MY SERVICES
Trip Planning.
Custom-tailored and complete, down to the smallest detail.

Travel Product Evaluation. I can help you make well-informed decisions.

Internet Research.
Let me gather, refine and distill information for you and give you only the best, most useful content.

Reservation Services.
All airlines, car rental companies and all types of accommodations from a chateau in Normandy to an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora (and almost everything else). I work with the best consolidators for deep discounts on international air and can give instant quotes that often beat published fares by hundreds.

Travel Services.
For corporate meetings and special events. My experience includes technology and wine and food related events. I can be the corporate meeting planner’s best friend.

REASONS TO USE ME
For my expertise, and my willingness to conduct thorough research.

For my contacts among travel suppliers and tourism people—so helpful, and crucial when the unexpected happens.

My professionalism and dedication to the principle of integrity in travel.

My in-depth knowledge of travel products.

My access to discounts such as better-than-corporate hotel rates and up to the moment promotions (if it's out, I probably got an email or fax on it this morning).

My support of ASTA and its efforts on behalf of travel consumers, as well as its efforts in promoting the preservation of historic sites and the development of responsible tourism worldwide.

My obsessive information-gathering on all things travel-related.

My mission: to facilitate life-enhancing travel experiences.

Professional Affiliations.
I am an active member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) an organization dedicated to quality and integrity in consumer travel. Recent activities have included passage of the Passenger's Bill of Rights and Congressional Committee to study airline anti-consumer practices,

Question: In which travel destinations do you have firsthand experience?
Answer: I have traveled, studied and arranged trips in all of Western Europe, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and most of the U.S. I have special expertise in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, colonial Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Question: Why do you charge fees? In the past travel agent services were free.
Answer: True, travel agent services were usually offered at no cost to the consumer until recent years. Beginning in 1995, the airlines made a series of major changes in the way they compensate travel agencies for distributing their product. Commission on air tickets, which were a standard of 10%, were reduced to 8%, then 5 % and finally to zero for domestic and international travel.

There are a few exceptions and occasional commission incentives offered, but in general agents no longer earn an income from the airlines. This resulted in huge losses to travel agencies, of course, and the closing of thousands of agencies. Those agencies that are still in business, almost without exception, charge fees for services. The airlines have thus succeeded in transferring distribution costs to consumers without having to raise fares. There are a number of lawsuits pending against the airlines for crippling the travel agency industry the way they did, but it is unlikely that the clock will ever be turned back. A profound effect of this change is that travel agents are no longer the agents of the airlines, but instead, agents for, and advocates for, the consumer. In these times, more than ever, the traveling public needs travel agents, and fees paid to agents represent value for important services that can save the client time and money.

Question: How much do you charge?
Answer: I work on a modest schedule of fees: $50 per domestic airline ticket, $100 per international airline ticket and $50 for changes and reissues. For a complex travel itinerary with many components and research required, I will typically charge an initial planning fee of $200 to $500. Where mimimal research is necessary and where the hotel, tour operator, cruise line or other supplier pays standard commission, I do not charge a fee. In the case of bookings where a supplier does not pay commission (an example would be a small B&B on a Greek island) I will set a fair fee for my services and discuss it with you in advance.

Question: Can you get the best rates?
Answer: Yes, most definitely. I will offer you the quality and value you hope for in every travel purchase, and I can make the shopping process easy and enjoyable.

Question: What if I don't get what I pay for?
Answer: I feel I have a successful business because:
(1) I sell only the best travel products;
(2) I represent those products honestly and evaluate them using all my resources; and
(3) If you are not fully satisfied with your travel experience I want to know about it. You will find I am your best ally in addressing any problem. I work for you, not the airlines or hotels or tour operators. I do not feel my job is complete until your trip is over and you share with me your travel experience and your evaluation of your trip components.

With an academic background in International Studies, and knowledge gained from years of travel and living abroad, in 1988 I started my travel career in a small agency in San Francisco. There I learned the business from seasoned pros, and over the years gained broad experience working for various agencies in Marin and Sonoma counties. As a front line agent and travel consultant I booked airline tickets and did travel planning for both business and vacation travelers. I was a key member of a team handling special interest cruise groups such as wine and culinary cruises. I became an expert in my airline reservation system and in the destinations of Hawaii, Mexico and Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. I added to my professional development with specialized travel training, many trips to new destinations, travel trade events and in building relationships within the industry.

In June 1999 I launched my agency on a new business model: a "bricks and clicks" agency that has an office location and traditional agency resources, but that also relies heavily on the internet as a key resource for information brokering and for facilitating the sale of travel products.

While the travel industry has changed with the explosion of the internet, I believe that the essential need of travel consumers for reliable travel advice and skilled travel planning has remained constant. The access to information that I have combined with my experience and contacts are the tools that I put at the service of my clients.

I know that my clients and friends wish to make informed travel decisions without spending valuable time wading through too much information. My goal is to make the trip planning process a positive and collaborative experience. It is my pleasure to send my clients and friends on the right trip at the right time, planned to perfection.

I have completed a course of study and been certified by the Tourism Office of Spain as a Spain Specialist.

I love to custom plan and book trips to Spain for clients who seek unique and enriching experiences. In the past these have included trips designed to discover and explore Spanish art, both historical and contemporary, and to see places of architectural importance.

Another trip focused on the Basque country and wine regions of northern Spain. In another trip we strung together stays at historic paradores throughout the country.

Some of my clients have chosen to self drive through fascinating areas of Andalucia, coastal Spain, and the northern regions. Others have used trains and buses to travel, and for some I have arranged a private car and driver.

Some clients have requested simple, economical accommodations in small hotels of character. Some have chosen to have me arrange longer apartment or villa stays in cities and in rural areas.

There are many ways to discover Spain for oneself, and so many riches to unveil—my feeling is that one’s personal interests and passions should guide the kind of trip that I arrange. Our trip planning will naturally be a collaborative project.

But I must add, Spain is such a culturally rich and geographically diverse country that it is truly worthy of more than one trip.

Visit this website and then come talk to me about Espana.