Almquist Travel Design

02/05/2024

Beautiful sunsets in Beloze

18/03/2024

Some views never get old. Mt. Rainer in all her glory made a beautiful appearance today 🏔️

28/02/2024

This is a fabulous cruise itinerary if sunshine is calling your name! Sailing dates into the fall with limited cabins. This is a perfect Holiday trip!

24/02/2024

St. Helena in the Napa Valley is the perfect long weekend getaway! Between the wineries, the food and the gorgeous hotels it’s perfect. I love it here.

24/01/2024

Azamara is a boutique luxury cruise line for the distinguished traveler. These ships are able to go into smaller ports and have overnight and immersive cultural experiences. I can’t wait to sail with this line.

Sundays by the pool deck - Soak in the sun and enjoy the ocean breeze ☀️

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas to all my past, current and future clients. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with joy and happiness.

26/11/2023

Black Friday sales continue! So many sales on cruises all over the world. If your considering Alaska this summer or even a family cruise to somewhere warm this winter .. the promotions are enticing. Wrap up a trip for the family under the tree this year. 🎄

Anyone looking for last minute gifts for Christmas...

23/11/2023

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so very thankful for each of my clients who have entrusted me to plan their wonderful adventures. It brings me great joy to do so. I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday filled with family and friends gathered round.

24/10/2023

Whose ready for a Ski Adventure? The ultimate alpine escape is waiting for you in the heart of the Rockies. From cozy accommodations to unforgettable winter adventures, serene spa experiences, and exceptional dining, The Hythe is a mountain home like no other.

06/10/2023

This week I had the privilege of meeting with the owner of this company. I was simply blown away by the experiences we could provide to our clients. If Scotland is on your list we can take you from being a tourist to being a traveler with this vendors experiences available to you. A tourist gets to see the hot spots and don’t get me wrong .. it’s wonderful. However, a traveler immerses oneself into the culture of their destination which lends itself to experiences that change them. As usual I’m very excited when I get the opportunity to continue learning the options I have for my clients.

Check it out!   Irish Royalty   Experience Overview Imagine having a chat over lunch with the Earl of Rosse or stopping off to have a glass of whiskey with the descendants of John Jameson, the founde

04/09/2023

Celebrating in Cabo this week

25/08/2023

And just like that we are celebrating a wonderful retirement in wine country. Let the traveling begin as we start this new adventure in our lives. I am so proud of you!

22/08/2023

It's a busy start to a very exciting week. I am working on a family trip to Hawaii, sending clients to Greece in September and starting a multi generational Italy trip for next fall which I will be joining in. The end of the week we head to wine country to enjoy a mini vacation with special friends and to celebrate a huge milestone in our lives.

21/08/2023

We have lots of new followers so I thought I would introduce myself again. My name is Tonya and I have had a love of travel all of my life. I find great joy in all of it.. the researching, planning, anticipation and finally the trip. My husband and I have a love for Europe especially Italy and he is my number one support. I love the Pacific NW and enjoy all the wonderful seasons here. We love cooking and wine and i believe vacations should be culturally immersive. I find so much joy in learning from others and broadening my own perspectives. I look forward to all the adventures we will plan together.

18/08/2023

It is 90+ degrees over here in the Pacific Nw and we are melting. Kids are about to head back to school and it's time to start thinking about winter travel. Want to take a holiday cruise... it's time to book, ... want a Tropical winter vacation... Let's chat. We are all so happy with these days of sunshine, but the rain is coming. Let's make plans for those months ahead of time to provide best price, location and I take the stress planning and organizing away.

04/08/2023

Same

Mentally, we’re here. https://trib.al/QOtPBcd

28/07/2023

Hooray for my one-year anniversary. Never did I imagine that I would get to make my passion for travel my full-time career. I have had the best year making dreams come true for so many wonderful clients. I am humbled by my partnership with an amazing team and agency. Thank you for choosing me to plan your amazing vacations. I smile everyday knowing my clients are enjoying themselves all over the world and that I took away the stress and headaches that planning can often create. I can't wait to see where I will get to send all of you this year. ✈️⛱🏜🏝🏰

12/07/2023

Another agent shared the information below.
This is one of the many reasons why we don’t offer bookings with air bnb . We can’t guarantee the quality and this just sounds like a nightmare that I would never want for my clients. I take the safety and care of those who choose to book with me very seriously as does my whole team.
Be safe out there.

I am urging everyone to avoid using an [Airbnb] at all costs and am looking for advice from anyone who has experienced anything similar. Everyone says it’s great, until something goes wrong and they abandon you, which is what happened to us.

On Friday, June 23, on our final day in an Airbnb, just outside Siracusa, Italy, our locked house was broken into and robbed while we were on or around the property. All of our cash and valuables were stolen in broad daylight! We believe we were targeted and watched for days because they knew exactly where we had our belongings.

When we got to the police station (who by the way, failed to answer their equivalent 911 phone number FIVE TIMES), the owner of the house came and met us. He admitted that THE HOUSE HAD BEEN ROBBED BEFORE!! He never told us, didn’t include that in the Airbnb listing and didn’t have any safety precautions in place; no cameras, no secure door or window locks, no safe!

Airbnb has been awful about the entire incident. I informed them immediately and they said to send a police report once I had it and they would help us. Hours later, we messaged them and told them we didn’t feel safe. They called right away and said they would find us a hotel. Ten minutes later, they called back and said they couldn’t find a hotel for us in their system, but we should go ahead and find one ourselves. It was midnight on a Friday night in a rural area of Sicily. Did they think I could find a Comfort Inn? We were already traumatized by the break in and now shocked by airbnbs treatment. We called a NYC travel agent to help us and he thankfully found us a hotel 15 minutes away. We checked in at 1:30am.

-Airbnb has refused to pay for the full amount of that one night hotel stay.

-They have deleted off their platform ALL the messages and interaction I had with them for the first week after the theft. I demanded that they email me the transcripts and they told me to get a court order or subpoena.

-They have given me a full refund for the week’s stay in the house.

-The house is still available to rent on the site and appears fully booked until mid September.

Last night, I received an email offering $500 as a “Goodwill Payment”. I have emailed top management at Airbnb stating that this was unacceptable. Will they reply?

I know many of you often use Airbnbs, but after reading countless horror stories online, I urge you all to rethink any upcoming stays you may have. Airbnb is listed as a software company. They ultimately don’t care about you, the guest.

We are considering suing the homeowner in Italy, but have no idea how to go about doing that. If anyone has any advice or tips to offer, I will gladly accept them.

Thank you.

11/07/2023

Where in the world have you always said “ I really want to travel there “ but haven’t made it yet?

06/07/2023

https://youtu.be/3S2Pee9r78M

If you are looking for the ultimate honeymoon or romantic getaway, I've got you. Serenity is not only amazing but offering incredible sales for travel. 65% off next summer with $1200 in bonus inclusions. Message me for details on how to make this your next holiday.

Nestled on the exotic shores of Saint Lucia, the couples-only Serenity at Coconut Bay Resort and Spa redefines Caribbean luxury with world-class butler servi...

23/06/2023

Let’s go !!

19/06/2023

Are you dreaming of a trip that needs to be curated by a professional? I've got ya.

19/06/2023

Are you dreaming of a trip that needs to be curated by a professional? I've got you covered.

30/05/2023

A perfect example of what myself and other team members bring to the table. I was very overwhelmed with my schedule and knew that Michael would knock this out of the park. He had the time and knowledge to do so within 24 hrs of the client contacting me. I am so thankful to be a part of this group and epic network.

Later today I have a client leaving for a trip to Iceland and the story of how this trip came together is a great example of the value an EXCELLENT travel agent adds to your vacation experience.

Two weeks ago this client was referred to me by a friend and fellow travel agent. The client wanted a last minute trip to Iceland (departing today) and was feeling overwhelmed because they needed to get this trip booked and didn’t have the time to research everything and make the trip happen.

So, after talking with the client for about 35 minutes on the phone, I explained my process to them and what the fees would be to book the trip. Understanding that we were in a time crunch, I immediately got to work brushing up on my knowledge of Iceland to I could understand the geography, unique circumstances of Icelandic travel, and anything else of note I would need to pass on to the client.

Within 12 hours I was able to create an itinerary with flights, hotels, and suggested tours and activities. Within 36 hours, I had all the minor adjustments to the itinerary worked out to the clients satisfaction and the entire trip booked. In less than a week from initial contact I was able to send the final e-mail with confirmations of early check-in at the hotel and pick up times and locations with all of the tour operators on this trip.

There are a couple different points that illustrate the value an excellent travel agent has.

First, I am part of the Travel Edge Network of travel agents— the largest privately owned luxury travel agency in North America. Within that network, I am also a part of a team of 7 agents from across the US and Canada who collectively work together sharing our unique talents, interests, and specialties to provide the absolute best experience for our clients possible. This is how I was able to get the referral for this client. The referring agent had a lot going on with their client list and wasn’t 100% comfortable with booking a trip of this type. They know that the trip the client was looking for was something I enjoy and am good at organizing. So, together, we were able to create an unforgettable experience for a client that had never used a travel agent before.

Second, I was able to use my knowledge, skills, and all the tools at my disposal to confidently organize a 5 day trip that my client was very happy with in about 12 hours time. My skills were able to alleviate all the stress of making this trip happen so the client could focus on the excitement of there upcoming adventure.

Lastly, I was able to access exclusive lists of contact information for each of the vendors on this trip to communicate the clients travel needs and confirm every detail of the trip saving the client an inordinate amount of time. I was able to present the client with all the final details of their trip in one convenient e-mail giving them confidence and piece of mind.

30/05/2023

It's been a minute since I have been on here. Some exciting things are happening for my clients. I have clients embarking to Europe and Alaska in the upcoming month. It has been so much fun to plan this with them and I can't wait to see pictures of their adventure. In the fall I have clients going to Germany and of course I am still working on my Family Reunion. Honestly at this point I want to jump on board with this fun family. There is still time for that summer adventure, (if you haven't planned one already) but now is the time to think about your fall and holiday travels. Planning ahead gives you valuable options to create the perfect trip. Thank you for choosing to trust me with your travels. It brings me great joy to not only plan your vacation but to also see the happiness it brings to your life.

14/05/2023

Love getting vacation pics from my clients. A beautiful Mother’s Day walk in Maui 🌸