Our friends at Getaway Vacations, Debbie and Dan, are proof that it's almost invariably a smart idea to utilize a competent, knowledgeable and conscientious travel agent when planning a vacation.
My wife and I had batted around a few lame ideas for a tenth anniversary foray away, and the aggregate costs we kept coming up with were daunting. We're no experts at travel logistics, either.
Dan, my Masonic brother, took sympathy with my plight one night at Lodge when I told him of my travails. He asked a few typical questions ("What would be your ideal vacation? What's on your bucket list?", etc.), and told me his wife, Debbie, might be able to help. That night, just for fun, the two of them sketched out a potential winner for us - a 13 day Mediterranean cruise to the usual ports: Barcelona, Cannes, Florence, Rome, Athens and a few other islands. He emailed me the deal they'd found - much more affordable than I had ever imagined such a trip-of-a-lifetime would be.
One stop on my bucket list was Venice, which that cruise would not be stopping at - but the same ship on the voyage right before that one was stopping at. Debbie took the time to research the logistics of that sailing (turns out it would have cost substantially more). I really appreciated their willingness to go the extra mile.
As the trip approached, Debbie took care of most of the arrangements for connections and travel, even solving issues we didn't know we'd have. When we had practical questions having nothing to do with travel agency, both Dan and Debbie took the time to orient us so we'd have the "experience of your life". (It was cute to hear them debate each other over the best excursions and sights to see at each port.) A few hiccups arose the week we were to depart, but Debbie was on top of each concern, again going the extra mile.
Suffice to say we both had a tenth anniversary trip of a lifetime, thanks to Dan and Debbie and Gateway Vacations! If you're a Freemason, mention it - Dan puts real teeth into the phrase "Travelling Man" - but don't expect any better treatment. Everyone is special to them both, and you'll have a fabulous experience regardless!