After a couple of leg surgeries which limited my mobility I was hesitate to travel to Europe. Fortunately my wife and I meet Virginia who explained the process and made it easy for us. We have had the pleasure of experiencing 5 European trips with Virginia. We have always found her to be professional, knowledgeable, caring and fun!!! Her trips are not cookie cutter typical tourist trips but well planned , interesting and informative. We can not thanks Virginia enough for opening our world to Europe. I do not give out many 5 star reviews but Virginia has earned it and deserves it.

My wife and I signed up for a trip organized by Virginia that included several days of private tours in the Budapest before an Avalon cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg.

At our lengthy stop-over at the Amsterdam airport, Virginia had arranged for us to use a comfortable lounge between flights.

All the transfers were very convenient, going from the airport to the Budapest hotel, to the cruise ship and then to the airport at the end.

The private tours that she organized in Budapest were very interesting and worthwhile. The hotel was in a great location at the top of Buda Hill which allowed interesting walks of historic sites in the area by ourselves.

The cruise on Avalon was absolutely first class, great food, service and activities on the ship.

Due to a medical emergency, Virginia worked with the cruise director to get me to an Austrian hospital where I spent two nights. She organized contacts with the travel insurance company and found a room for my wife to stay nearby.

Accessible, always provides pertinent information and great to be with when she joins the river cruises with her group. Also makes sure all details of traveling are covered.

Virginia Barthel is an outstanding travel/tour guide. She's excellent at planning and providing the optimal experience for her clients. She always looks out for out-of-the-ordinary places and experiences that make her trips so special. She takes a very personal interest in each traveler and tries her very best to let that traveler have the best trip possible. I have been on numerous trips with her and have always been more the satisfied with her expertise and caring. She is a great Travel Agent!!

I have traveled with Virginia Barthel a number of times and each time was special but the cruise she led on the Danube stands out as one of the best. We were able to see and experience places that an average tour guide would not bother with, but these sites made all the difference for the trip. She keeps the group size small so you really feel part of a select group and you make lasting friendships.