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Global Getaways Travel that Transforms. Welcome! My name is Deena Gainor and I am the owner and founder of Global Getaways. Travel is one of our great passions.

We offer personalized, professional service to our valued clients, planning customized trips that are thoughtfully crafted and designed just for you by understanding your dreams and taking time to listen to what's important to you. My husband's name is Ryan and we work together to help create customized luxury and romance vacation itineraries you will love. As such, we are dedicated to making trav

el fun and rewarding for all of our clients. Our specialty is finding destinations that take your breath away. We have sought out the unique, the extraordinary, and the dream destinations both at home and abroad. Our favorite destinations are exclusive and amazing…some of the most beautiful places in the world. We can help you escape to an intimate romantic getaway, a unique luxury villa vacation, or an exotic Tahitian honeymoon in an over-water bungalow. The last few years, our clients have loved traveling to places like Thailand, East and South Africa, Chile/Patagonia, and Europe, especially Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal! Where would you like us to send you?

Day 5: Traveling in Comfort to Latvia’s CapitalWe generally love train travel in Europe, but the train between Tallinn a...
06/20/2026

Day 5: Traveling in Comfort to Latvia’s Capital

We generally love train travel in Europe, but the train between Tallinn and Riga takes several hours longer than the bus. So, we decided to take the Lux Express Lounge Coach instead. It's comfortable with personal TV screens, and a listed onboard bathroom, which, when you are traveling for four hours, is a very nice reassurance to have.

The check in process was very easy. However, when we boarded, we couldn't actually see a bathroom anywhere and were a bit confused. We were seated halfway back in the lounge section with extra space in front of us. There were steps leading down to what looked like a coffee station or an exit door. It was only halfway through the journey, when we watched someone walk down there, that we finally realized the bathroom was cleverly tucked away in the middle of the bus under the seating level. I had never seen anything quite like it. I would have photographed it for you, but I think the other passengers might have wondered what I was doing.

The trip to Riga was perfectly smooth and exactly on time. Once we arrived at the station, we caught a quick ride straight to our hotel. We only had a few minutes to check in and drop our bags before heading right back out. I purposefully stacked two hotel site inspections onto this first evening so that we could have one completely free day to explore Riga the next day.

Day 4: Our time in Tallinn has officially come to an end, and it is safe to say this city completely stole our hearts. W...
06/19/2026

Day 4: Our time in Tallinn has officially come to an end, and it is safe to say this city completely stole our hearts. We spent our final day doing what we love most: exploring entirely on foot. There is nothing quite like wandering through the winding cobblestone streets, sneaking into hidden alleyways, and popping into unique local boutiques.

For dinner, we decided to lean into the city's history, so we headed to Peppersack. It has a great medieval-themed atmosphere complete with costumed staff, a ten-minute comedic sword-fight skit right on the staircase, and hearty, traditional Estonian dishes. We sampled the Chickpea Curry with Roasted Sweet Potato and Fresh Salad.

The real comedy of the night came afterward, though. We stumbled upon the cutest little historic pub, III Draakon, a popular, medieval-themed tavern. Within thirty seconds of walking through the door, the barmaid started yelling at us! She was so incredibly rude and convincing that it took us a moment to realize it was actually all part of the show and atmosphere. Once we caught on, we had the best time laughing about it.

All in all, we had an absolutely wonderful time here in Tallinn. We are so incredibly grateful we included this beautiful city in our itinerary. While we initially thought four days would be plenty of time to take it all in, we easily could have stayed longer to keep exploring. Tallinn, you were spectacular.

Day 4 continued: This trip is an intentional mix of business, visiting our daughter (who has lived and worked in Lithuan...
06/19/2026

Day 4 continued: This trip is an intentional mix of business, visiting our daughter (who has lived and worked in Lithuania for the past 3 years) and beautiful, slow exploration of the Baltic region.

One of the core pillars of how I design travel is making sure we personally visit the locations we sell, and we’re always searching for new destinations. There is no substitute for walking a property, tasting the local flavors, and meeting face-to-face with on-the-ground partners to make sure our clients will be well taken care of.

See below, two new partners (Sten and Sven) who helped us coordinate our time in the Baltic cities. They treated us to a few wonderful dinners while in Tallinn, and we had the opportunity to meet face to face during a final business luncheon on our last day. Let me know if you can spot the unique Vana Tallinn our new friends insisted we try!

06/18/2026

Tallinn: A 360 Degree Perspective

Soaring Over Tallinn: If you want the best vantage point in Tallinn, you have to head inside the Niguliste Museum. It is...
06/18/2026

Soaring Over Tallinn: If you want the best vantage point in Tallinn, you have to head inside the Niguliste Museum. It is housed in St. Nicholas Church, which is a beautiful 13th-century Gothic-style building and one of the oldest structures in the entire city. While it is no longer used for regular worship services, it has been transformed into a museum where history, art, and architecture meet.

They installed a sleek glass lift that glides right up through the ancient church tower, taking you straight up to a brand new viewing platform. Stepping out at the top rewards you with the most incredible 360-degree views of the entire city. In one direction, you are gazing right down at the medieval red rooftops of Old Town, and if you turn around, you can see all the way out to the Baltic Sea. It is such a fun way to get your bearings and just take in the beautiful landscape, after having explored so much of it on foot the previous two days.

Day 4 continued: Step inside Kadriorg Palace with us...
06/18/2026

Day 4 continued: Step inside Kadriorg Palace with us...

Day 4: A Royal Welcome to Kadriorg PalaceImagine being an orphaned peasant girl captured by enemy forces, working as a s...
06/18/2026

Day 4: A Royal Welcome to Kadriorg Palace

Imagine being an orphaned peasant girl captured by enemy forces, working as a servant, and somehow ending up as the Empress of Russia.

That is exactly the story our wonderful guide this morning, Kadi, shared with us as we arrived at Kadriorg Palace. She is a fantastic storyteller and brought the history of this place to life right away.

The palace was built in the early 1700s by Peter the Great for his wife, Catherine I. Kadi told us how Catherine started out with nothing, yet became the Tsar's closest confidante, and one of the very few people who could calm his legendary, violent fits of rage. It is a bit ironic that Peter built this grand estate for her, considering he personally preferred living in incredibly humble, functional spaces, like a small log cabin.

Designed by Italian architect Nicola Michetti, the exterior is a lovely example of northern Baroque style, painted in a bright combination of red, white, and soft peach tones.

The palace is surrounded by quiet, symmetrical gardens and peaceful woodland paths that are perfect for a slow stroll. A few early flowers were starting to pop up, but we were just around the corner calendar-wise from seeing all of the gardens in their peak glory. Kadi mentioned that once everything is in full bloom, this becomes an incredibly popular spot for wedding photography.

Walking up the pathways and hearing those personal stories was a wonderful introduction to the palace.

A Beautiful Midnight DiscoveryDuring our tour earlier in the day, I kept noticing so many people walking around carrying...
06/17/2026

A Beautiful Midnight Discovery

During our tour earlier in the day, I kept noticing so many people walking around carrying fresh flowers. It piqued my curiosity, so I asked our guide, Anastassia, about it.

She explained that Estonia has a deeply rooted, everyday flower culture. Giving flowers isn't just saved for major milestones here, it is a constant gesture of connection, appreciation, and a way to share a little beauty with each other. In fact, she told us that the main flower markets by the historic city walls are open 24/7, 365 days a year.

To be honest, it sounded a bit hard to believe, open all night, even in the dead of winter?

But sure enough, as we were wandering the streets after our late dinner, we stumbled upon the famous Viru Gate flower market. It was past 11:00 PM, and every single stall was open, beautifully lit, and filled with vibrant, fresh blooms glowing against the old stone towers. It was absolutely magical to see in person.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love flowers, so seeing a community that places such a high value on connecting with each other through something so simple and beautiful really touched my heart. It is a tradition I would love to see us bring home and do a lot more of in America.

Day 3 continued: Lost in the Late Night LightBy the time we finished a wonderful dinner at Fotografiska, it was already ...
06/17/2026

Day 3 continued: Lost in the Late Night Light

By the time we finished a wonderful dinner at Fotografiska, it was already close to 9:00 PM. But stepping outside, you would never have guessed it. The summer sun was still shining so bright that it felt like mid-afternoon.

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful daylight and keep exploring on foot. We started wandering, completely captivated by the streets, snapping photos of the city and enjoying the extra hours together.

That endless daylight can be wonderfully misleading, though. We were having so much fun that we lost all track of time, completely forgetting how late it actually was. Pair that with some lingering jet lag, and let's just say our internal clocks had absolutely no idea what hit them when we finally looked at the time hours later.

It made for a pretty amusing, slightly exhausted trek back, but we wouldn’t trade those extra hours of exploring for anything.

Dinner with a View - and I don't just mean the Landscape/CityTo wind down a really wonderful day of art and culture, we ...
06/16/2026

Dinner with a View - and I don't just mean the Landscape/City

To wind down a really wonderful day of art and culture, we headed up to the rooftop restaurant inside Fotografiska for dinner. Our wonderful partners in Estonia, Sven and Sten, had pre-arranged an amazing tasting menu for us, so we were able to sample so many different delicious items.

This isn't just a regular dinner spot; it's a fantastic restaurant focused entirely on sustainable, zero waste cooking. The kitchen does amazing things with fresh, local Estonian ingredients, and you get to enjoy it all while looking out over the beautiful, glowing Tallinn skyline. The food was so incredibly delicious, and every plate looked like a piece of art itself, I couldn't stop taking photos.

It was the perfect, relaxing way to end our night. If you are curious about what we ordered, I have labeled some of the dishes below.

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