Virginia Barthel

West Hurley, NY Travel Agent

European Travel Whisperer

8 Reviews

100% Recommended

Years of Experience

Additional Languages

English

Group Travel and European Destination Specialist

My passion for travel started with my first trip to Paris as a teenager, where I fell in love with exploring different destinations and cultures. There is no greater joy than sharing that passion with others!

Clients appreciate that European Travel Whisperer is run with attention to detail, cultivated by my background in business, and that personal attention is given to every aspect of their vacation.

I opened my agency in 2007 and moved to our current storefront location in 2015. Our commitment is to provide the best professional and caring customer service in the area and we strive to exceed our clients’ expectations.

I specialize in Europe, especially Italy and France, but our staff has varied experience and can help with most any destination.

I have achieved the certification of Certified Travel Associate from the Travel Institute; Master Cruise Counselor and Luxury Cruise Specialist from CLIA (Cruise Lines International Assoc.); and the designation of Destination Specialist for France and the Caribbean from the Travel Institute. I am also a Verified Travel Consultant agency through ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation).

My Travel Specialties Reviews Certificates & Awards My Places Travel Stories & Media Itineraries

Areas of Expertise

Destinations:

Italy

France

Spain

France, Paris

Interests:

European Culture

River Cruises

Groups

Culinary & Foodie

Suppliers:

Avalon Waterways

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Tauck

Viking Ocean Cruises

Abercrombie & Kent

My Travel Specialties

Agent Specializing in Avalon River Cruises

My passion for travel started with my first trip to Paris as a teenager, where I fell in love with exploring different d...

Group Travel and European Destination Specialist

My passion for travel started with my first trip to Paris as a teenager, where I fell in love with exploring differen...

Reviews

8 Reviews

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.

Jack - Europe

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.

David - Woodstock - Budapest ~ Hungary ~ Europe

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.

terry - Rhine Valley ~ Germany ~ Europe

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!!

Adrianna - Amsterdam ~ Netherlands ~ Europe

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.

Joann - Danube ~ On the River ~ At Sea

We were total novices with no experience traveling abroad. Virginia made it so simple! It was a multigenerational trip with 7 of us in total. Not an easy task to get us all satisfied but Virginia was able to pull it off beautifully!

Ginny - Italy ~ Europe

This was our second trip set up using Virginia ‘s services but first for a European vacation which was tacked on to a Southern Normandy wedding we planned to attend the first few days of the trip , Once again Virginia was very responsive and knowledgeable with lots of good suggestions and recommendations based on our specific interests , timetable and budget . All the accommodations were great and rental car and train arrangements went smoothly. We will use Virginia again and are comfortable recommending her.

Jim - France ~ Europe

We had the privilege of traveling with Virginia four times (Danube River cruise, Rhone River cruise, Spain, and Rhine River cruise), and each trip was PERFECT! Virginia truly lives up to her tag line: "Just Pack Your Bags" and she does all the rest! Her attention to detail is unmatched, and her focus is on making sure her clients have he best travel experience possible. We LOVE travelling with Virginia!

Virginia Barthel

Group Travel and European Destination Specialist

Destinations:

Interests:

Suppliers:

My Travel Specialties

Agent Specializing in Avalon River Cruises

Group Travel and European Destination Specialist

Reviews

Certifications & Awards

Additional Certifications

My Places