Classic Family Journeys

Jeannine Bottorff helped me plan a last minute trip to Germany. I had not used a travel agent in some time and our schedule was somewhat challenging. With just a little information about our family, Jeannine crafted a fun vacation packed into just a few days over Christmas. Apart from our time in Germany visiting family, we spent four days in Brussels and stayed at the hotel Amigo. The recommendations were almost perfect as were her tips ranging from best way to get passports for kids in a hurry, sightseeing agendas, sites to see… etc., were numerous and very useful. Jeannine is not cheap and neither was our trip. But she did manage to get our trip together in just a couple days and got good airline prices. Altogether we had a great time and I highly recommend Jeannine for the luxury or last minute traveler.

Jeannine B. helped us plan a last minute trip (6 weeks to our departure flight) to Milan/​Lake Como in September 2014 that all turned out perfectly. We did not have the time to research the trip so we let her take the lead. After a few conversations to talk about our preferences, I had hotel and activity options very quickly. There were a more than a few suggestions (tours, restaurant, travel resources) that Jeannine gave us that we loved — and we would not have found those on our own. She is enthusiastic, thorough and gives great practical advice. Her love for travel comes through whenever you talk to her. And her willingness to plan the trip that you want comes through in every interaction. I would recommend her for any size trip and for any combination of family members (couples or families).

So, this is what I need to say about my trip… had a great time and… I loved using a travel agent! This is a giant shout out to Jeannine B and her company Classic Family Journeys (which can also be found on Facebook and on the website
).
Just when you think that travel agents are an antiquated profession you learn otherwise.
Jeannine’s education and personal experience in the place that we were going was a plus… her ability to get us upgrades through her company was a definitive plus! She gave us information and travel guides that made getting around easy… Made suggestions like getting a Go Chicago Pass that saved us a lot of money and made everything so turnkey! Plus we knew that if anything went wrong or if we needed to get back to take care of my dad or for David’s mom we had someone advocating for us the entire time. Great experience!
I would highly encourage people to consider using a travel agent… I have to admit we weren’t thinking that we needed one for a pretty basic trip to the Midwest but wouldn’t of done it any other way! Take a minute to check our her travel blogs too… she is also a great asset in recommending potential places to travel to… she asks tons of questions then tailors things to your desires, budget, timelines, etc.
I loved the fact that she never balked when I asked her to «tweak» things, or shot down her first several suggestions for destinations.
My husband, who was a bit of a doubter, because he prefers to be in control, wanted to be certain that we gave Jeannine extra kudos… proclaiming it a «perfectly planned trip»!
Can’t wait to have CFJ and Jeannine plan our next vacation, though above mentioned husband says that I must unpack from one trip before I begin plotting the next one!

To be honest after years of my child begging for a Disney experience I gave in, I am not an amusement park person let alone devote an entire vacation for it. I enlisted the services of Jeannine of Classic Family Journeys learning very quickly that it was going to be OK. I say this because on the first conversation she asked so many questions.
Quickly after making the decision to make this dream come true for our son we received a packet which included every detail we needed to have a great vacation. I reviewed all of the material and knew I had made a great choice and should never try to do this on my own.
We went on our trip, loved our hotel which scored major points with everyone, all of the tips she gave us were so helpful. I felt silly that I had avoided this trip for so long! I read so much about Disney on my own, but advise from personal experience is priceless!