Some of you ask about me and Bob, as well as the rest of our team, so this week I thought I’d offer a fun look at the team members you interface the most with.  Hopefully this makes us a little bit less anonymous when we’re communicating with you by phone or email.  

We tried to make this fun… so here goes:

Kim

• Favorite Travel Destination:  There are so many…!  So I have decided on where I would like to go back to and stay for an extended period of time:  Florence, Italy.  A romantic city, capital of the Tuscany Region known for its food, WINE and culture.
• Favorite Cruise Destination:  Mekong River – Vietnam and Cambodia.
• Best place for a City Stay:  Edinburgh, Scotland.  Medieval and historic, new meets old, great pubs, vibrant nightlife, more trees than people and of course the stunning Edinburgh Castle.
• Best travel experience:  Taking 120 of my favorite clients to dinner at Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin. This church is almost 1000 years old and absolutely stunning. We started the evening off in the crypt where we were served appetizers and bubbly. Followed by an incredible dinner while listening to the church choir sing tunes from the 60, 70 and 80’s.
• Favorite Food:  Oysters- I once won an eating/shucking contest.  I ate, the Chef shucked. I won’t tell you how many I ate – just know it was a lot!
• Favorite Movie:  The NoteBook.
• If I were a FRIENDS character:  Monica – she was a Chef, which I aspire to be and a little OCD which I tend to be sometimes.
• Best TV show of all time:  Seinfeld… but if I am being totally honest The Bachelor or Bachelorette 🙂
• Vacation disaster story:  The two that never happened because of COVID – Malta and Marrakech.  
• Best Travel Tip:  Good walking shoes especially in Europe. My favorite brands are: For casual:  FitFlops (good and sturdy and very comfortable).  For running shoes – a new favorite find, Dr. Scholls White fashion sneakers. For Strappy Sandals – Teva. 

Peri

• Favorite Travel Destination: My bed. Is this allowed? LOL.  California, the weather is always gorgeous!
• Best place for a City Stay:  New York City! All the good stuff is usually within walking distance and the food is so unbelievably good.
• Travel Challenge:  Took a road trip to Banff, Alberta and our car ended up breaking down on the way in a remote area. It was eventually fixed and we were able to return safely!
• Favorite drink at Starbucks:  Caramel Ribbon Crunch!
• Favorite Movie:  Big Hero 6! I am a sucker for animated movies.
• Best TV show of all time:  Lucifer!
• Vacation disaster story:  I recently traveled to Miami and lost my rental car keys in the Ocean!  Not sure how that happened but a very expensive lesson learned.
• Best Travel Tip:  Travel light if possible, there may be lots of stuff you want to bring home!  Also makes getting through the Airport easier.
• Favourite foreign food:  Chimichangas! I could eat these for the rest of my life!
• Something about you that might surprise others:  I am a huge video game enthusiast. 
• What you’re reading right now:  1984 by George Orwell.
• A guilty pleasure:  Watching old cartoons from when I grew up, like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Looney Tunes, or Tom & Jerry!
• Top destination on your travel list:  Japan!!  I absolutely love the culture and can’t wait to see some of those beautiful Cherry Blossom trees!

Bob

• Favorite Destination:  Zanzibar – a crossroads of culture for Asians, Africans and Europeans. 
• Best Cruise Destination: Croatia – as spectacular as Greece & Turkey, with fewer ships and crowds. 
• Best City Stay:  San Miguel de Allende – this small city in Mexico is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a great place to wander around for a few days. 
• Travel Story:  I met the Prime Minister of Poland (and had a brief chat) in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo several years ago.
• Favorite Movie:  Dead Poets’ Society.  Robin Williams was a genius.
• If I were a FRIENDS character:  People would see me as Chandler (because I’m a smart-ass), but I’m actually more Ross (because I’m a geek).
• Best TV show:  MASH.  Maybe Seinfeld.
• Travel Disaster Story:  I slept on a dock in Western Australia.  Got there too late to find a hotel room.  I was young and stupid, so it was all part of the adventure.

Sue

• Favorite drink at Starbucks:  190 degree skinny vanilla latte with an extra shot.  I like my coffee strong and really hot, and 190 degrees is as hot as they will make it.  
• Best Travel Tip: – Always try out the Metro.  It’s a great way to orient yourself to a new city and often requires you to figure out the currency at the same time.  I like doing this because it gives me a feel for what it’s like to be a local in the destination.
• Something about you that might surprise others: I’m 79 years old.  (Just kidding, I’m not 79.  But I like to tell people that, so they think I look young for my age).
• Best Party Trick:  This isn’t really a party trick, but if you smear your blood on a slide and give me a microscope, I can tell if you have malaria or if you’re iron deficient, and I can also accurately estimate the number of platelets you have.  I used to be a Hematology Medical Laboratory Technologist.
• A guilty pleasure:  Naps!  Not that I get to indulge very often. 
• Top two destinations on my travel bucket list: Rwanda (to visit the Mountain Gorillas). Northwest Passage on a small expedition ship (because I want to get there before it’s overrun with tourists).
• My claim to fame:  I survived having a 3-year-old toddler son, and a 15-year-old teenage daughter… at the SAME time.  That was many years ago, and I’m almost over it. 

Today’s Travel Opportunities

UNIWORLD

Uniworld is to river cruising what boutique hotels are on land.  Each of their ships is custom designed and decorated to reflect the area it operates in.  Visit our YouTube channel for a “walk through” of their vessels in France and Italy. 

Save 10% on select 2025 departures.  Here’s some examples:

Venice round-trip for 8-days

• If you want to visit Northern Italy, this is a much better option than taking a hotel in Venice for a few days.  You get to see Venice, as well as the less frequented areas around this iconic city.
• Visit Venice (several locations), Chioggia, Bologna, Mazzorbo, and Burano.
• See our itinerary video from when we did this cruise:  https://youtu.be/QRIHi6SED6g?si=rw6oZkiaCg6iMqdG
• Prices from $3599 in July & August 2025 — LESS 10%

Douro River in Portugal for 8-days.  Round-trip Porto

• Experience the Moorish influence in this part of Europe, take in the Roman Ruins, visit the vineyards, and see medieval castles and cathedrals.
• July & August departures from $4899 LESS 10%.

Paris to Normandy & Provence for 15-days. (Paris to Marseilles)

• This is actually back to back river cruises with transfers in between.  A great way to see more of France, but you only have to endure one long flight!
• Visit Arles, Avignon, Viviers, Tournon, Lyon, Beaune.  Then transfer by high speed train to Paris, and visit La Roche Guyon, Vernon, Giverny (Monet’s Gardens), Rouen, Cauxdebec-en-Caux, Normandy Beaches, Versailles, and then back to Paris. 
• June, July, & August departures from $8999 LESS 10%

Tauck Domestic Land Tours

You’ve been asking for more domestic options… here’s a few:

Explore the Southeast:  Savannah, Hilton Head & Charleston

• Visit Savannah, the Coastal Low Country, Fort Pulaski, Hilton Head, Beaufort, Charleston
• Tauck Exclusives:  Filmed narratives from Ken Burns, Davenport House Museum, Tour the Sea Islands off Beaufort.  Visit historic plantations and gardens. 
• Departures in September & October for 8-days from $4890

American History Tour: Philadelphia to Washington DC

• Visit Philadelphia, Amish Country, Gettysburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Washington, 
• Tauck Exclusives: Filmed narratives from Ken Burns, early admission to the National Archives, Private tour of the Museum of the American Revolution, private tour of Virginia State Capitol Building.  See Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Mt. Vernon, Monticello, Gettysburg, walk the National Mall. 
• Departures in September & October for 11-days from $5790

Family Tour of Cowboy Country

• Visit Jackson WY, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP.
• Take the grand-kids and enjoy these Tauck exclusives:  Wyoming Ranch experience with horseback riding and roping demonstration, the Buffalo Bill Center, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Snake River Raft trip, Mormon Row historical district
• Departures in June, July & August for 8-days from $4990

AZAMARA Small-Ship Journeys

Azamara’s ships hold just 680 guests… a great way to experience cruising with some really interesting ports of call.  

Hawaii and Tahiti departing San Diego for 18-days on January 6, 2025

• Normally we don’t see these cruises outside repositioning season.  
• Visit San Diego, Hilo, Lahaina, Honolulu, Nawiliwili, Bora Bora, Moorea, Papeete (overnight).  Finish in Tahiti
• Fares from $6050 per person

Japan Intensive Voyage departing Tokyo for 15-nights on May 3, 2025

• Visit Tokyo, Hokodate, Otaru, Aomori, Niigata, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato, Busan, Nagasaki, Kitakyushu, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Kobe (overnight),
• Fares from $4770 per person

Have something to say about this?

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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here or call 800-876-0168 to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley