Heirloom Journeys

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween. 🎃

Also — happy 7th anniversary to my favorite person. ❤️

We got married on October 31st. Which means every Halloween is also our anniversary. Which means we have never once had a boring one.

For our first anniversary we threw a Halloween party. Full costumes. Full face paint. Zero regrets. 😄

Lee once told me that the best trips — like the best marriages — are not the ones that go perfectly. They are the ones where you figure it out together, you laugh at the things that go sideways, and you come home closer than when you left. ✨

He is right about that. He is right about most things. I will not tell him I said that. 🤍

Happy Halloween from two people who take both costumes and travel very seriously.

Makeup by Amanda Hampton Bravender

10/29/2026

Happy National Cat Day. 🐾

We did not plan to have a cat in our photos in Tuscany. He had other ideas. 😄

He showed up on the steps. Then he followed us down the alley. Then he positioned himself perfectly in front of the restaurant entrance while we were otherwise occupied and proceeded to photobomb every single shot with complete confidence and zero apology. ✨

We did not name him. But we did not need to. He clearly owned that block.

This is one of our favorite things about travel — the moments that show up uninvited and end up being the ones you remember longest. 🇮🇹 🤍

Swipe to see how the afternoon unfolded.
📸Pix Around

10/28/2026

Did you know that European flights have different passenger protection than US flights? ✈️

If your flight is delayed or canceled and it falls under EU261 — Europe's passenger rights regulation — you may be entitled to compensation that most American travelers do not know to ask for. 🤔

EU261 applies when you are flying out of a European airport, or flying into Europe on a European carrier. Delays of more than three hours, cancellations, and denied boarding can all trigger compensation — up to 600 euros per person depending
on the distance and the delay. ✨

This is not automatic. You have to know it exists and you have to ask for it.

We track this for our clients. When something goes sideways on a European itinerary, knowing the rules is part of how we protect the trip. 🌍

Another reason having an advisor in your corner matters more than most people realize. 🤍

Send us a message — we'd love to help you start planning.

10/26/2026

When the answer to 'I need a few days away' is always the same destination, it might be time to reconsider. 🤔

Turks and Caicos is one of those places that surprises people. They know the name. They have seen the photos. But they have not seriously considered it as a long weekend option because it sounds like a big trip. ✨

It does not have to be.

A quick connection from the Gulf Coast and you are standing on Grace Bay Beach — consistently ranked one of the top beaches in the world — with turquoise water that does not look real until you are actually in it. 🌊

I am heading there in December for my birthday and I will be honest — part of the reason is exactly this. I needed somewhere I could actually exhale.
Not another trip where I came home needing a vacation from the vacation. 🤍

If a few days somewhere that actually resets you has been in the back of your mind — Turks and Caicos deserves to be in that conversation. Link in first comment. 👇🏼

Photo: Jack Cohen / Unsplash

10/23/2026

Airport lounges are not a luxury. 🛫

Here is what they actually are: a quieter, calmer, more human way to spend the part of travel that most people dread.

No crowded gates. No overpriced terminal food. No competing for an outlet. ✨

And here is what most people do not realize:
You may already have access and not know it.
Certain credit cards include lounge access.
Some international itineraries qualify automatically.
Business class on even one leg of a trip often opens the door. 💰

We check lounge access for our clients as part of the trip planning process.

It is one of those details that sounds small and makes a genuinely meaningful difference in how a travel day feels. 🌍

Because how you arrive matters. 🤍

Send us a message — we'd love to help you start planning.

10/21/2026

Here is what you actually get when you work with us. 🤍

Not just a well-planned trip.
You get someone who is still in your corner after the deposit is paid, after the documents are sent, and after you board the plane. ✨

I check in during the trip. I want to know how it is going. And when you get home I want to hear about it —
what exceeded expectations, what we would do differently, what made you feel something you did not expect. 🌍

That debrief is not a formality. It is how I get better for you next time and how the relationship grows into something more than a transaction.

Most of my best clients started as strangers. They are now people I genuinely care about. ❤️

That is the part nobody tells you about working with a good travel advisor.

Send us a message — we'd love to help you start planning.

10/19/2026

Want to know how one trip can become two destinations for little or no extra cost? ✈️

This is one of the most underutilized strategies in travel planning and one of the things we build into itineraries regularly.

Most people plan a trip around one place. But with thoughtful routing, you can experience two entirely different destinations — two different cultures, two different paces, two different versions of extraordinary — for not much more than the cost of one. 🌍

Rome and the Amalfi Coast. Lisbon and the Alentejo w**e region. Paris and Provence. The combinations are almost endless. ✨

The key is knowing how to sequence them so you are not spending the trip in transit. The right pairing feels effortless. The wrong one feels like two trips stapled together. 🤔

We know the difference. Send us a message — we'd love to help you start planning. 🤍

10/19/2026

Picture a river cruise. Now add an infinity plunge pool on the top deck, and a lounge with a turntable and vinyl records. 🚢

That is the Viking Mississippi. On October 18, 2026, through our ASTA Greater New Orleans membership, we were welcomed aboard at the Port of New Orleans, and the captain, a Louisiana local from just down the river, took real time with us. He answered every question we had and was wonderfully personable. 💙

Then we walked all five decks. It was an active sailing, so we saw her the way guests do, with people coming back from their excursions and sitting down to lunch. 🍽 We had lunch on board too.

Getting on and off was easy. At most ports, the ship docks right in the city, so you can simply walk off and explore. Motorcoaches are only for excursions that are farther out, and the distance from the ramp to the coach can vary by port. That is where golf carts help, for any guest who wants a ride. In New Orleans, our parking was in the motorcoach lot, so one picked us up there, drove us to the ramp, and took us back to our car afterward. We were told they are available at most ports. 🛺

Lee, who uses a cane and wears braces on both legs, found her easy to move around, and the elevator we rode served all five decks.

She is four years old, with 193 staterooms for 386 guests, and no casino on board. We were told the guest mix is trending from the 40s up.

Swipe for the routes, the ship at a glance and what we saw.

A heads-up from a trusted advisor: we were told sailings are about 92% booked through June 2027, and accessible staterooms are available but limited. If a date matters to you, the conversation is worth having soon.

Message us your questions and we will tell you honestly whether this ship fits the way you travel. 📍

10/18/2026

On October 18, 2026, through our ASTA Greater New Orleans membership, we walked all five decks of the Viking Mississippi at the Port of New Orleans, and we had lunch on board. 🍽

Brochures show you the photos. Walking a ship shows you the rest, so the advice we give you comes from what we have seen ourselves. 💙

Thank you to ASTA Greater New Orleans and Viking for the welcome.

Many of you have questions. We have answers, and more is on the way. If a river cruise is on your mind, send us a message. 📍

Angela and Lee

What a wonderful day aboard the Viking Mississippi! 🚢

Did you know the Viking Mississippi was specifically designed to sail the Mississippi River and accommodates just 386 guests? It brings Viking’s signature Scandinavian elegance right here to our backyard!

One of the things we love most about our ASTA Greater New Orleans Chapter events is the opportunity for continued education. There’s nothing quite like experiencing a ship firsthand to better serve our clients!

But these events are about more than education. They’re also an opportunity to connect with fellow travel advisors, exchange ideas, share experiences, and learn from one another!

A huge thank you to Viking for welcoming us aboard and providing such a wonderful experience!

This is what being part of ASTA is all about!

10/17/2026

Happy National Pasta Day. 🍝

One of the things Lee and I feel strongly about when we travel: if it is offered, we try it. Even if it is not something we would order at home. Even if we are not sure about it.

Because it is almost never the same thing.

In Tuscany we spent a morning in the home kitchen of Simonetta — a local cook who opens her home to small groups and teaches the real thing. Not a class in a tourist kitchen. Her actual home. Her actual recipes. ✨

We made ravioli from scratch. Gnocchi. Fresh pasta on a wooden drying rack in a kitchen that smelled like every good thing about Italy. 🇮🇹

And then we sat down and ate what we made.

That morning is one of the memories from that trip that stayed with us longest. Not a restaurant. Not a tour. Just a woman in her kitchen sharing something she loves. 🤍

If you ever find yourself in Tuscany, look her up. Link in first comment. 👇🏼