Vana's Story
In my 16 years with TravelStore, I have honed my skills planning detailed, customized itineraries. Many of these are to Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. And I can also arrange travel to virtually all countries on the planet.
Italy is a particular specialty of mine, as it will always be my adopted home. I even hold dual citizenship. I passed this fascination on to my daughter, who ended up spending nine years in the center of Piemonte, working in the wine industry.
France and Spain are old friends. I am registered with each country’s tourism office as a professional on travel to these destinations. Add Greece and Turkey, and I have covered the Mediterranean. (And I must not leave out my northern favorites, like the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scandinavia.)
Having ventured further afield over the years, I now plan itineraries for South America and Southeast Asia as well as the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and Vietnam.
Recently, I have added Africa to my list of specialties. I’m working my way through as many countries as I can. Safari, anyone? Gorillas? Wine-tasting? History?
Closer to home, my deep roots in New England and New York are a desirable bonus. Many are asking for domestic travel these days: welcome to the New England Coast or a few days in the Big Apple.
I am constantly looking for new destinations and specialties that would be attractive to you. Because I am personally interested in food and wine (I cook a lot!), I have now added culinary experiences to my repertoire. How about cooking lessons, market tours, olive oil tasting, or winery visits? Or even a cruise with a unique food or wine theme?
Travel comes naturally to me. As a child, I crawled over the world map looking for Paris. At age six, I knew it had to be a fabulous place, wherever it was. It took me a while to get there, even after I found out it was in France.
As I grew up, I grabbed any travel opportunities that came my way: the class trip to Spain; the visit to friends in the Middle East; and the research project in Italy. I finally got to Paris when I was 23. It was just as extraordinary as I had imagined.
Over the years, I journeyed from coast to coast and back again, raising two traveling children along the way. I learned Italian and studied Spanish and French, art history, and literature. I worked for the Italian press and completed my master’s degree in medieval history.
It’s all about passion. When I am planning a trip, I always feel I am creating my own next big adventure. It is that personal. And so is my relationship with you, the traveler. Knowing you come back happy with tales to tell is a great satisfaction for me.
If you can dream it up, I can plan it for you. (Or I can even dream it up for you!) Call me. I love to chat about travel!
