Interests & Specialties
Specialties:  Luxury Leisure Travel in the form of independent trips, customized tours, cruises and both usual and unusual destinations.  For example, India, Myanmar, South Africa, Antarctica, the North Cape, Asia, Australia, New Zealand

Specialty Cruise Lines:  Silverseas Cruise Line   -  more than 450 days sailed worldwide.

                                       Seabourn Cruise Line

                                       Crystal Cruise Line

Expert Bio
I have been in the Travel Business since opening my own agency 28 years ago.  When being an ‘owner’ interfered with my travel, we sold our agency and have since made “travel” both our vocation and avocation!  We began seriously traveling in the ‘60’s and have never looked back.  We have been to all 7 continents, every ocean, most countries, and have sailed on more than 150 cruises on all manner of vessels - barges, riverboats, sailboats, small cruise ships and large cruise ships.  We have kept extensive notes on all of our trips and have the expertise to give both general and specific advice, sometimes even including beauty salons, restaurants, and certainly shopping!  I am available whenever I am not traveling and researching new and better destinations!  When we are “on a trip”, I am competently backed up by Landmark Travel.

Most Recent Trip  -   September, 2007

A riverboat trip in Russia.  I flew first to Helsinki, Finland and spent two days there enjoying their unique history and architecture.  Then rode the train between Helsinki and St. Peterburg, a very pleasant 3 hour trip.  We were immediately transferred to our Russian riverboat, which would be our home for the next 12 days.  While it was comfortable, warm and friendly, the Russian riverboats are not luxurious.  Rather basic would be my best description!   Having said that, I can tell you that no one really minded because the trip was so well handled and interesting that all else was forgiven!  The food was very adequate, the guides were extraordinary, and the touring was superb.  We actually had some private tours of the Hermitage, the Summer Palace, a private ballet and opera, as well as other surprise amenities throughout.   St. Petersburg is back to it’s glory prior to WWII and is a pleasure to visit.  All along the river, we made stops, that gave us an inkling into life outside the big cities, and the treasures these small towns possessed. 

Our arrival into Moscow was an exciting surprise.  It, too, has become a major, modern, sophisticated city of the world since the removal of the “Iron Curtain” some 15 years ago.

Again, the guides were superb and we thoroughly enjoyed all of the history of this great city.   Russian History is a long one and filled with many twists and turns, which makes it a fascinating country to experience in this in depth form.

February, 2007 was the departure on the long flight from Miami to Sydney, Australia.

Our arrival there coincided with the arrival of both Cunard Queens, the Mary and the Elizabeth, which was quite the occasion ‘down under’, replete with fireworks, ‘in the buff’ water skiers (!), and unbelievable traffic!  I boarded Silverseas ‘Silver Cloud’ the next day for a Southern Australia journey from Sydney to Perth.  It was a different and very pleasant trip, with great wine tasting at the famous Australian vineyards in this region!  The next segment went from Perth to Singapore, with stops planned in Exmouth and Broome, Western Australia; however, those were cancelled due to two ‘cyclones’ that affected that area!  We managed to skirt them and enjoy a 4 day sail up into Indonesia, Malaysia, and finally Singapore.  We did stop at Komodo Island and saw those gargantuan lizards!  I wouldn’t want to meet up with one on a dark night!!

 December, 2007 a Christmas cruise on Regent’s “Navigator” was to the Western Caribbean, with a slightly different itinerary including Belize, Guatemala, and the Eastern ‘Riviera’ of Mexico.  Snorkeling was wonderful, as were the spectacular ‘ruins’ at some of our stops.  Comfort and service aboard ship was delightful making it hard to leave! 

May, 2006 found me winging my way to Tokyo, Japan, for a pleasant two day stay, enjoying the excitement and shopping in the ‘Ginza’.  Then I boarded the Silver Shadow for a most interesting and different trip through the Northern Japanese islands.  Remember when Sapporo was the site of the Winter Olympics a few years back?  Onward through the far east Russian peninsula of Kamchatka and the western Aleutians.  I never realized how important this area was to our safety and security during WW II.  And how remote and isolated it still is!  We did encounter a pretty good storm at the eastern end and found out what good sailors we all were!  Trust me, few people missed the Bar or restaurant even with 30 foot seas and 60 MPH winds!!  Calm conditions returned into Homer and Anchorage and then smooth sailing through all the beautiful fjords and glaciers between Anchorage and Vancouver.  Besides the beauty of the area, the historical significance of Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka are fascinating.

Arrival into Vancouver is a special disembarkation, as this is a beautiful city with much to offer for everyone.  A trip to Vancouver Island and Victoria can be easily made to see the spectacular Buchart Gardens, the resident Orca whales and many other people attractions.

 April, 2006, I took a Viking river cruise from Basel, Switzerland to Antwerp, Belgium.

The cabins on the lovely Viking Sun are beautifully configured with room for two people very comfortably.  The bathroom is smallish, but does have a separate stall shower.  This itinerary touches on a bit of France, quite a bit of ‘storybook’ Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.  River cruises for the most part dock right in the city center, so all the sights are usually comfortably within walking distance.  This is definitely a pleasant, easy way to travel to specific locations.

In May of 2005, I spent a week at 3 deluxe lodges in the Southern part of Alaska.  These lodges, while rustic, are deluxe in every way, complete with spas, massage service available and ‘gourmet’ food, one even with an authentic French Chef!!   While enjoying the beauty of this magnificent area, one can partake of and participate in all levels of outdoor activities, from hiking, fishing, and bird watching, bear watching, whale watching!

I thoroughly recommend this as an independent vacation or a pre or post cruise extension!  There is nothing quite as exhilarating as catching a 35lb King Salmon!!  (See Attached photo!)  Eating it and all the other hyper-fresh seafood in Alaska is a joy onto itself!

In October 2005, I was privileged to enjoy a private Jet trip to the “Lost Cities of the World”.  As you know, these trips are ultra-expensive, but having said that, they are worth every penny!!  Not only is every detail accounted for and covered with the greatest degree of efficiency, but there are many ‘extras’ that one would not even think of!  The destinations were exciting, educational, and satisfying, with beautiful accommodations throughout.  This type of trip is physically demanding and quite tiring, plus the addition of major time changes; however, this is offset, by having your own airplane and the ease of arrival and departure in each airport.  I thoroughly recommend this to sophisticated travelers who are looking for the epitome of experience!

 On March 23, 2004, we flew from Miami to Dubai, UAE, and spent 4 luxurious days at the famous Burj Al Arab, the world’s only 7 Star hotel!  During our stay, we had the unique pleasure to attend the Dubai World Cup Horse Races, comparable to the Kentucky Derby and/or the Breeder’s Cup Races in the Fall.  All in all a wonderful experience!

 Next we flew to South Africa and spent 4 days at one of the many luxury game parks all around southern Africa.  We ‘did’ game drives twice per day and had many fabulous experiences while searching for and finding the ‘big 5’!  Each evening brought a different, unusual event for cocktails and dinner.  Afternoons were spent enjoying our own private ‘plunge pool’!  Can one ask for more?!!

 Next was 4 days at the lovely Relais & Chateau Property, the Cellars-Hohenort in Constancia, a suburb of Capetown.  This is located in the famous wine region of South Africa.  Tours are available to the wineries and also to all the sights in and around Capetown.

 After this, we needed a rest, which we surely enjoyed on the last segment of the World Cruise on Crystal Cruise Lines’ new Crystal Serenity, which sailed from Capetown to Ft. Lauderdale and then on to New York.  The ship is beautiful and the service, food, entertainment, lectures are all superb.  This whole trip was a delightful experience, full of a variety of very special arrangements, surprises and events