Reviews & Recommendations
“Nancy Richer has been our travel agent for over twenty years. We trust her with organizing our family and personal vacations. Over the years, Nancy has planned and coordinated multiple family vacations to Puerto Rico, Montana and many islands. These trips were complicated as we had between 40-50 family members. Planning for various age groups is an arduous tasks: rooms, dinners, side trips, flights and airport pick ups. She soon became familiar with all my family members and their needs. She also did our personal trips. Organizing a group of 10 people; we went on an outstanding educational trip to Cuba, and we went on a sailing trip to Turkey and Greece. I was afraid to go on a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, she convinced me that it would be an experience of a life time... and it was. Nancy has traveled extensively and is confident about the places she recomments and is aware of her clients needs. She organized every detail for our trip to Italy; we traveled from Rome to the Amalfi Coast.
Everything about our trip was flawless. Nancy makes traveling easy, we are looking forward to booking vacations with her in the future.”
“Having experienced many trips created by Nancy, I can attest to her creativity, experience and exemplary contacts in all parts of the world, that enable her to design a travel experience that is unique and memorable and within a budget you set. Her diligence and attention to every detail ensures your travel experience is the absolute best. I highly recommend reaching out to her for any travel needs you might have for yourself, your family and friends.”
“Nancy is the very best. We travel quite a bit, and have been working with her for close to 10 years. She has coordinated super fancy trips for us, as well as budget-driven trips, sometimes for just our family and sometimes for larger groups. A few things make her stand out above everyone. She puts just as much energy into simple cost-conscious excursions as complex international trips. And you can always count on her to place you in just the right hotel, or put you on a unique adventure you could not have conjured yourself. She also has explored so many places on her own, so her first-hand knowledge makes her crafting of your trip even more nuanced and special. She is fantastic when events change and you need to re-schedule, or you have a small problem while you are away. You outsource all your travel worries and problems to her — and she handles them. She is the only travel expert we would work with and we are so happy we connected with her all those years ago!”
By: Classic Journeys
10/23/2014
In Search of Uncommon Ground
Intrepid explorer and independent travel consultant Nancy Richer has traveled with Classic Journeys 15 times over the past 15 years, including to Provence; the French Riviera; Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia; Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast; India; Argentina and other far-flung destinations.
Argentina
And although Nancy, an avid runner and yoga practitioner, was initially drawn to Classic Journeys through its unique blend of cultural immersion with an active component, it’s the interpersonal experiences that keep her coming back.
Whether it’s lunch with a professor and writer in Vietnam whose wife’s grandfather was the country’s last emperor, or dining with a retired general in India where no questions were off limits, or crafting a homemade pizza on Italy’s Amalfi Coast alongside the cheese-maker who made the mozzarella himself, it’s the people and the experiences they offer that stand out the most in her memories.
It’s also why Nancy doesn’t hesitate to recommend a Classic Journeys trip to her clients—at least the ones with a healthy sense of curiosity and a penchant for straying from the beaten path.
“A person who goes on a Classic Journeys’ trip is a traveler, not a tourist,” she says. “To me, the difference is that a traveler is someone who’s interested in immersing themselves in the country and culture—not only by seeing the sights mentioned in the guidebooks, but by putting their feet on the ground and seeking out the places where the tourists don’t go.
“I want to see the country through a different set of eyes—a local’s eyes,” she continues. “Not just viewing points of interest through a tour-bus window, but striking out to really feel, smell, taste and touch what the country is all about.”
By: Kate Siber (Classic Journeys)
3/22/2013
Not too long ago, the sight of a hot air balloon full of women might have caused quite a stir in the countryside of central Turkey. But when Nancy Richer, a travel consultant from Farmington, Connecticut, and eight other women wafted over a vineyard in Cappadocia recently, the grape-pickers didn’t so much as bat an eye.
That’s because all-female groups are becoming more and more common. Nancy has been on twelve Classic Journeys trips with groups of up to ten girlfriends. “Life is short,” she reasons. “Why not travel?”
“We’ve seen a huge increase in women traveling together,” confirms Amanda Babin, Senior Guest Services Coordinator at Classic Journeys. The numbers have grown by about 30% over the last three years. Now, many of them are coming back for more. “The phone rings, and I hear a familiar voice say, ‘The ladies and I are ready to go again!’”
Like many travelers, these women set off together to celebrate a birthday or another momentous life event. But just as often, they book a trip to carve much-needed bonding time out of their busy schedules. Sometimes they share interests like cooking or shopping that the men in their lives do not.
For Ultima Morgan, an attorney from Orlando, that common interest was walking. Her husband wasn’t into joining her on a walking trip, so, undaunted, she invited her sister and four friends to go on a Classic Journeys walking tour to Tuscany. The women soon discovered that walking was not only a great way to see the countryside but also to get to know each other even better. They had such a good time that the group went to Provence three years later.
“If you’re married or you have kids, especially as you get older, it’s nice to have a chunk of time when you can reconnect with the people you really get along with. Then you’re just bonded for life. They become more like family.” says Morgan.
For Debby Poskanzer, a taste-test manager from Walton, Kentucky, learning to make pasta with three female friends on a culinary tour in Italy was a blast. “We definitely bonded over that pasta dough,” says Poskanzer. “The cooking lessons were intimate hands-on experiences—lots of laughs and lots of fun.”
Guided group trips like Classic Journeys make it easy to blend in and feel at ease. Full time local guides handle all the logistics and introductions to the local people. The women agree that such personal care liberates them to feel comfortable and at home anywhere from a Costa Rican rainforest to a Vietnamese rice paddy. And without the need to take care of children, husbands, or other responsibilities, they are free to connect with their friends, have fun, and cut loose. Ultima Morgan admits she doesn’t often laugh hysterically, but escaping the routines of daily life opened a lighter side of her group, and they laughed ‘til their ribs hurt.
“It’s the sort of thing you just don’t get with friends unless you’re spending that type of time with them, and then you’re just bonded for life,” says Morgan. “They become more like family.” For Richer and her female travel companions, stargazing and sleeping in tents in a remote Berber encampment in Morocco was one of those unforgettable shared experiences.
“No one else can understand that, right?” says Richer. “Those of you who have had that experience have a special sisterhood.”