Catherine's Story
As a child, my parents took us every chance they had on family vacations into the mountains, beaches, and deserts where we would scout for Native American artifacts. These adventures lead to a lifelong passion for travel, exploring nature and learning about local history and indigenous peoples.
I’m a third-generation California native and have been in the tourism and travel business since my teen years. The love of travel is in my DNA, and it is the reason why I’d treat planning your trip as if it were my own.
Early in my career, I served the travel agency community in Southern California as a sales and marketing executive for four major cruise lines. In that role, I developed a deep love of traveling by ship, especially to Alaska.
Today, I serve my travel agency’s discerning clients and take pleasure in planning unique customized vacations for them. In addition to earning the Certified Travel Consultant (CTC) designation, I was also fortunate to live in London and graduate from the University of Westminster with a Master of Arts degree in Tourism Management.
While living in London, I was invited to Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and had dinner and a concert in the gardens with the royal family. From inside the gates at the palace, I looked out at the crowds looking in at us, while the Blue Angels and a Concorde plane flew over the Mall and the palace. Gives me goose bumps reminiscing about that trip.
On another trip, I met the love of my life, an Englishman who became my pen pal before becoming my husband, inside the Delta terminal at LAX. It’s a fun story, and if you’d like, I can share other travel tales for you: taking in the sunset on an African veldt, gazing out of my hotel room in Paris at the twinkling Eiffel Tower, landing on top of a glacier from a helicopter ride in Alaska, and experiencing the wild and ragged natural beauty at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur.
My husband and I occasionally visit our home in Wales, U.K., to maintain our connection there. As a British Isles specialist, I look forward to arranging special experiences for you, such as the “Ceremony of the Keys,” to witness this ritual (unchanged for the last 700 years), by which the Tower of London is locked up. Perhaps you’d like to visit the countryside and places like the preserved village of Lacock or time your ride on the London Eye to view the Changing of the Guard from a bird’s eye view.
As for rail vacations, I’ve been on and can recommend the Orient Express, the British Pullmans, and Alaska trains. Since I love “slow travel,” I’ve also been on the famed Coast Starlight as well as across the country via Amtrak.
My travel experiences, tourism background, plus worldwide connections add up to the toolbox I use towards creating your dream vacation. Personalized service as well as my responsibilities as your Travel Consultant are things I value and take to heart. Whether you fancy a river cruise, escorted tour, rail journey or customized itinerary, I am at your service and look forward to working with you!
