Elán

03/02/2025

Personally, we’re members of the Carry On Baggage Club….

“Usually the worst-case scenario of not having everything is really not as catastrophic as it feels.”

03/02/2025

Delayed repeatedly, it now appears that the Real ID requirement for domestic air travel will actually go into effect on May 7, 2025. This means that you will need a Real ID-compliant state ID or a passport to fly within the United States. https://www.dhs.gov/real-id.

If you’ve been skating by with your old noncompliant ID, now’s the time to fix that situation.

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31/01/2025

Lap dogs come in many sizes.

31/01/2025

Another of our great friends and professional colleagues has been recognized for professional excellence. Nicola owns Noteworthy, our trusted local partner in London, where we often turn for a hand in planning travel to Great Britain for our most discerning clients. Congratulations, Nic!

30/01/2025

Sophie, the Official Dog of Elán, has arrived….

27/01/2025

Congratulations to Andrea and her incredible team at IC Bellagio!

We’ve worked with Andrea for years (decades, actually), a relationship built on friendship and trust in the fact that she will always provide incomparable experiences for our clients traveling to Italy.

Congratulazioni!

We are beyond thrilled to share that Andrea Grisdale has been once agan recognized on the prestigious 2025 WOW List as one of the top 102 local travel fixers worldwide!
Being included in this list is no small feat-it is a testament to Andrea’s unwavering passion, dedication, and exceptional ability to craft truly unforgettable experiences in Italy.
Andrea and the entire IC Bellagio team are deeply honored to be part of such an elite group of travel professionals who continue to redefine extraordinary travel. A heartfelt thank you to all our travelers who trust us with their Italian dreams and share their incredible feedback-it is because of you that this recognition is possible.📣🇮🇹✨❤️

26/01/2025

At Elán we monitor airline alerts, travel restrictions, State Department alerts, and other sources of information to keep our clients’ travel experiences uneventful. We now also have the ability to monitor flight conditions in the continental USA in real time. Informative. Plus, it looks cool.

20/01/2025

With 2025 upon us we are about to embark on another whirlwind year of travel. Our first trip, to San Diego, will be to attend a very special family celebration for the grandson of dear friends who are also revered in the travel industry.

Shortly after that Victoria will be on to Japan for a Marriott Luxury Brands board meeting, returning to the States to swap bags for our upcoming visit to India.

We just received a wonderful gift—a book focused on Tiffin cuisine—from our friends at Micato Safaris, who are handling our travel arrangements within India. This thoughtful gift is a reminder of why we often turn to Micato for our clients’ travels to Africa and India; their attention to detail is unrivaled.

Join us at https://www.elantravel.net/travel-beyond to follow our travels, recommendations, and tips.

Information and advice from the leading voices in luxury travel.

17/01/2025

Celebrating 5 Years of Elán - Thank You! -

Elán is Five Years Old… We began this journey in January of 2020, when Victoria decided to leave Corporate America to form Elán. She dragged Mike, kicking and screaming, out of his retirement from the USDOJ and amazingly we found ourselves in the black within weeks of opening shop. That was not ...

03/01/2025

We’ve just returned from La Crosse, Wisconsin after picking up Sophie from finishing school, where she spent the last month. What an incredible transformation for The Official Dog of Elán.

Rick and Joane Pederson took on a slightly naughty (though always angelic) Sophie and returned a pup with amazing manners and obedience skills. In just one month Sophie passed three key AKC tests for obedience and behavior, a nearly unheard of accomplishment.

Rick has told us that Sophie is in the top .1% of the dogs he’s trained and he is so confident in her abilities that he is moving her on to Service Dog training when she returns in March.

Our little superstar. 🌟

Rising Starr K9: https://www.facebook.com/share/15y6c9UumB/?mibextid=wwXIfr

27/12/2024

Our Sophie, the Official Dog of Elán, is presently with an excellent trainer, Rick Pederson of Rising Starr K9. He just published this excellent article on traveling with your dog.

We can certainly help with planning your travel with your canine companion, but the most fundamental principle is that traveling with a well-behaved dog will make your trip far more enjoyable (come to think of it, that applies to human travel companions as well).

Wanderlust with Your Pup: Creating Seamless Adventures Together Hello, fellow dog enthusiasts! It's Rick Pedersen, your trusted dog trainer and the proud owner of Rising Starr K9. As we wrap up t

22/12/2024

Seasons Greetings from Elán -

May your holiday season be filled with happiness, elegance, and extraordinary experiences. Here's to crafting unforgettable journeys and cherished memories in the year to come.

18/12/2024

Seven countries, two and a half months. Join us for a recap of our recent travels:

In this post you’re getting two trip reports: We have just done two back-to-back trips and wanted to share some highlights with you below. The first trip was an extended journey aboard Explora II,...

16/12/2024

“Top One Percent.”

That’s what we always strive for. Even better. It’s reflected in the fact that our partners domestically and abroad continually receive accolades for setting world standards. We see it in the fact that our clients stay with us for years, and always return when they’re planning their once-in-a-lifetime travel.

And now we can confidently say that those standards extend to the Official Dog of Elán, Sophie. Sophie has always brought us joy, but she admittedly needed a little help to become the perfect Elán ambassador. So, she has been sent off to spend some time with two of the country’s top canine trainers, Rick and Joane Pederson of Rising Starr K9 (https://www.risingstarrk9.com).

Some would call it Puppy Boot Camp. We think of it as finishing school. In any event Sophie has been thriving and has become one of their all-time star pupils. Rick claims that she’s among the “top one percent” of the hundreds of dogs he’s trained.

It’s the Elán way.

Rising Starr K9 offers dog training classes that addresses your dog’s obedience and behavioral issues through training and positive techniques.

18/11/2024

Another Critically Important Email about Travel Requirements (this time the UK) -

A few weeks ago we sent an update regarding the upcoming implementation of the EU’s ETIAS system. The launch date for ETIAS is still uncertain, but there is important information to note if you plan to visit or even just transit through the United Kingdom. EVEN IF YOU ARE JUST MAKING A CONNECTION ...

12/11/2024

We just returned from two back-to-back trips totaling a month in duration and did so with only carry-on luggage.

This article describes the perils of packing your passport in your suitcase, even if it’s a carry-on.

We’ve found that avoiding checked baggage truly makes life easier, but regardless of whether you adopt our approach or pack in multiple steamer trunks, there are a few items you must hold onto on your person or in a small piece of luggage you keep with you: medications, cash, credit cards, and passports. Also, if you’ve parked your car at the airport, we’d suggest adding your car keys to that list.

It could be a major mistake...

04/10/2024

Time is the one thing none of us can make more of, so choose wisely:

More companies are offering sabbaticals as a benefit for burned-out employees. Experts say a big trip can be a rewarding way to spend that time away from the desk.