First off, let me start by saying we had put off a big trip to Europe primarily because every time we started planning, we became overwhelmed by the process. A few Google searches and - bam! - you've spent 5 hours online, you're down a deep rabbithole and you're no closer to making a decision than you were when you started. Every hotel on TripAdvisor has a horrible review for every good one. But when a friend recommended that we use a travel agent i realized this trip may actually happen.
When I think of travel agencies, my brain jumps back to the 1980's and I picture a cramped office filled with revolving metal racks stocked with glossy brochures with Swiss Alps and Cruise Ships on the cover so I hadn't even consider the option, but I was ready for help. Several people recommended Pique Travel, so I set up a call with Liz Matassa. The first thing you should know about Liz is that she's a passionate traveler herself, and her goal is to create the best experience possible for you. In one short 30 minute call, I told her where we wanted to go (London and Paris), what types of things my family generally likes to do, what our general budget was and when we wanted to travel. She kept in touch over a couple weeks via email, bouncing some ideas off of me, and then we had a subsequent call to review a trip itinerary.
After the elation wore off (this trip was actually going to happen!) I kicked myself for not discovering Liz and Pique sooner.
My husband and I met with Liz at Pique's offices and reviewed a well-organized traveler book that had been personalized for us, that contained typed up agendas, information on transfers (all rides to and from our flights and train ride were set up in advance with courteous safe drivers), pre-paid "jump the line" passes (this literally saved us HOURS of waiting) and even restaurant suggestions based on that day's whereabouts. We were traveling with our 3 kids (ages 16, 13, 10) and to have all of the guesswork taken out of where to stay (they personal vouch for each location and our hotels were top notch), and what to do, let us focus our time on each other and the experience. We had one glitch in that we didn't make our Eifel tour tour time due to some travel delays, but we made a call to Pique's offices and they took care of everything and rebooked our tour. It felt like such a personal experience and it felt like we had VIP treatment from start to finish (Liz even was kind enough to have a plate of delicious cakes and treat delivered to our room upon check-in).
We will be using Pique again and I recommend them to everyone! read more