We are having so much fun here this week, watching my agent Erica Shaw enjoy her first trip to Italy with her daughter, who is entering into her Sr. year in High School.

Yes, this is Addie’s Sr trip, and what a doozie. Their family even arrived a day early and arranged for a photographer to take pictures of Addie in her prom dress among the ruins of the Forum. What a fantastic idea.

A few other agents here have kids who are, or will soon be, Seniors. The planning, comparing, and budgeting is intense.

What about you? Do you have loved ones who will soon be celebrating a Once-In-A-Lifetime event?

Sr Class trips are great fun, and something the kids will never forget, whether it’s the beach in Cancun, the volcanoes of Hawaii, or that first time in Europe.

In the 18 years since I opened the doors here, I’ve seen a huge change in the way people celebrate events in their lives. And yes, I do believe COVID exacerbated it.

People today seem to be focused more on “experiences” than on “stuff”. We see more and more families traveling for Christmas rather than exchanging meaningless gifts. We see more and more couples traveling on their anniversaries rather than spending a small fortune on a bigger ring, or a motorcycle.

We say we focus on “experiential” travel, and that’s the truth. From the get-go, I believed travel should deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Whether you saw something you’ve never seen before, like a breaching humpback whale. Or did something you never did before, like zip line, or swim with whale sharks.

Even more, travel is uniquely qualified to change perspectives. When you climb a Mayan pyramid and survey the canopy beneath you, you can’t help but reflect on the civilization that engineered that temple, and then vanished. It’s a history lesson, hidden within a vacation.

In December I’ll be standing in the court room where they held the Nuremberg trials. I’ve been to Nuremberg several times and never made the time to go into that sacred place. This time, barring crazy flight changes, I’m getting it done. Back to an incredible history lesson, right?

What about the Eiffel Tower? Did you know it was despised by the French and labeled an eyesore when it was built? Oh, how the times have changed. Can you imagine Paris without it?

I haven’t even mentioned the Colosseum and Forum, or the Temple at Delphi, or the Minoan ruins on Crete (my all-time favorite so far).

So many places, so many opportunities for evaluation, speculation, and introspection. So many trips that are so much more than just another trip.

Let’s start packing, shall we?

Special Event Trips