Japan Specialist

Kathleen is THE BEST! We have always valued her suggestions and have always loved the fact that she secured perks like comp breakfast and/or lower prices. But this time, she resolved the ultimate 2020 COVID-related travel issue. What should have been a simple booking for spring break started with Kathleen working with the hotel to get the exact room arrangements that worked best for our group (all at a lower price.) Then she was able to select airline seats earlier than we would have been able to do so on our own. (Spring break travel was nearly sold out and we wanted to sit together.) But then COVID. We cancelled. She never seemed put out that she had to spend hours upon hours dealing with our issue. Ultimately Kathleen secured a full refund for us. We were already going to continue to book travel with her based on her invaluable advice and the fabulous places she has booked for us in the past, but the way she handled this debacle was truly as good as customer service gets.

We have used Kathleen for many family trips. She is great! Always finds great places and good deals too! Plus friendly and fun to work with.

Our family trip to Italy was nothing short of magical, all thanks to the expert guidance from Kathleen Whalen. She listened carefully to our interests and tailored an extraordinary itinerary that truly exceeded our expectations. Every detail from flight accommodations to tours, recommendations and extra personalized service when an unexpected issue arose was perfectly executed. Kathleen's support throughout the trio was genuinely caring. We came home with full hearts and unforgettable memories. Highly recommend Kathleen to anyone planning a once in a lifetime adventure!! Arrivederci Italy, you will be missed !!

Kathleen put in extra effort to help us plan the perfect honeymoon! We made quite a few changes early on, and she adapted quicky to make sure we were on schedule and still had the best options. The trip was very well organized but still left room for spontaneity. Every activity was better than we expected, and every travel day was easier than we prepared for. Kathleen curated a perfect trip for us! And it is extra hard to return to normal life because of it.

Kathleen is incredible knowledgeable and responsive and makes sure she understands our preferences when planning trips for us. The hotel she booked for us in Costa Rica was quite possibly the best hotel we’ve ever visited. recommendation for our hotel in Costa Rica

Kathleen is an experienced traveler who passes on her best advice and ideas to her clients. She thinks of all the details, making sure everyone knows the options for their stay, has a transfer from place to place, etc. She listens to what is expected and surpasses that!

Very nice collaborating with Kathleen, she listened very well to our needs and rolled with our changes as we planned without any issues.

Kathleen was a wealth of knowledge and very professional in handling our travel plans. She was able to give us great suggestions for our spa visit and Austin hotel options. We had a wonderful trip and look forward to working together again soon.

Traveled with my cousin for the second trip that Kathleen planned for us. Everything was fabulous!!

It was a pleasure to travel with Kathleen! She organized a large group of DMA League members to experience Charleston. I enjoyed having a carriage ride, plantation tour, a docent-led look at the Gibbs collection, a sailing cruise in the bay, meals and more arranged by Kathleen. She took great care of us and adjusted trip details like transportation when the need arose. It was a memorable and fabulous first DMA Art League tour for me!

Kathleen Whalen helped us plan a magical trip to Paris and Normandy. It was my first time to go to Europe, and she took care of every detail of the journey. She planned and made recommendations for things for us to see and do that we would not have known about or thought of, and we loved everything she suggested. The guides and drivers she selected were the best, and we were well taken care of by everyone she chose. Kathleen was available to us by phone or text all during our visit to France, so we could call or text her if we had questions, which was very helpful and gave us great comfort! I highly recommend Kathleen if you want to take the trip of a lifetime!! Shie very thorough, conscientious, thoughtful, and responsive!

We were well taken care of. Tours and tour guides were amazing. Everything went very smoothly on our trip to Italy!

Kathleen Whalen was a delight to work with on planning our girls trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. She was very thorough with the details of our airline tickets, to hotel accommodations, day trips, restaurants, etc. She really understood our needs and made sure that we were happy with everything. I would highly recommend her if you need an excellent travel agent!

I have never had a vacation where I did not have to worry about one single detail. Kathleen planned for every meal, every excursion and every bit of transportation. Kathleen and OAX were so good to us.

Kathleen really listens to her clients and custom-tailors the trip to meet the individual or family's specific goals and desires. She is so knowledgable and can advise about travel anywhere on the globe. Kathleen cares as if it were her own trip and sees to making sure her clients are well-cared for from beginning to end. Most of all, she makes the planning part pure fun!!

5

Have worked with Kathleen on several trips over the last few years. She has been easy to work with and her recommendations have all been great! She is very detail oriented and thorough. Anytime I needed to ask her a question while on our trip or otherwise she has responded quickly. Every trip she planned for me has been wonderful and I would highly recommend Kathleen for future travel plans!!!

Kathleen has planned the most memorable and special trips in our family's history. The word "curated" is overused these days, but it absolutely describes Kathleen's approach. She consults with us and really listens to understand our priorities, and then proceeds to smash our expectations to bits. She's patient but so well organized, and consistently anticipates our next need. Our opportunities to travel as a family are too precious to leave to chance. Kathleen brings us right to the places and experiences that are truly unforgettable, and helps us avoid the hassles and disappointments that are unfortunately common in travel today. She's been an amazing partner to us and we can't wait for the next journey she 's planning with us!

Kathleen is a great listener who works hard to make sure you travel desires are met! We had a fabulous trip with many unique experiences and complimentary treats along the way! Great attention to the details making everything seamless and relaxing-thank you!!

Kathleen did a great job with all the planning. She made our trip easier and memorable.

Kathleen is fabulous!! She is a joy to work with, and everything about our trip was spot on incredible.

We began with a blank slate - a few ideas of the types of trips we like and places we like, and she came back to us with a number of great options. Once we narrowed to our pick, she found us FABULOUS locations and hotels for every part of our trip. Honestly, we loved each place we stayed more than the last!!

We will definitely work with her for all our family vacations going forward!!

Kathleen really listens to what the travel wants to do. She also makes great suggestions as to how to travel better and experience amazing excursion. Her knowledge of other places is vast, and she is efficient and very detail-oriented. Most of all, Kathleen is a wonderful person and the best to work with.

Kathleen is a joy to work with. She is very knowledgeable, professional and responsive. I particularly like that she listens to our budget guidelines and also suggests amazing hotels. I love a boutique style hotel, and her bookings were right on. Booking with her allowed us to receive some extras like free afternoon tea. Kathleen is very thorough. She made sure we had transportation when we landed and booked tours based on our interests. So much easier than trying to do it on my own!

Trip was excellent from early planning to the end. Kathleen is well organized, knowledgeable and congenial. I hope to travel with her again.

Absolutely fantastic. She gave us insider tips to on places to go and when we had flight issues she jumped in to solve the issues. A++

Kathleen booked the most unimaginable trip for us and our family on a boat in the Bahamas. Everything was top notch, professional and so easy. She took care of every detail.

Kathleen was a life saver! She helped us plan our 60th birthday celebration in the Piedmont Region of northern Italy and she was absolutely fabulous to work with. She had creative ideas on ground transportation, dining and unusual excursions. All 25 guests loved the truffle hunt, complete with a wine and cheese/honey tasting, with a local guide. She was super responsive and attentive to guests' requests and differing budgets for hotels. I highly recommend Kathleen.