I did not go on my first vacation until my 17th birthday, when I went to Israel with my parents. It was in 1966 and I still remember every detail of that trip, from the clothes I wore to the places I visited and sights I took in. It was emotionally overwhelming, and that was only the first leg of the journey.

From Tel Aviv we went to Rome, and our guide took us to a wardrobe room used by the pope. He took the pontiff’s shoes from a glass display case and put them in my hands, and I thought I would faint right then and there. From there we went to Florence then Venice, and finally ended up in Paris. It was there that I truly fell in love. I became a Francophile and my love of all things French is still with me today.  

I grew up in a time when women did not have the same professional opportunities as today. Women became secretaries or teachers. I chose the latter, in part because the schedule allowed me to travel for several months out of the year. On one vacation, I met a family who owned a travel agency and I told them my dream was to leave my job and do what they did for a living instead. They gave me their business card and from that moment on I could not get the idea out of my mind.

The principal at the school where I worked was a wonderfully sweet and supportive woman. She encouraged me to pursue my dream and said I was always welcome to come back to teaching if it did not work out.

In 1978 I joined a travel agency, and my mother and I built my first client list by calling all of her friends and telling them I was now in the travel business. My phone began to ring and I never had to go back to teaching. I have loved this job ever since the day I started and I am excited for you to book an unforgettable vacation with me.