Barbara Houston

Reviewed By Joe C - Oakland, CA | Traveled to Hawaii Island ~ Hawaii ~ USA

Barbara had all of the answers before I even had the questions! Really, the best part of working with her is that the things I didn’t know would make a big difference for the trip were things she had already figured out. We had then best time in Hawaii and it was all smooth sailing. Thank goodness our timing worked out!

Reviewed By Karina - Chapel Hill, NC | Traveled to United Kingdom ~ Europe

Very helpful and planned a great trip

Reviewed By DGK - Billings, Montana | Traveled to Italy ~ Europe

We recently took a two-week trip to Italy, planned with Barbara'a help. I've always planned our trips on my own, assuming I could find the right towns, hotels, tours on my own. But Barbara had been recommended to us and I was blown away by how much she enhanced our trip. She found us an amazing boat tour in Cinqueterre and a fabulous little castle in Chianti to stay, spots I never would have found on my own. And when our trip went a little sideways with a baggage issue, Barbara was on the phone, notifying our hotels, adjusting reservations and helping us reroute. What's even better is that we got the same rates for hotels that we would have if we'd booked online but with Barbara, stays included benefits like free breakfast or a hotel credit. I won't plan another trip without her!

Reviewed By Dodie and Joe - Oakland, CA | Traveled to Thailand ~ East and Southeast Asia

We have used Barbara's services for more than a decade, planning adventurous trips like our most recent to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Simply said, our travel is both more intense and pleasurable because Barbara does the work that she's incredibly good at. As we begin planning, we consult Barbara about the best timing for our destination; she knows the globe, from weather to major holidays and celebrations. This helps us avoid crowds as it did on this most recent trip in Thailand. Next, Barbara begins looking out for the best deals on flights. She works with with us, making suggestions for an itinerary based on our vision and needs. Barbara books our hotels so we can take advantage of upgrades and special amenities. These add up. She stays on top of travel insurance, airport transfers and flight changes, and is fast to respond when we're on the move. Barbara has developed a keen sense for the kind of experiences we are looking for as we travel. She is indispensable.

Reviewed By Jeff - Clifton, TX | Traveled to Europe

Barbara has been just amazing to work with. Not only does she love her job but she cares about her clients a lot and takes care of them far better than any other travel agent I've ever worked with. She helps even outside of normal working hours or even on vacation to another country. I consider her more a friend then my travel agent because she looks out for me like a friend or even better than a friend. She is absolutely amazing.

Reviewed By Albee - Bozeman, MT | Traveled to Italy ~ Europe

I felt so fortunate to finally visit a small part of Europe. The trip planning was amazing. The hotels and tours were soooo good. I felt a bit spoiled at times, but I loved it! A couple of the tour guides were exceptional! I absolutely loved the hotel in Rome. The hotel in Venice felt like I was staying in a Palace.. I guess I was! Rapallo was perfect for experiencing the coast, and we loved being able to stay at a resort for a few days. Of course Italy itself was all I was told it would be and more. Thank you again for your help, we will be in touch again for our next trip.

Reviewed By Becca - Snoqualmie, WA | Traveled to Hawaii ~ USA

Barbara worked with us to create the most wonderful Honeymoon experience in Hawaii. She has a wonderful sense for finding the exact accommodations and activities that fit our personalities, and we are so thankful to have had her help!

Reviewed By Jennifer - Anaheim, CA | Traveled to French Polynesia ~ South Pacific

We had a phenomenal time and this vacation tops all of our previous ones. We had a lot of fun with the scheduled activities. Everything was coordinated and ready for us at our arrival time. There was always someone that knew our name, was expecting us and taking care of us. It was amazing to see this level of coordination from across the world. Barbara is always great at this. Besides that the location was amazing. Our accommodations on both islands were great, with the overwater bungalow experience being completely over the top. As always Barbara listened to our needs, offered good advice, found us excellent deals and various upgrades.

Reviewed By JulieZ - Kailua Kona | Traveled to France ~ Europe

Barbara helped us develop an amazing itinerary for a month in France, then expertly managed all the logistics, communicating consistently and taking care of us as we asked questions about culture and international travel nuances as we were on the trip. Barbara asked for upgrades for us along the way and managed to get us a dream Eiffel Tower view room. I told her she was the Travel Fairy Godmother and sprinkled magic dust on our trip as everything went so well! If you want an advisor who is deeply knowledgeable about travel, logistics, luxury, and what to do and see, Barbara is amazing.

Reviewed By LMT - Seattle WA | Traveled to Europe

Barbara was proactive in gathering information about what we wanted to see and do during our time in Germany and Austria. She offered a selection of hotels and provided pros and cons of each, allowing us to choose the best options for us. Barbara’s input on our flights was also very helpful and once on board, we were happy we took her advice! The tips she provided in our itinerary about sights, restaurants, and general travel information for each city we visited was very helpful. I look forward to working with Barbara again and would not hesitate to recommend her to my friends.

Reviewed By Allison and Paul - Charlottesville, VA | Traveled to Santorini ~ Greece ~ Europe

Working with Barbara was the best travel decision we ever made! Thanks to Barbara, we had the most unforgettable trip to Santorini, Greece to celebrate our Babymoon. She removed all of the stress from what can be overwhelming in planning a European trip - arranging everything from our transportation and flights to activities and a truly unique lodging experience we would've never found on our own! We were able to thoroughly enjoy our vacation and relax thanks to working with Barbara and would highly recommend to all! Thank you!!!!

Reviewed By Alicia H - San Mateo, CA | Traveled to Paris ~ France ~ Europe

It was a pleasure to work with Barbara on our 2 week trip to Europe. We visited Paris, Switzerland, and Rome and it was so helpful to have Barbara arrange all the logistics involved with traveling through three different countries - flights, trains, airport transfers, and excellent hotel accommodations. She was responsive and patient with all of my questions and concerns, and made changes or adjustments to our itinerary seamless. It was the best vacation! Thank you, Barbara!

Reviewed By Max - Seattle, WA | Traveled to Europe

Barbara has booked two complicated trips abroad for me. She has great expertise in dealing with airlines and also in finding beautiful hotels. When any issue arises while underway, she always seems able to resolve it efficiently and most likely in a way that enhances the travel experience.,

Reviewed By Callie Glanzer - Bozeman, Montana | Traveled to Italy ~ Europe

I can not say enough about Barbara and her expertise, vision, dedication, patience and professionalism. She has made my life so much easier and happier while making my travels smooth and out of this world. I continue to recommend Barbara to my family and friends and now will not travel the same again! She is top notch and I look forward to many more experiences with her as I continue to travel the world!

Reviewed By HappyTraveler - Sharpsburg, GA | Traveled to St. Barthelemy ~ Caribbean

Barbara is fantastic to to work with! She has helped us plan two fabulous trips, one to Hawaii a few years back, and this month a 25th Anniversary trip to St. Barths/St. Martin.
Barbara is amazing at matching our personal preferences to both travel destinations as well as details such as lodging and dining recommendations. She offers so much knowledge and works hard and in a timely manner to work out all travel arrangements.

For our recent trip to St. Barths, Barbara suggested the island which we hadn't even thought of. We had an amazing lodging experience with our Eden Rock villa and the island offered plenty of opportunities for our favorite activities of hiking and visiting beautiful beaches. We enjoyed a special, romantic Anniversary dinner at a restaurant with a fabulous setting that Barbara recommended. With Barbara's help, we truly experienced a dream anniversary trip!
We can't wait for Barbara to plan our next adventure!

Reviewed By Rich - Seattle, WA | Traveled to Europe

The only thing more wonderful than my trip to Europe was my travel agent Barbara!!! Amazing, knowledgable and truly a kind individual. Contacted her to help me create a memorable, hassle-free, and enjoyable family travel experience for my family. My work/family life are extremely overwhelming. Barbara came to my rescue-created cost-efficient plan to visit London/Paris/Spain. Took care of the logistics, imparted years of knowledge regarding where/why/how to visit these locations to achieve an enjoyable experience. Wonderful hotels/convenient safe areas. Advice about private tours- best decision/worth every cent/enhanced the experience (daughters loved the tour guides). Booked several venues for options, but advised to be flexible, pivoted to taking some days off as a tourist...these days were very enjoyable. Costly to travel, but in hindsight, I would have paid double for Barbara's assistance. THANK YOU BARBARA!!!