This week I finally got around to planning a trip to Europe
for this fall. My best friend and I are going to spend a week in Paris – a girl’s
road trip long overdue. And then my
husband and I are going to tour through Austria and Germany. He wants to hit as
many Oktoberfest celebrations as possible!
Usually I plan my own tours, but in this case, with multiple
destinations, connections and airline reservations, I decided I needed the
services of a professional travel agent. Recently I had heard of Virtuoso, a
group of independent travel agencies that are selected based on superior
service. I found a Virtuoso approved
agency locally online, and made an appointment with “Claire” for the next day.
Even when “Claire” told me her office was in the MacDonald Highlands golf community, somehow I didn’t make the connection. As I drove through the gates, I thought once
again how spectacular it was – it may well be THE most beautiful of all the
community entrances in Las Vegas. And there are some pretty amazing custom homes with awesome views too.
Anyway, I meandered around to the clubhouse and told the
receptionist I had an appointment with Claire the travel agent. The next thing
I knew, she was calling “Mrs. MacDonald” to let her know I was there.
Duh! “Claire” was Claire MacDonald! She and Rich MacDonald are
the developers of MacDonald Highlands in Henderson and highly respected in the
community. I had never met her before,
but we have many mutual friends. Claire graciously treated me to lunch as we
talked about our travel plans. She was absolutely delightful and so down to
earth. (And she didn't even hold it against me that I was wearing a golf shirt from Anthem Country Club.) I felt like I had known her forever, and I feel totally confident she will help
me plan the best vacation ever.
