I’m here at Tzell because I want to provide wonderful adventures and seamless travel arrangements for my clients, and I won’t settle for anything less than my best when I do it. I've been at this for a very long time, and while I don’t want to date myself too much, let’s put it this way – I started back when there were no computers, just a tele-ticket machine. There weren’t even fax machines yet. 

I went to airline school and then worked at an agency where I learned everything about arranging travel, including how to book a trip, city and airport codes, geography and much more. My next jobs were with very small leisure travel agencies in New Jersey, where again, everything was very hands on. I had to hand-write tickets and make phone calls to reserve hotels rooms and arrange for limo services. It’s not an exaggeration to describe it as “Travel 101.” It was a real education, but by learning to pull together all the pieces of a trip in that painstakingly detailed way, all of that knowledge stayed with me, and it has helped me enormously in my career. 

Eventually, I signed up with Tzell Travel Group and began drawing all of my knowledge together to serve both leisure and corporate clients. Plus, as a Tzell travel agent, I can put the power and clout of one of the nation’s top travel agencies to work to obtain special amenities and VIP treatment for my clients.  

I come from Portugal originally, and with my European background and experiences on cruises, especially in the Caribbean, I have traveled and seen quite a bit of the world. Those experiences have helped me relate to and serve my clients. In addition to corporate and individual travel, I book group trips, destination weddings, and travel for religious and school groups. I’ve worn almost every hat there is to wear in the travel business except for flying the plane! 

There are always little bumps in the road in this business, from employee strikes to weather, and you have to be able to roll with them and keep your travelers on track. I’ve been doing this for over 30 years. I speak two languages. I know how to communicate with airline and hotel personnel, and I’ve built a lot of personal relationships in the industry. That means that whether my clients are traveling for business or pleasure, I know that I can get them to the most far-flung destinations and back in style and comfort, no matter what obstacles come along.