

Later, as an adult, I managed a number of sales forces and traveled extensively. Territories covered, at various times, were: The British Isles, Western Europe, The Far East and North America. As a business traveler, I took particular interest in the places I visited and the local cuisine, people and culture. Thereafter, I would revisit the places that had seemed particularly interesting but this time as a leisure visitor.

When I began in the travel industry (1998), I was able to utilize all of my prior experience to assist clients in their travel planning. Now, when visiting a destination, I make it a point to look at it from a client point of view. For instance, on my last visit to the UK, I stayed at 2 different London hotels either side of visiting family outside of London. That way I was able to experience what both had to offer to my clients. I did much the same thing the last time I visited Jamaica. Please see Recent Trips.

I take great pride in customizing every client’s vacation to suit their individual needs and to provide them with their own unique experience.  Email Alan  www.provap.com

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Luxury Travel, specializing in Europe

Dick has been recognized for his expertise in SWITZERLAND six years in a row by Wendy Perrin, travel writer for Conde Nast Magazine in her articles on the top travel agents in the country.  In Wendy's words  "Shiels has hiked, trained and driven all over the country during his 30 trips there, uncovering hidden-gem Alpine villages and country inns."  Dick is also our resident expert on the European rail system and can print your rail passes in our office.