How can I help?
Let my experience help create your next trip and memories for a lifetime.
Discover the secrets of a new city — Go birdwatching — Explore museums — Dine on local specialties — Hike in a beautiful park — Shop local artisans — Share new experiences and learn about our world
Getting to know each other will help us both get the best results. During a complementary 30-minute meeting, we can see if working together makes sense and decide next steps for your travel plans.
Photo: Nicole (Nikki) with her girls at El Yunque in Puerto Rico
Planning a great trip involves great communication. Together we will talk about what you want from your travels, what parts of planning you like and don't like, and how best to work together to create an exceptional trip.
My initial 30-minute consultation is free and is a great way to determine what I can offer you specifically and see if we are a good fit to work together.
If we are, great! At the end of that meeting, I should be able to give you a general sense of what my trip planning fees will be, and you will be provided a breakdown when I present your initial itinerary. I will request a trip planning commitment fee of $100 at that time. Once paid that tells me you want to work together and that I should start planning.
For your budgeting purposes, my fees are typically $50/day of your trip that I plan. For a two-week trip to Europe, for example, it is usually $300-400 (plus the $100 commitment fee).
What am I especially good at? Creating a unique travel itinerary for an efficient trip. Efficiency means more time to enjoy what it is you want to enjoy, whether it means more time to relax or to experience the unexpected.
You many want to cruise (ocean or river), go on a guided land tour, or (like most of my clients) do it on your own, I am here to help you create an outstanding experience and cherished memories.
While I have (and do) travel a fair amount, I haven't been everywhere or done everything. But, as an agent with 1000 Mile Travel Group and Virtuoso, I have enormous resources at my fingertips and can tap into my network to help provide professional insights and recommendations beyond my personal experience.
You can check out some of the places I have visited at my Virtuoso profile, or read some of my travel musings about my recent travels (below).
Travel Musings
My husband and I are fans of traditional and contemporary Irish music, so we were thrilled to finally make our first trip to Ireland. We didn't want to do the driving, so we found a local tour company that offered small group tours (Irish Experience Tours).
Our 7-day tour took us from Dublin to Galway, to the Aran Islands, and to Doolin. We visited the Cliffs of Moher, took a working sheep farm tour, went whale watching in Dingle, drove the Ring of Kerry, and explored Blarney Castel, Cahir Castle, and the Rock of Cashel. We enjoyed the pub culture: chatting with locals, listening to music, and sipping a few Guinness along the way.
On our own in Dublin, we visited the Book of Kells, EPIC museum, Dubilina, and the National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology. We also did whiskey tastings (Jameson and Teeling), learned to pour a perfect pint at the Guinness Storehouse, and took a vintage bus tea-time tour.
We ventured out of the city on a rural pub crawl through the Wicklow Mountains and spent a day in the seaside town of Howth.
We can't wait to go back and see more of this heartwarming country!
Travel Musings
My sister and I embarked on a 4-day Rhine River cruise with Avalon Waterways from Frankfurt, Germany. We sailed the Rhine Gorge, filled with castles, and floated our way to Strasbourg, France.
In Ottrot, we enjoyed a wine tasting and also visited the picturesque village of Obernai. While docked in Beisach, Germany, we ventured to the charming village of Colmar, France, and the more modern city of Freiberg, Germany.
We disembarked in Basel, Switzerland, and walked the city highlights, shopping for chocolate and Christmas ornaments. We had a dinner of cheese fondue that was crazy delicious.
We returned by train to Strasbourg, where we enjoyed a slower pace of shopping, taking cafe breaks, and exploring this adorable town. Finally, we returned to Frankfurt, where we loved the cute area of Romerberg, the Staedel Museum, and the Aplelwein restaurants.
Highlights:
Sailing the Rhine Gorge, filled with castles
Wine tasting in Ottrot, France
Exploring the charming village of Colmar, France
Shopping for chocolate and Christmas ornaments in Basel, Switzerland
Enjoying cheese fondue in Basel, Switzerland
Exploring the adorable town of Strasbourg, France
Walking through Romerberg, visiting the Staedel Museum, and eating and drinking at the Aplelwein restaurants in Frankfurt, Germany
Travel Tips
Travel impacts the world around us, and is profoundly impactful to us as individuals. I do my best to work with companies that have sustainability initiatives, focus on supporting local cultures and businesses, and seek greener options when possible.
I want to help others experience how a well-planned trip deepens relationships and better connects you to the world.
Travel Tips
This handsome chap is my favorite bag. It is a Travelpro Maxlite and is easy to wrangle, holds a lot, and can hold my laptop bag on the telescoping handle.
Save money and stress by not checking a bag. You can do it!
Follow me on social media for more travel and packing tips.
Travel Tips
Having a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees is a great way to save money while traveling. But you can also get a multi-currency card that allows you to do cash withdrawals and credit card transactions in the local currency, avoiding additional conversion fees.
I love using my Revolut card at ATM machines around the world without additional fees! Plus, I can move money from different currencies on the app, such as my "leftover" Euros to Mexican Pesos. Then can transfer my "leftover" Pesos back to Euros, or any number of other currencies based on my travels.
TIP: Always select to do transactions in the local currency. Saves $!
I am always learning, whether it is traveling or through online and in-person classes.