Travel + Leisure announced its coveted list of 2014 A-List of Top Travel Specialists, which this year includes 20 new travel agents. Travel + Leisure said the A-List, in its 13th incarnation, was culled from hundreds of agent candidates for a final list of 133. The A-List will appear in the magazine's September edition, which goes on sale Aug. 22
The process for selecting agents is rigorous, said Amy Farley, Travel + Leisure's news editor and Trip Doctor columnist. First, agents fill out an application that's very detailed. "We evaluate the applications and speak to other people in the industry - and clients whenever possible," she said, adding that Travel + Leisure staff also interview agents and assess their itineraries. "It's a multi-faceted process," Farley said.
For her part, Farley believes that travelers would be well served to use an agent, particularly when they are planning complicated or exotic trips. "A travel advisor can be invaluable," she said, noting that agents offer incredible value through their relationships with consortia and through personal relationships with hoteliers.
"They can actually get you upgrades and value-added moments during your stay, Farley said. "They bring value to the table and make sure your itinerary is seamless."
Increasing numbers of agents are also able to offer travelers inside access to the destinations they visit, Farley said, something that more travelers are interested in. "They will have insights and insiders on the ground in your destination and can really bring places alive."
Lastly, travel agents have their clients' backs when they're traveling, said Farley. "We all saw what happened last winter with flight cancellations," she said. "That's where a travel advisor would step in and sort you out and make sure you get to where you're going and you're vacation isn't ruined."
New agents for this year include Marilyn Clark, Lighthouse Travel, Huntington Beach, Calif.; Lia Batkin, In the Know Experiences, New York, N.Y.; Sheri Doyle, Pacific Northwest Journeys, Seattle, Wash.; Michael Lorentz, Passage to Africa, Cape Town; Elizabeth Gordon, Extraordinary Journeys, New York, N.Y.; Kent Redding, Africa Adventure Consultants, Denver; Leora Rothschild, Rothschild Safaris, Denver; Chris Liebenberg, Piper & Heath Travel, San Diego, Calif; Tamsyn Fricker, Travel Artistry Africa, Houston, Texas; Teresa Sullivan, Mango African Safaris, Portland, Ore.; Beth Rubin, Select Italy, Chicago; Andy Booth, ABOUTAsia Travel, Siem Reap, Cambodia; Justin Parkinson, Linara Travel, Eagle, Idaho; Brian Pearson, Santiago Adventures, Santiago, Chile; Barkley Hickox, Indagare Travel, New York, N.Y.; Kara Slater, SmartFlyer, Los Angeles; Tom Marchant, Black Tomato, London; Steve Orens, Plaza Travel, Encino, Calif.; Peter S. Carideo, CRC Travel, Chicago; and Kathleen O'Connell, Frosch, Deerfield, Ill.
Here is the list in its entirety.
Super-Agents
Maita Barrenechea (Mai10, Buenos Aires)
Jack S. Ezon (Ovation Vacations, New York, N.Y.)
Lisa Lindblad (Lisa Lindblad Travel Design, New York, N.Y.)
Mary Ann Ramsey (Betty Maclean Travel, Naples, Fla.)
Guy Rubin (Imperial Tours, Beijing)
Anne Morgan Scully (McCabe World Travel, McLean, Va.)
Pallavi Shah (Our Personal Guest, New York, N.Y.)
Jim Strong and Nancy Strong (Strong Travel Services, Dallas, Texas)
Valerie Ann Wilson (Valerie Wilson Travel, New York, N.Y.)
Joel A. Zack (Heritage Tours Private Travel, New York, N.Y.)
United States and Canada
Hawaii - Carolyne Brandon (Altour American Express Travel, Cupertino, Calif.)
Hawaii - Marilyn Clark (Lighthouse Travel, Huntington Beach, Calif.)
Hawaii - Ed Phillips (Frosch Travel, Burlingame, Calif.)
Napa Valley, California - Michelle Murré (Azurine, San Francisco)
New York - Lia Batkin (In the Know Experiences, New York, N.Y.)
Pacific Northwest - Sheri Doyle (Pacific Northwest Journeys, Seattle, Wash.)
Western U.S. - Harold Jenkins (American Express Corporate Vacations, Lake Forest, Ill.)
Caribbean
Margie Hand (Andavo Travel, Birmingham, Ala.)
Janet McLaughlin (Provident Travel, Cincinnati, Ohio)
Liz Sadie Sutton (Alabama World Travel/ Sutton & Associates, Montgomery, Ala.)
Africa and the Middle East
Africa - Sandy Cunningham (Outside Go, Santa Fe, N.M.)
Africa - Lisa Lindblad (See Super-Agents)
Africa - Michael Lorentz (Passage to Africa, Cape Town)
Africa - Dana Welch (The Travel Society, Denver)
Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia - Craig Beal (Travel Beyond, Wayzata, Minn.)
Eastern and Southern Africa - Dan Achber (Trufflepig, Toronto)
Eastern and Southern Africa - Elizabeth Gordon (Extraordinary Journeys, New York, N.Y.)
Eastern and Southern Africa - Tim Lapage (Safari Experts, Park City, Utah)
Eastern and Southern Africa - Mark William Nolting (Africa Adventure Company, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Eastern and Southern Africa - Kent Redding (Africa Adventure Consultants, Denver)
Eastern and Southern Africa - Jackie Rush (Frosch, Washington, D.C.)
Eastern and Southern Africa - Sunit Sanghrajka (Alluring Africa, Winter Park, Fla.)
Egypt - Malaka Hilton (Admiral Travel International, Sarasota, Fla.)
Family Safaris - Leora Rothschild (Rothschild Safaris, Denver)
Israel - Rachel Epstein (Frosch, New York, N.Y.)
Kenya and Tanzania - Volker Altvater (Big Five Tours & Expeditions, Stuart, Fla.)
Middle East - Jean Newman Glock (JNG Worldwide, Washington, D.C.)
Morocco - Michael Diamond (Heritage Tours Private Travel, New York, N.Y.)
Namibia - Chris Liebenberg (Piper & Heath Travel, San Diego, Calif.)
South Africa - Tamsyn Fricker (Travel Artistry Africa, Houston, Texas)
Southern Africa - Cherri Briggs (Explore Inc., Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Southern Africa - Julian Harrison (Premier Tours, Philadelphia, Pa.)
Southern Africa - Teresa Sullivan (Mango African Safaris, Portland, Ore.)
Europe
Central Europe - Nathalie Nagy (Protravel International, New York, N.Y.)
Central Europe - Ellison Poe (Poe Travel, Little Rock, Ark.)
France - Murielle Blanchard (Black Pearl Luxury Services, Salt Lake City, Utah)
France - Bob Preston (EuroPanache, New York, N.Y.)
Germany - Virginia Giordano (Culture Trip Germany, Berlin)
Greece - Mina Agnos (Travelive, Bloomfield, N.J.)
Greece - Christos Stergiou (TrueGreece, Maroussi, Greece)
Greece - Petros Zissimos (Hellenic Holidays, New York, N.Y.)
Ireland - Carol Cornell (Covington Travel, Fort Wayne, Ind.)
Italy - Joyce Falcone (The Italian Concierge, Far Hills, N.J.)
Italy - Emily FitzRoy (Bellini Travel, London)
Italy - Andrea Grisdale (IC Bellagio, Bellagio, Italy)
Italy - Uri Harash (Perfetto Traveler, Rome)
Italy - Beth Rubin (Select Italy, Chicago)
Italy - Marjorie Shaw (Insider's Italy, Rome)
Paris - Yaron Yarimi (Frosch, New York, N.Y.)
Russia - Greg Tepper (Exeter International, Tampa, Fla)
Scandinavia - Tor Jensen (Jensen World Travel, Wilmette, Ill.)
Scotland - Claire Schoeder (Century Travel, Atlanta)
Spain - Virginia Irurita (Made for Spain, Madrid)
Spain and Portugal - Joel A. Zack (See Super-Agents)
Switzerland - Ilene Koenig (Let's Travel (a division of Plaza Travel), Santa Monica, Calif.)
United Kingdom - Ellen LeCompte (Brownell Travel, Richmond, Va.)
United Kingdom - Linda M. Raymer (Travelink, American Express Travel, Nashville, Tenn.)
United Kingdom - Susie Worthy (NoteWorthy Events, London)
Western Europe - Anne Morgan Scully (See Super-Agents)
Western Europe - Jim Strong and Nancy Strong (See Super-Agents)
Asia
Burma - Rebecca Mazzaro (Asia Transpacific Journeys, Boulder, Colo.)
Cambodia - Andy Booth (ABOUTAsia Travel, Siem Reap, Cambodia)
China - Stan Godwyn (TravelStore, Sacramento, Calif.)
China - Guy Rubin (See Super-Agents)
China and Tibet - Mei Zhang (Wild China, Beijing)
Hong Kong - Laura Woo (West University Travel, Houston, Texas)
India - Jonny Bealby (Wild Frontiers, London)
India - Pallavi Shah (See Super-Agents)
India and Sri Lanka - Carole A. Cambata (Greaves Tours, Highland Park, Ill.)
India and Sri Lanka - Ashish Sanghrajka (Big Five Tours & Expedition, Stuart, Fla.)
Indonesia - Jarrod Hobson (Asia Transpacific Journeys, Boulder, Colo.)
Japan - Noriko Townsend (Altour American Express Travel/Japan In Style, Fort Collins, Colo.)
Japan - Duff Trimble (Wabi-Sabi Japan, Toronto)
Maldives - Justin Parkinson (Linara Travel, Eagle, Idaho)
Southeast Asia - Catherine Heald (Remote Lands, New York, N.Y.)
Mexico, Central, and South America
Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay - Maita Barrenechea (See Super-Agents)
Argentina and Chile - Jordan Harvey (Knowmad Adventures, Minneapolis, Minn.)
Brazil - Martin Frankenberg (Matueté, São Paulo, Brazil)
Brazil - Paul Irvine (Dehouche, Rio de Janeiro)
Central and South America - Emmanuel Burgio (Blue Parallel, Potomac, Md.)
Chile - Brian Pearson (Santiago Adventures, Santiago, Chile)
Galápagos - Brian Morgan (Adventure Life, Missoula, Mont.)
Mexico - Zachary Rabinor (Journey Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
Peru and Bolivia - Marisol Mosquera (Aracari Travel, Lima, Peru)
South America - Barkley Hickox (Indagare Travel, New York, N.Y.)
South America - Beth Jenkins (McCabe World Travel, McLean, Va.)
South America - Eric Sheets (Latin Excursions, Aventura, Fla.)
South American Food & Wine - Liz Caskey (Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences, Santiago, Chile)
Family Travel
Julia P. Douglas (Jet Set World Travel, Chicago)
Jessica Griscavage (McCabe World Travel, McLean, Va.)
Sam McClure (Small World Travel, Austin, Texas)
Kara Slater (SmartFlyer, Los Angeles)
Kathryn Sudeikis (Acendas, Mission, Kan.)
Kimberly Wilson Wetty (Valerie Wilson Travel, New York, N.Y.)
Cruising
Small and Large Ships - Scott Kertes (Hartford Holidays Travel, Garden City, N.Y.)
Small and Large Ships - Paul Niskanen (Cruise Masters/Concierge Travel Advisors, Portland, Ore.)
Small and Large Ships - Ruth Turpin (Cruises Etc., Fort Worth, Texas)
Small and Large Ships - Mary Ann Ramsey (See Super-Agents)
Small Ships - Betsy Patton (Hurley Travel Experts, Naples, Fla.)
Small Ships - Marcella Rappoport (Ovation Travel, New York, N.Y.)
Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific
Australia - Cassandra Bookholder (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix)
Australia - Suzy Mercien-Ferol (Touring Treasures, Brighton, Australia)
French Polynesia - Robin Turner (American Express Travel, Chicago)
French Polynesia - Susanne Hamer (TravelStore, Los Angeles)
New Zealand - Jean-Michel Jefferson (Ahipara Luxury Travel, Central Otago, New Zealand)
New Zealand - Donna Thomas (New Zealand Travel, Langhorne, Pa.)
Special Interest
Adventure - Betty Jo Currie (Currie & Co. Travels Unlimited, Atlanta)
Adventure - Brooke Garnett (Absolute Travel, New York, N.Y.)
Adventure - Tom Marchant (Black Tomato, London)
Adventure - Susan Sparks (Points of Interest Travel, Aspen, Colo.)
Adventure - Doris White (Cadence Travel, La Jolla, Calif.)
Air Travel - Michael Holtz (SmartFlyer, New York, N.Y.)
Business Travel - Steve Orens (Plaza Travel, Encino, Calif.)
Business Travel - Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg (Valerie Wilson Travel, New York, N.Y.)
Culture/Education - Margery Hunter (Rudi Steele Travel, Dallas, Texas)
Destination Celebrations - John Clifford (International Travel Management, San Diego, Calif.)
Destination Celebrations - Jack S. Ezon (See Super-Agents)
Diving - Robert Becker (Protravel International/Beckersphere, New York, N.Y.)
Fly-Fishing - Betsy Donley (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix)
Fly-Fishing - Mollie Fitzgerald (Frontiers International Travel, Gibsonia, Pa.)
Food and Wine - Lynda Turley Garrett (Alpine Travel of Saratoga, Saratoga, Calif.)
Gay and Lesbian Travel - David Rubin (DavidTravel, Corona del Mar, Calif.)
Golf - Jani Miller (Central Travel, Toledo, Ohio)
Hotels - Peter S. Carideo (CRC Travel, Chicago)
Hotels - Valerie Ann Wilson (See Super-Agents)
Hotels - Bobby Zur (Travel Artistry, Franklin Lakes, N.J.)
Luxury Travel - David Lowy (Renshaw Travel, Vancouver)
Spas and Wellness - Karen Benson (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix)
Value/Affordable Travel - Kathleen O'Connell (Frosch, Deerfield, Ill.)
Weddings and Honeymoons - Harlan DeBell and Kara Bebell (The Travel Siblings at Tzell Travel Group, New York, N.Y.)
Weddings and Honeymoons - Peter Lloyd (Century Travel, Atlanta)
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
