About Travel Crafter

Travel has always inspired me. As I moved around in early adulthood, so would my collection of cardboard boxes filled with travel articles and clippings, all neatly organized by country. Waiting for the day when I would be the person in the picture - tasting wine at a vineyard in Italy; landing in a remote corner of the world to join in a local festival with new sounds, smells, sights, and cultures; learning about natural dyes used to weave beautiful textiles on hand-made looms, or just spreading out my towel on a picture-perfect white sand beach and jumping into the deepest aqua blue waters. The experiences were endless!

A trip to Portugal over 30 years ago marked the point when I changed from being a passionate consumer of travel information to becoming a passionate traveler. I sought the advice of a local travel agency to help my husband and I plan the trip to a country we knew only from a file in a cardboard box. What we got back from the agent was a handful of generic brochures and non-descript hotels, structured escorted trips without flexibility, and no opportunities to experience the country or meet the people. There had to be a better way to make the trip more inspiring and personal! 

With a background as a marketing professional, I was used to conducting research and designing plans for clients and so I set off planning the trip on my own. The result was a 10-day, 1,500-mile journey through the country with stays at historic castles and villas, visits to local markets, shopping for pottery at places recommended by a buyer for a national retail chain, and eating the freshest prawns at a seaside restaurant that I can still taste to this day. The agency owner, hearing about the trip on our return, asked if I would consult for them on their agency marketing and training. 

Years of consulting with various travel agencies; establishing relationships with industry leaders and locals worldwide, and continued personal travels to all seven continents eventually led to the creation of Travel Crafter in 2003. I believed that people wanted more than a business that processed travel as a commodity (airline ticket, hotel reservation, etc.). Just as I realized there was a better way for me to be inspired and transformed by my personal travels, Travel Crafter was created to be the vehicle for you to enrich your life through meaningful travel experiences.

Your time and money are precious resources and you deserve the best. From weekend getaways to longer itineraries, Travel Crafter will provide you with more value – VIP perks, upgrades and amenities, insider knowledge and connections and the peace of mind knowing you have an advocate and troubleshooter if problems occur away from home.