European Culture & Cooking Specialist

There’s not a lot that I don’t love about traveling — before I officially got started as a travel agent, I was the unofficial go-to for all my friends and family. I did the work: Door-to-door service, transportation to and from the airport, preflight hotel, lounge passes, seat selection, transfers within the destination, planning walking tours of the Cities, booking dinner reservations months in advance, pre-booking tours and museum entrances — I set it all up. I still do that, but now I just get paid for it.

It took me 30 years to figure out this is what I should be doing — and I love it. Heck, when I’m not traveling, I’m binging National Geographic. I’m often just as excited for my clients’ trips as I am for my own, and I’ve been to some wild, remote and off-the-beaten path places … in addition to the tried-and-true, most visited locales. Firsthand experience is what I bring to the table — on top of my precision, knowledge, organization and ability to find solutions to any issues that arise, all of which I cultivated through years of working in a law office.

Through the years, the trips that have stayed with me the most are the ones that gave me a fuller view of the world we inhabit. My passion is visiting different species in their habitat, but I love historical sites as well (I have a degree in Classical Studies — Greek and Roman History!). An African Safari in Kenya and a Galapagos expedition are easily my top two. Rounding out the list are the countless cooking classes I’ve taken in Europe — I love coming home and recreating all the dishes I was lucky enough to experience while I travelled.

Ultimately, I’d describe my typical clients as just like me: Explorers. Those who are inquisitive, love to explore nature and historical sites and delve the depths of cultures wholly new to them. The kind of person who doesn’t just want to try the local cuisine but wants to learn how to cook it themselves. Maybe they’re setting off solo, maybe they’re bringing the whole family along for the journey. Either way, I can help travellers avoid and mitigate many of the common onsite stressors that naturally come with wanderlust.