I became a travel agent in 2010, following a 30 ­year career as an officer in the U.S. Navy.  My passion has always been travel, foreign languages, history, and culture, so this is a natural fit for me!

I received a BS degree in French and German from Bowling Green State University and then took my first overseas trip to study for three months at the Institut de Touraine in Tours, France. The experience opened my eyes to different people and cultures, and I learned that, for the most part, people are more alike than different. As Mark Twain wrote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry,and narrow­mindedness.”

I then worked in a hotel in Innsbruck, Austria, for three months.  The following year I attended the Philipps-Universität in Marburg an der Lahn, West Germany, for nine months. While in the U.S. Navy, I was assigned to duty stations in Naples, Italy, for 28 months; Pusan, Korea, for 18 months; and Stuttgart, Germany, for 33 months.

Now I love to book cruises and European vacations, especially to the countries where I have lived (France, Germany, Austria, Italy) or often visited (UK, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland).

My firsthand knowledge of destinations is a valuable asset. I take great care in arranging every aspect of a trip, and I am willing to spend whatever time is necessary with my clients to ensure that they are adequately prepared, especially when they are traveling some place new to them.

I have taken numerous short and long cruises, as well as transatlantic cruises, sailing on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Azamara, and Viking River Cruises.

• My river cruise between Moscow and St. Petersburg opened my eyes to what life had been like in Soviet Russia.
   
• As an animal lover, I thoroughly enjoyed my safaris in Kenya and South Africa.
   
• The highlight of my tour to Morocco was spending a night in a Berber tent in the Sahara and getting up to ride a camel into the desert and watch the sunrise over the sand dunes.

These are the kinds of memories I want to help you make!