Land + See Tours

Name: Land + See Tours
Address: Naperville, IL, 60540, US
Telephone: +14236194926

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Land + See Tours

Immersive travel experiences, simplified. Land + See Tours is a group travel company that began with education at it's core. Climb that mountain." Life is short.

It was founded by high school English teacher, Mandy Picchiottino, in an effort to create a global classroom and foster a love of travel and culture in her students the way someone once did for her. When just a high school senior herself, she was afforded the opportunity to travel internationally with her classmates. She says, "It was the beginning of a beautiful love affair I was destined to have

with travel. I learned to appreciate the differences across language barriers and cultural divides and came home with a new found gratitude for the comforts of home. I even went on to pursue a career in education as a direct result of that experience. I will never be able to repay my teacher for giving me that opportunity. He didn't know it, but by organizing that trip he changed my entire life!"

From there we have grown into what is now Land + See Tours and expanded our focus outward in hopes of unlocking the inner explorer inside learners of all ages. It is our belief that travel changes you to your very core. Aside from the obvious enjoyment that comes from taking a trip, studies have shown that travel has benefits far beyond the trip itself. It has been found to boost creativity, build confidence, and enhance communication skills. Travel also combats fear and makes you more adaptable and open to new experiences. Many people put their dreams of travel on the back burner assuring themselves that one day they'll get around to it, but the truth is, to travel is to live. Jack Kerouac once said, "Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Don't spend the precious time you have in routine monotony when there is a big, beautiful world just waiting to be explored. Jobs will fill your pocket, but adventures will fill your soul. Do more than just exist. Adventure is waiting. The only question is, what are you waiting for?

06/26/2026

Travel has a way of testing your flexibility in the smallest, most unexpected moments.

In Rome, one of our travelers wrapped up a custom touring day and accidentally left a purse in their taxi. Passport, cards, essentials—all gone in an instant.

The kind of moment that can very quickly spiral.

They sent a quick message to me from the sidewalk, unsure what could even be done at that point.

Within minutes, I was able to get them in touch with the local taxi company and coordinating with authorities in Italy to trace the driver and flag the vehicle.

No panic. No long back-and-forth. Just immediate action through existing relationships and local channels.

The purse was found, returned, and the situation resolved before it had time to become a story they would carry for the rest of the trip.

What stood out most wasn’t the recovery—it was how quickly stress turned back into relief.

And it’s a reminder I come back to often: travel is incredible, but things do happen. The difference is not whether something goes wrong—it’s whether you’re navigating it alone, or with someone who can actually step in when it matters.

This is the part of Land and See that doesn’t show up in itineraries: being present when real life interrupts the plan, and helping get things back on track as simply and calmly as possible.

Because sometimes the most meaningful part of a trip isn’t the perfect moment—it’s knowing you’re not navigating the hard ones by yourself.

06/24/2026

A few people have asked if the move to Australia changes anything for Land and See, and that's a fair question.

The short answer is, it really doesn’t—at least not in the way people might worry it will.

I know change like this can sound big from the outside, and I really appreciate the care behind those questions. The truth is, the work continues exactly as before—just with a more global rhythm, and a growing reliance on time zone math (admittedly not my strong suit), alarms and strong coffee.

I will now be hosting consultations and pre-departure meetings across some very creative hours, and may occasionally start slipping into questionable Aussie slang, but consider that a complimentary cultural perk.

One added bonus is that this new time zone actually works in our favor during custom tours: I’ll be up and running before most travelers even start their day on the ground, which increases availability and makes it even easier to stay connected and responsive while you’re traveling.

What does change is actually something we’re really excited about: Land and See now has an expanded base, more flexibility in where we can support travelers, and even more opportunity to design seamless, thoughtful arrivals across continents.

In some cases, it may even make it easier to meet travelers on the ground in different regions, rather than always routing everything through Atlanta—so this shift opens doors, rather than closing them
Most importantly, we feel very lucky to be on this journey with our travel family—who has been, and will continue to be, at the heart of everything we do. That doesn’t change with geography or time zones.

Full steam ahead, just with a slightly larger map.

06/22/2026

Big news on our end 🇦🇺… our Australian visas have officially been approved—and faster than we ever expected.

We were originally told to anticipate a decision closer to the end of July, and even prepared for the possibility that we might need to enter on a visitor visa and wait for final approval once in Australia. So in true plot twist fashion, everything came through in record time.

That means we’ve suddenly shifted gears into full-on scramble mode—wrapping up the last little pieces of our lives, making fast decisions, and adjusting plans we thought we had a bit more time for. One of the biggest changes: Jordan won’t be joining us for our planned France and Belgium trip, as he’ll now be heading to Australia in the next few weeks to get settled and start his new job.
It’s a lot to take in all at once, but mostly it feels exciting. A new chapter is arriving faster than expected—new time zones, new routines, and a completely new base to build from.

More updates soon as we figure out what life looks like when my morning coffee is Jordan's bedtime.

06/19/2026

Which traveler are you?

A. The planner
B. The adventurer
C. The food lover
D. The napper
E. The photographer

I'm definitely ______.

06/17/2026

Travel has changed a little over the years.

Photo 1: Then
Photo 2: Now

Same travelers. More experience. Slightly better packing skills. Maybe.

One of the “then” memories that still stands out is our first real family road trip to Maine from Cleveland, TN. The boys were just 3 and 7, and we turned it into a two-day journey on the road. It was during the COVID-era of travel, so we were navigating testing windows, restrictions, and plenty of logistical hoops just to make it happen.

But once we arrived, it felt like the entire world had opened back up to us again. After so much uncertainty and constraint, that drive and the trip itself were a reminder of why we travel in the first place. In hindsight, it also came right before some pretty big life changes for us.

Post your favorite travel photo from years ago in the comments. I would love to see where everyone’s adventures started.

06/15/2026

A little behind-the-scenes reality:

I'm incredibly grateful that my custom trip planning calendar for next year is already filling up fast, with many clients already booked and in the planning process.

At this point, I only have room for about 6 more custom planning clients for 2027.

The best trips—the ones with the perfect accommodations, guides, routes, and experiences—are almost always planned well in advance.

The early bird doesn't just get the worm.

The early bird gets:
✔️ Better availability
✔️ Better flight options
✔️ Better pricing
✔️ More flexibility

If next year includes a dream trip, now is the time to start the conversation.

06/12/2026

We've spent weeks learning about life in Australia. Who knows the answer?

What's one thing that's significantly different in Australia than in the U.S.?

Wrong answers are encouraged.

06/10/2026

Summer travel season is officially here!

Curious—where is everyone headed this summer?

Drop your destination in the comments (or just the state/country if you’re keeping it a surprise).

I’ll go first: we had originally planned a fun family trip to China and Mongolia at the end of the summer, but with our Australia move picking up pace, that had to be put on the back burner. The silver lining? A spontaneous consolation trip to Alaska—which turned out to be a fantastic adventure in its own right while we’ve also been juggling Australia move prep and helping clients map out some incredible journeys around the world.

Bonus moment from the trip: we even spotted a trio of bears… briefly had us wondering if the locals were out there looking for Goldilocks 🐻

Now I want to hear yours—where are you off to this summer?

06/08/2026

Everyone talks about the beaches, coffee, and kangaroos.

Nobody talks about:
Selling half your life
Wondering where that one important document disappeared to
Pet immigration paperwork that feels longer than a mortgage application
Realizing you've somehow accumulated 27 coffee mugs

As our Australia move gets closer, we're learning that the adventure starts long before the plane takes off.

What's the biggest move you've ever made?

06/05/2026

There’s something about June that always feels like the beginning of possibility.

Longer evenings.
Kids out of school.
Summer plans starting to feel real instead of hypothetical.
The world feels a little more open this time of year.

One thing travel has taught us is that the “perfect time” rarely arrives exactly when you expect it to. Most meaningful trips happen in the middle of real life — busy schedules, budget conversations, imperfect timing, all of it.

And somehow those are often the trips you remember most.

This summer doesn’t have to be extravagant or far away to matter. Sometimes it’s just saying yes to a weekend road trip, booking the flights you keep talking yourself out of, or making memories while everyone is still in this exact season of life together.

For us, this summer feels especially meaningful as we prepare for a huge transition to Australia. It’s made us even more aware of how quickly seasons change.

So here’s your reminder for June 5th:
Take the photo.
Plan the trip.
Use the good dishes.
Say yes to the memory.

Right now counts too.

Address

Naperville, IL
60540

Telephone

+14236194926

Website

http://www.landandseetours.com/

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