These days, with so much online, it’s easy to assume that booking travel yourself is totally fine. And hey, I get it. This is what I do professionally and people ask me all the time if travel agents still exist!

So firstly, let me point out that I wouldn’t do this for a living if it didn’t keep the lights on! This girl’s gotta eat. I run a good business! In 2025, I sold travel to 58 countries!

And yes, you could totally plan a trip on your own. Lots of people enjoy the research. I planned many of my own trips for years. Made lots of mistakes along the way— I should never have DIY’d Burma and I did not make good use of my first trip to Japan or Berlin. (I didn’t know what I didn’t know.) But I am still standing.

So if you want it done right, with insider access, expert guidance, VIP perks and amenities, seamless transportation, and real backup—that’s where I come in.

And before I get into my points about why and where I make a difference, let me say upfront that I am not the best fit for everyone. If “the hotel really doesn’t matter” to you because you’re “just going to sleep there,” we’re probably not going to be a match. If you prefer budget Airbnbs with futons for sofas and questionable towels, we’re also probably not going to be a match. (Please read this before you book an Airbnb in another country.)

BUT…if you can humor me, here’s why and where I can be helpful…

Time is money.

I save my clients hours—sometimes weeks—of planning and decision time. Whether it’s picking the right room (not just the “Deluxe” mystery box online), figuring out train vs. car transfers, or making sure you don’t miss the one must-see thing in a city before heading off to the next, I make it efficient. Two weeks in Italy or Japan? I can build it in my sleep. This is what I do—every day, all day. While I’m always happy to book those short weekend getaways, I can make a huge difference to a longer trip.

If you have an accountant, a personal trainer, and a cleaner, consider adding a travel advisor to your team! At the end of the day, I am a service provider, saving you time and helping you plan ahead.

You don’t know what you don’t know.

Google and ChatGPT can tell you what exists. I tell you what actually matters. This is what I do all day, every day. Like:
– Driving to Lake Como? Better than the train.
– Renting a car in Crete? Not for the faint of heart.
– Museum closures in Paris? Surprisingly annoying.
– The Hop-On-Hop-Off bus in London? Actually worth it.
– Island hopping in Greece? I know which ferries to take and when.

You don’t need to know all this—I already do. That’s a huge part of the value I bring.

Access is everything.

Through my affiliations with Virtuoso and elite hotel programs (Four Seasons Preferred Partner, Marriott Stars & Luminous, and programs you’ve probably never heard of before but are all in the footer of my website), I get you perks that are hard to find online—like room upgrades, free breakfast, early check-in, resort credits, and VIP treatment that makes your stay feel different.

Traveling with old people or lots of people is complicated and stressful.

I do some of my best work when grandparents are involved or when there are more than four travelers. It’s hard to move large groups around in foreign countries, and no one wants Grandma doing 20,000 steps a day in Rome, Paris, Tokyo, or Cairo. I make this all easier.

I solve problems.

Lost luggage, flight delays, a hotel snafu—I’m your first call, not a call center with a 45-minute wait. I don’t just plan travel. I stand behind it. I’m your partner in each trip.

I’ve been there.

Over 75 countries—and counting. I’ve checked into that off-the-grid Maldives resort, figured out Tokyo’s subway, tested the best family hotels in Rome, and survived a few rental car nightmares so you don’t have to. While travel is certainly not a contest, I’ve been to over 75 countries and lived outside the US for over 25% of my life. That makes me a very different sort of travel advisor. My recommendations come from real-world experience, not just pretty photos. I joke that I’ve been most of the places you want to go. And if I haven’t been where you want to go, I’ve got multiple vetted contacts on-the-ground. When I’m not selling travel, I’m meeting with travel providers from all over the world on a daily basis. (People forget that travel is a business. All these destinations aren’t just going to sell themselves.)

I specialize in complicated countries.

I specialize in countries that require a lot of coordination. Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, China, Japan, and Thailand are some of the countries I specialize in where I just know I can put together a better, easier trip than most people can organize on their own.

Geography is my superpower.

This is where most DIY travel planning quietly goes off the rails. People Google pretty pictures and then build a trip around them…without understanding distances, transit patterns, or how travel days actually feel. That’s how you get someone trying to take a ferry from Bali to Singapore (not a thing), or flying into Paris to get to Milan (why), or deciding it’s a good idea to fly to Costa Rica to go to Arenal for two nights. (It’s a bad idea). I prevent bad routing. I sequence days so they flow. I know which transfers are scenic and which are endurance tests. This is the stuff nobody talks about, but it’s the difference between “Amazing trip!” and “Why did we do this to ourselves??”

The industry depends on advisors like me.

We forget that travel is a business. All these hotel rooms and cruise cabins aren’t going to sell themselves. Hotels, cruise lines, and tour operators all have Leisure Sales Managers to help them attract more clients. These Sales Managers can’t sit back and passively wait for random people to click “Book Now” on third-party aggregator websites that cost them 30% a booking. (Expedia and other platforms take 30% of each booking. That is very painful for the industry and it is one of the reasons they need other sales channels.) So they rely on travel advisors like me to bring them the right clients. We’re not just booking—we’re marketing and matchmaking. In return, the industry gives us access, perks, and support they don’t offer to the average traveler or Expedia booking. You get to benefit from that.

Travel is a privilege.

I seem to get the “Do travel agents still exist?” question the most from people who have already experienced the basics—Paris, Rome, London—and are fine with getting on a plane to Munich or Amsterdam and hopping in an Uber with someone who may or may not speak English before checking into a Marriott hotel they blindly booked online because they are obsessed with earning hotel points that will expire or decrease in value before they have a chance to use them.

But…well-traveled people are not the average American.

You have to remember that there are a lot of Americans who have never (or barely) left the country before. They’re worried they will get pickpocketed in Italy. France is a scary and strange place to them. They worry about anti-American sentiment all over the world. We forget that travel is a privilege and it can be scary for a lot of people. I remove a lot of anxiety from a trip because everything is taken care of. (This is one of the reasons why I love selling Egypt so much. I put together amazing trips that really change client perceptions.) You know, I honestly love working with people who aren’t widely traveled. It’s very humbling and I see the world and the travel industry with fresh eyes each time.

Bottom line?

You can plan travel on your own—but when you work with me, it’s smarter and smoother. You get someone who knows the game, speaks the language (literally and figuratively), and can see around corners. That being said, I am the first to say that I am not the right fit for everyone, and in full transparency, I don’t book 3 star. And I am not focused on putting together the cheapest trips possible. (What is cheap is not good, and what is good is not cheap.) Do I know where the values are in travel though? Yes.

Ready to chat?

I offer at 30 minute complimentary call to anyone who wants to talk travel. Talking travel is my favorite thing!