Coast, or even
Taormina. Yes, you can do all the sightseeing on your own but I think it is time consuming, tiring, expensive and it is far easier to have someone take you from place to place and you get all the culture and history in one go. When we go past the mobs of people standing in line at each attraction, you will appreciate the advice from someone who has been to Italy more times than you have had a hot dinner.
A big advantage to taking a packaged tour is that they get private admission times to most of the key sights whereas if you go alone, you could stay in line for hours to get into places like the
Europe?
temples and cave tombs, from well-preserved city gates to creative frescoes.
Travel Agent talked with several travel advisors and tour operators for insight.
Sicily’s Ancient Treasures
Taormina, shown in the photo above, is one of advisor Lynn Tyger s favorite ruins sites. // Photo by Getty.
Sicily is a treasure-trove of ancient Greek and Roman sites. “One of my all-time favorites is the amphitheater in
Taormina, especially if the trip can be timed to experience an event there,” says Lynn Tyger, independent travel advisor with
FROSCH in
Armerina are stunning,” and “I saw
Selinunte at sunset and that’s a favorite memory.”
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Two family businesses: Left, Richard, Lara and Bryan Leibman of Frosch International; right, Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, Valerie Wilson, Kimberly Wilson Wetty and Brian Buttigeig of Valerie Wilson Travel.
Frosch International Travel has acquired Valerie Wilson Travel, a move that brings together two New York City-based agencies run by two generations of families that built their respective brands into multimillion-dollar travel businesses.
Frosch was No. 14 on Travel Weekly s 2020 Power List, with $2.4 billion in 2019 sales, and Valerie Wilson Travel was No. 36 with $325 million.
Frosch was founded in 1972; chairman Richard Leibman acquired the agency from the Frosch family in 1977. His children Bryan Leibman and Lara Leibman later joined Frosch; Bryan is now president and CEO, and Lara is executive vice president.
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The CDC has changed its guidance on travel for Americans who are fully vaccinated, and more and more people are planning vacations. But they re not just planning any trip: They re booking bigger, longer, more expensive trips with upgrades and all the trimmings. Some are calling this revenge travel.
How are people traveling with a vengeance?
In this episode, retail editor Jamie Biesiada and host Rebecca Tobin talk with Anne Scully, a longtime travel advisor who is now a partner of agent development at Embark Beyond. But you re also hear part of our discussion from our cruise-focused chat with Vicki Freed of Royal Caribbean International and Alex Sharpe of Signature Travel Network, and from our ski-resort discussion with Rusty Gregory of Alterra and Natalie Ooi, who runs the ski management program at Colorado State University.
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Covid-19 regulations forced Signature Travel Network to cancel its regional meetings this spring, but that has not deterred president and CEO Alex Sharpe, who this month will begin traveling to meet with 185 agency owners over the next two months.
Over the course of two months, Sharpe s travels 26 stops, 22,000 air miles, 1,000 driving miles, two trains and 21 flights will see him visiting 75% of Signature s membership. While we are disappointed to cancel our larger regional gatherings, I am happy that vaccine distribution and Covid regulations have been relaxed sufficiently to allow me to meet in person with so many members in small groups, Sharpe said in a statement. Virtual meetings have allowed us all to stay in touch over the past year, but nothing replaces meeting in person.