From Familiar Favorites to New Loves: A Year in Travel
Hi Y’all,
As we head into 2026, I’ve been spending some time reflecting on what an incredible year 2025 was. It was our strongest year yet, and that’s entirely because of the trust and support of our clients. I’m truly thankful to each of you who turned to me to help plan your travels, whether it was a long-anticipated trip, a special celebration, or a quick escape. I don’t take that trust lightly, and I appreciate every one of you!
Personally, 2025 was a great travel year for me! I returned to some of my favorite destinations and explored several new-to-me places. (Many of which are now favorites.) Every trip I take helps me better serve you, whether that means getting to know a destination more deeply, experiencing a ship firsthand, or strengthening relationships with trusted partners around the world.
I started the year in New Orleans, where I toured the beautiful Explora II, a ship that I’ve now booked several clients on. It’s a great cruise line, especially if you are looking for a smaller ship that’s fresh and refined, but not stuffy.
I’ve been to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico many times, but I’ve never had an opportunity to stay in a hotel there. In February, I got to do just that. One of our Virtuoso suppliers invited me on a FAM trip to check out their property in San Miguel. (FAM stands for “familiarization.” Our suppliers offer these to us so that we can experience destinations and properties firsthand. It’s also a great way to see how our suppliers take care of our clients when you are traveling.) Mexico is one of my favorite places, and it was great to become familiar with some new suppliers. (I used one just today to help plan a fabulous trip to Mexico City for one of my clients.)
I loved meeting with partners, established and new at the Global Travel Marketplace.
In March, Meg and I traveled to France for the Gifted Travel Network (our host agency) symposium aboard an Avalon chartered river cruise. It was a great symposium, and an opportunity to check out a river cruise line that I hadn’t sailed on prior to that. (I thought it was terrific. Their excursions were some of the best I’ve ever been on.)
I stayed in France for a few days after the symposium. Deluxe France is one of our favorite suppliers, and they treated four other advisors and me to an absolutely fabulous FAM throughout Provence. It was a great opportunity to experience an area in the same way you do when we use one of our terrific international partners to provide luxury travel for you. I celebrated my birthday in April aboard the Celebrity Beyond, where I stayed in The Retreat for the first time even though I book it regularly. Now I know why y’all love it! The ship-within-a-ship concept is a great way to experience luxury sailing while still having access to everything a larger ship offers.
In May, I visited Sea Island on a FAM provided by one of our rep companies. Sea Island is a wonderful domestic destination that’s easy to reach for most of my clients, and it really delivers a special experience. I also went back to Mexico in May and attended a trade show at the stunning Edition Riviera Maya, where I spent time learning more about hotel options that the Marriott group offers throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
I got to practice my (very poor) Spanish even more in June. I traveled through Catalonia, Spain on the “Tasty Catalonia” program, with a delicious focus on food and wine, and then my husband Gene and I enjoyed a rewards trip to Belize, thanks to one of our trusted supplier partners.
Also over the summer, I attended Global Travel Marketplace in Ft. Lauderdale for the first time. It was a great trade show where I connected with new suppliers and caught up with longtime partners. I even stayed over a few days after to check out some options for you when you are sailing in or out of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami.
In September, Meg came to Florida! She and I had a terrific “business meeting” as we drove to the GTN conference at the Conrad in Orlando. (It was my very first time to go to Epcot! The last time I was at Disney World was the summer after it opened.) Meg and I both felt like this year’s conference was the best one yet. It’s so wonderful to be with the GTN community, and we get to really spend quality time with some of our favorite partners because they are there just for us.
Warm welcome to Costa Rica from our friends at Namu Travel.
October was especially busy and inspiring. I attended ILTM North America in the Bahamas, one of the top luxury travel shows, and had the chance to meet many new suppliers from around the world. (I’ve already used several of them to plan fabulous trips for you!) I then traveled to Costa Rica on a FAM with Namu Travel, one of my favorite partners, spending time both in the jungle and at the beach. Costa Rica continues to be one of my most popular destinations with clients. Later that month, I sailed on a Riviera River Cruise FAM roundtrip from Budapest. Riviera is trying to become more established in the North American market, and it’s a great cruise line for solo travelers.They offer over 75 itineraries each year just for people traveling solo.
Budapest was magical at Christmas!
In November, Gene and I returned to Budapest and spent a few days enjoying the city before my next river cruise. It was his first time in Hungary, so it was great to be able to show him the beautiful city. Before going, I used one of our suppliers to set up a photo shoot. This is something that we love helping clients do around the world. It’s a great way to preserve those memories. (The photo accompanying this message is from that shoot.)
December wrapped up the year beautifully with an AmaWaterways Christmas Market Cruise, where I hosted a group of 29 traveling from Budapest to Nuremberg. After the cruise, several of us continued on to Prague for the post-cruise extension. It was my first visit to Prague, and it quickly became one of my favorite cities. It felt like the perfect way to end the year with AmaWaterways. Y’all know that I love Ama and continue to send clients on there year after year.
All in all, I visited 16 countries in 2025, and each trip brought back new ideas, fresh inspiration, and insights that directly benefit the trips I plan for you.
The new year is already off to a great start. In just a few days, Gene and I are going to the Galápagos Islands! He visited there before we met and has talked about it almost daily since I’ve known him. It’s truly his favorite place on earth. I was so excited to win this trip so that he gets to go back, and I get to experience it for the first time. There are so many different types of cruise lines that sail to the Galapagos. I’ve been booking it a lot lately, and I have yet to put any two clients on the same cruise line. We are lucky that as GTN advisors, we have such special relationships with our partners. It makes it easy to know which suppliers are the right fit for which clients. (We are traveling with Ecoventura on a luxury yacht with just ten cabins.)
In February, of course I’ll be in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I’ll get to experience my favorite day of the year, Mardi Gras Friday, in the French Quarter! I’m also planning to get in some cocktails or meals with some of my valued New Orleans clients. I really appreciate how so many of you have continued to allow me to help you with travel even though I’m not there every day.
This year’s birthday celebration will be in Portugal on a Collette FAM. In June, Gene and I are going to sail the Mediterranean with Silversea. (I won this trip too. I’m really lucky when they pull for door prizes.) I haven’t sailed on Silversea before, but I’m really looking forward to it (and to all the caviar).
September will be a busy month for Meg and me. We’ll travel to Tulum, Mexico for this year’s GTN conference, and then she and i are going to host group trips to Italy and Scotland through Collette. (There is still some space available if you’re interested in either of these destinations.) Instead of flying home, I’m going to experience my first transatlantic sailing from Barcelona aboard the new Celebrity Xcel, again in the Retreat. I can’t imagine that this won’t be one of my favorite cruises ever! I love sea days! (I see a lot of mah jong at sea being played in my future.)
Thank you again for such a remarkable year. Your trust, referrals, and continued support are what made 2025 my strongest year ever, and I’m so grateful. I can’t wait to help you plan many more memorable journeys in 2026 and beyond. Even when I’m traveling, you are always on my mind, and my laptop is never far away.
Warm wishes for a happy and travel-filled new year!
Cheers!
