Jo Ann Buening
La Crosse, Wisconsin Travel Agent
A Full-Service Travel Leaders Associate Agency
Email MeLuxury Travel Professional
Private lesson with a watchmaker in Switzerland
A private watch-making experience in Switzerland with a well-known watchmaker, a private experience to a beautiful waterfall in Iceland and dinner at a remote lodge, a connection to ‘get it done’ for ‘over-the-top’ requests in Las Vegas … I could go on and on. These are just a small sampling of connections I have made for the needs of my affluent travelers. In this segment of travel, it’s all about who you know and what connections you can make. With my attention to detail, strong organizational skills and years of experience in the travel industry (since 1985), it only seemed natural that I would embrace Luxury Travel. Over the years I have organized many groups, ranging between four and 150 travelers who have requested ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences. Whether large or small, I can arrange Luxury Travel for any size group. In order to be successful with Luxury Travel requests, it is important that the travel agent be exposed and connected to the resources to be able to secure these requests and wishes. If you’re interested in my Luxury Travel credentials, you’ll find them under a separate story, entitled My Luxury Travel Credentials.
My Areas of Expertise
CERTIFICATES & AWARDS
Alaska Destination Specialist
Elite Cruise Counsellor/Luxury Cruise Specialist
Princess Cruises Commodore
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Specialist
Travel Leaders Certified Travel Specialist
Related Travel Stories
My Luxury Travel Credentials
In 2012 I applied to attend (ILTM) International Luxury Travel Market, held annually in Cannes, France. The application process – to even be considered – is very in-depth. Proof of my sales and suppliers used for Luxury Travel arrangements made in the past year had to be submitted. My travel biography ... Read more from my My Luxury Travel Credentials story.
Luxury at our Fingertips!
What a fantastic opportunity – to be invited to attend the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) the first week of December, 2012 in beautiful Cannes, France. It is a ‘meeting of the minds’ … bringing together vendors who specialize in upscale, unique and luxury products with travel agents who sell a ... Read more from my Luxury at our Fingertips! story.
Luxury Travel Exchange
The 2015 Luxury Travel Exchange conference was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dec 9 – 11, 2014 at the beautiful Palazzo hotel. There were 900 in attendance. I feel very fortunate to have been one of only 80 ‘fully hosted’ buyers and to have been selected as one of only 21 ... Read more from my Luxury Travel Exchange story.
Experiential Travel … Swiss-Style!
An important part of being your travel professional is first-hand experience and as such, we continually strive to broaden our own travel experiences to help us – help you – to travel better! One of my recent Europe forays included being very well taken care of in Switzerland. More and more ... Read more from my Experiential Travel … Swiss-Style! story.
A Great Partnership!
Reviewed By Carroll University's Alumni Travel Program - Waukesha, WI | Traveled to Alaska ~ USA
After more than 7 years in partnering with Jo Ann Buening from Travel Leaders in LaCrosse, WI for Carroll University’s Alumni Travel Program, Carroll’s Office of Alumni Engagement is appreciative of all of Jo Ann’s diligent work, superior service, keen attention to detail to Carroll’s needs and in serving our constituents, contribution in helping to re-build Carroll’s Alumni Travel Program, and her trust and friendship. She is a top notch travel agent who we would recommend to any individual seeking a reliable travel agent and group that is looking for someone to manage group travel and many logistics. Jo Ann helped us plan group alumni trips to Alaska, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Greece (although this one was cancelled due to the pandemic). We will miss working with you Jo Ann and will always appreciate your expertise in the travel industry, and the imprint that you have left with us, with many adventures and memories around the world that speak to it. Thank you Jo Ann!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
22 of 34 people found this review helpful
The advise and recommendations were excellent
Reviewed By Skip - Onalaska, WI | Traveled to Alaska ~ USA
I appreciate the thorough and attentive attention I have received. Jo Ann's support has been very timely and professional. I am looking forward to my next trip which she has provided a great deal of information and support.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
43 of 78 people found this review helpful
Viking Grand European River cruise
Reviewed By JM - Tomah , WI | Traveled to Prague ~ Czech Republic ~ Europe
We have been working with Jo Ann for 9 years, and her assistance with ALL our travel needs, and even a couple Crisis situations, has been stellar!! She makes a serious effort to really know her clients- their interests, preferences, special needs, and comfort level with traveling within the USA and abroad.She is excellent in searching out the answers to all questions, and providing good advice, both from a personal and a professional perspective. We absolutely would not travel without Jo Ann's knowledge and expertise to guide us. We cannot speak more highly of her!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
Clients like you are why I LOVE my job!!
Clients like you are why I LOVE my job!!
46 of 86 people found this review helpful
Great trip
Reviewed By Jerry - Onalaska Wisconsin | Traveled to Vietnam ~ East and Southeast Asia
Great person to work with
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
40 of 76 people found this review helpful
My dream family vacation that didn’t happen
Reviewed By DM - Fountain City, WI | Traveled to Alaska ~ USA
Jo Ann is the best! She worked with us starting with looking at different variations for a family Alaskan vacation to offering suggestions to finally planning it complete. Unfortunately it was right when Covid was making its appearance so it was canceled and rescheduled. Quite the undertaking for a group of our size!! Jo Ann was always there to answer our questions in a timely matter. Sadly we had to cancel a second time and took a refund of our money. I could tell she was genuinely as heartbroken for us as we were! I can’t imagine planning something like this on our own.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
Thank you for your kind words. You are right, it was tough. But, we did gain a friendship thru the process.
Thank you for your kind words. You are right, it was tough. But, we did gain a friendship thru the process.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
One of our favorite trips!
Reviewed By Mary Sue - Utica,Minnesota | Traveled to Mediterranean ~ At Sea ~ At Sea
Excellent at client service. Complete knowledge of vacationsThorough and very helpful! Would highly recommend her services, the best we’ve dealt with!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
Thank you!
Thank you!
Jo Ann and Oceania Cruises are both fantastic!
Reviewed By Keith & Rita - Waukesha, WI | Traveled to Mediterranean ~ At Sea ~ At Sea
Working with Jo Ann was an excellent experience for us. We wanted to visit the Mediterranean and thought we would try cruising but we really did not know where to start. Jo Ann asked us good questions, gave us multiple options for cruise lines, and explained the major differences between them. We settled on Oceania Cruises due to their reputation for excellent food and a specific itinerary that we fell in love with - and they did not disappoint! We planned to book our own airfare with points but Jo Ann still offered us good advice on certain airports and airlines to avoid. This would turn out to be extremely valuable as we heard horror stories from other passengers who were delayed, lost bags, and missed connections on those same routes we avoided!
The peace of mind we had in booking with a professional was priceless and our cruise was absolutely amazing. We wouldn't change a thing. If you are looking for a guiding hand with a lot of experience, give Jo Ann a call.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
Thank you so much for the review!
Thank you so much for the review!
The Best Travel Advisor
Reviewed By Jackie - ONALASKA, WI | Traveled to Norway ~ Europe
Jo Ann has been our trusted agent for many years with travels here and abroad. We’ve done land, river and ocean cruises, with tour groups and on our own. She always goes the extra mile (kilometer), to weave together special diversions with our overall plans, respecting our desires and changing physical requirements. Jo Ann is an excellent and timely communicator. I highly recommend her.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
3 of 6 people found this review helpful
Wonderful ports of call!
Reviewed By Donna - New Albin, Iowa | Traveled to Mediterranean ~ At Sea ~ At Sea
Jo Ann is always very friendly, knowledgeable, organized, and helpful!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
Jo Ann is aweseom
Reviewed By Pat - Boulder, CO | Traveled to United Kingdom ~ Europe
Sooooooo easy to work with Jo Ann. She is responsive, a great problem solver, and creative planner. She has helped my husband and me with several European trips - we were truly newbies in international travel and she made it easy and stress-free. She is our "go to" for travel - just thinking about her being involved makes the trip automatically better.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
5 of 10 people found this review helpful
Great Travel Guide!
Reviewed By MommaLouie - Winona MN | Traveled to Alaska ~ USA
Joann was extremely knowledgeable and trustworthy with our group of 8. Her experience really helped guide us to a perfect vacation. She KNOWS Alaska inside and out! We were exptremeky pleased with her services and she took the time to deal with all of our requests!!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
30 of 60 people found this review helpful
Bucket list trip
Reviewed By Michelle - La crosse wi | Traveled to Alaska ~ USA
Jo Ann Buening is very knowledgeable with Alaskan cruise. She took the time and sat down with several of us to go over documents. She had suggestions of sites to definitely see.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
42 of 84 people found this review helpful
Our first visit to Italy:
Reviewed By Rich and Sandi - LaCrosse | Traveled to Rome ~ Italy ~ Europe
We have worked with Joanne for over 20 years. We have never been dissatisfied with her assistance. she has guided us through numerous trips, from Cape Cod to Italy to Australia. Modes of transportation have been various cruises both river and ocean. Her advice has been invaluable.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
Yes, you have gotten to see much of the world. It's been my pleasure to be part of it!
Yes, you have gotten to see much of the world. It's been my pleasure to be part of it!
3 of 7 people found this review helpful
River Cruise
Reviewed By MP Olson - Middleton, Wisconsin | Traveled to New Orleans ~ Louisiana ~ USA
Having booked many trips with Jo Ann I always know that every detail will be taken care of. On this American Cruise Line trip they changed the date by one day after we had already booked our airline. When they told Jo Ann that there would be no reimbursement for change fees/fares with the date change she told them”No, no , no that is not right!” The agent went to her supervisor and we were reimbursed for the extra cost to change days. Jo Ann is always prompt in returning calls and answering any questions. I highly recommend using Jo Ann for your travel needs.She also planned a trip to Peru for us, researching when the best time of year to go and found great airfares for us. She is my go to person when planning a trip!
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
Thank you so much for your kind words. I've enjoyed booking trips for you as well as traveling with you as a group.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I've enjoyed booking trips for you as well as traveling with you as a group.
3 of 7 people found this review helpful
China
Reviewed By Jerry - Tomah Wi | Traveled to Beijing ~ China ~ East and Southeast Asia
My wife & I first had contact with Jo Ann in 2008 when we booked an Alaskan trip with her. (Jo Ann is an Alaskan trip expert). We were so impressed with her efficiency that since 2008 we have booked 8 river cruises to Egypt, China, Russia, Grand European, Holland, Portugal, France X 2, and 2 ocean cruises to the Mediterranean & Baltic countries. Jo Ann is always very thorough when planning a trip and she will go over all the specifics of the trip.She has always been available to help us even when we were out of country. The day we were to leave Cairo Egypt in 2010 was the same day all European airports closed due to an eruption of a volcano in Iceland. There was a lot of confusion in Egypt about how we were going to get home. The communications systems in Egypt was not the most efficient. We were eventually able to fax JoAnn from Cairo and within an hour she replied with specific instructions for our return. She kept in contact with us until we were safely back home.
GREAT SERVI
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
38 of 77 people found this review helpful
A Joy to Work With
Reviewed By Kaps - Marshfield, WI | Traveled to England ~ Europe
JoAnn has always been very helpful, providing timely information and various options to choose from. We live a couple hours from LaCrosse and we choose to work with her for our travel needs. Typically a small group of 6-8 travel together and she has been excellent at arranging cruises, tours, and before/after stays to extend the fun.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
Thank you for your kind words. I enjoy working with your group as well!!
Thank you for your kind words. I enjoy working with your group as well!!
36 of 73 people found this review helpful
Viking River Cruise
Reviewed By Linda & Whitey - Onalaska, Wisconsin | Traveled to Europe
We first traveled with Jo Ann when she led an Alaska Land/Cruise Tour back in 2008. In 2013, we (and 2 other couples) met with Jo Ann to plan a trip on a Viking River Cruise. Jo Ann gave us material to look over and then met with all of us several times to pick the trip best suited for our interests. She arranged the flights, helped plan the leading days in Paris and the final days after the cruise in Prague. She has also helped us plan other trips and secure airline tickets through the years.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
1 of 4 people found this review helpful
Trip of a life time
Reviewed By Sue - Arcadia wisconsin | Traveled to Alaska ~ USA
She is wonderful to work with. Checking on us when we were stuck at the airport all day
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
Jo Ann Buening responded:
We could tell some stories!! Loved helping you to Alaska a few times.
We could tell some stories!! Loved helping you to Alaska a few times.
2 of 7 people found this review helpful
Excellent Cruises Planned by Jo Ann
Reviewed By John and Andrea - Stone Lake, WI and Sedona, AZ | Traveled to Baltic Sea ~ At Sea ~ At Sea
Jo Ann is extremely knowledgeable and efficient. She has found many wonderful cruises for us. She has an excellent relationship with the top cruise companies. She pays attention to detail and makes sure all the "i"s are dotted and "t"s are crossed. She quickly gets to know your likes and dislikes so her suggestions and recommendations are tailored specifically to you. She is friendly and easy to work with. We will continue to use Jo Ann for all our travel.
I would recommend this agent to my family and friends
33 of 69 people found this review helpful