Each year, Travel + Leisure magazine rigorously evaluates travel agents to pick the best of the biz, and recently the consumer magazine released more than 100 agent names that clients will want to keep on hand.
Now in its fifth year, Travel + Leisure knows what to look for in an A-List agent, including reader’s responses to last year’s list, interviewing nominated agents, as well as examining agents’ specialties, business volume and if agents are interested in taking on new clients.
Here at TravelAge West, we were pleased to see so many of the top agents close to home.
Below are the more than 50 Western agents who made the cut, according to Travel + Leisure, and what they sell.
Africa
Botswana, Gabon, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia
Cherri Briggs, Explore, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
East Africa
Kent Redding, Africa Adventure Consultants, Denver
Madagascar
Monique Rodriguez, Cortez Travel/Madagascar Expeditions, Solana Beach, California
Rwanda and Uganda
Thomas M. Keesling, Tom Keesling Travel/Frosch International Travel, Denver
Seychelles
Astrid Breuer, Michael’s Travel Centre Inc. Agoura Hills, California
The Americas
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru
Tom Damon, Southwind Adventures, Littleton, Colorado
Canada
Mary Pyle Peters, Distinctive Journeys, Blairsden, California
Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Leigh Ann Cloutier, Rico Tours, Austin, Texas
Richard Edwards, Wildland Adventures, Seattle
Guatemala
Brady Binstadt, Geographic Expeditions, San Francisco
Mexico
Ben Gritzewsky, Frosch International Travel, Houston
Jewell Ramos, Worldview Travel, Santa Ana, California
Asia
Bali
Diane Embree, Michael’s Travel Centre, Westlake Village, California
Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
Brent Olson, Geographic Expeditions, San Francisco
Camboida
Mary DeForest Cardoza, Cardoza - Bungey Travel, Palo Alto, California
India, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Tibet
Sanjay Saxena, Destination Himalya, San Rafael, California
Japan
Nancy Craft, Esprit Travel & Tours, Telluride, Colorado
Maldives
Lindsey Wallace, Linara Travel, Calabasas, California
Myanmar
Eric Kareus, Asia Transpacific Journeys, Boulder, Colorado
Europe
Belgium and The Netherlands
Harmina Mulder, The Travel Society, Denver
France
Howard Lewis, Chartwell Travel, Inglewood, Califonia
Italy
Roberto Agostini, Precision Travel, Dallas
Malta
Rudi Steele, Rudi Steele Travel, Dallas
Western Europe
Rudi Steele, Rudi Steele Travel, Dallas
Middle East
Egypt, Israel, and Jordan
James R. Berkeley, Destinations & Adventures International, Los Angeles
Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria
Rita Zawaideh, Caravan-Serai Inc., Seattle
Pacific Nations
Australia and Fiji
Lynette Wilson, Destination World, Hermosa Beach, California
French Polynesia and the Cook Islands
Kleon Howe, The Art of Travel, San Diego
Papua New Guinea
Jim Harlan, Uncommon Adventures, Marina Del Ray, California
United States
California’s Napa Valley, Sierra Foothills, and Sonoma Valley
Jackie Richmond, Wine Country Concierge, Napa
Hawaii
Betty Cox, Travel Concepts, Fountain Valley, California
Robin Kanno, Landmark Travel, Orinda, California
Pacific Northwest
Sheri Doyle, Pacific Northwest Journeys, Seattle
The Rockies
Caroline Bach Wood, Off the Beaten Path, Bozeman, Montana
Southwest
Betsy Donley, Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix
Hotels & Resorts
Rudi Steele, Rudi Steele Travel, Dallas
Cruises
Affordable Large Ships
Judy Lucas, Concierge Cruises & Tours, Tucson
Antarctica
Chuck and Lynn Cross, Polar Cruises/Expeditions, Inc., Bend, Oregon
Long Cruises
Janet Lanterman, Cruise Specialists, Seattle
Luxury Midsize Ships
Leslie Fambrini, Personalized Travel Consultants, Los Altos, California
Scandinavia and the Baltic
Paul Niskanen, Cruise Masters, Beaverton, Oregon
Yacht Charters: Exotic
Mary Crowley, Ocean Voyages, Sausalito, California
Sports & Adventure
Scuba Diving
Meg Austin, The Travel Society, Denver
Ayse Boykin, TravelStore, Los Angeles
Skiing: Europe
Dorothea Rasser, SkiEurope,Houston
Skiing: United States and Canada
Jana Emery, Ski.com, Aspen, Colorado
Special Interest
Family Travel: Trips with Children
Kay Merrill, Are We There Yet? Larkspur, California
Frequent-flier Miles
LaDonna Epler, AwardPlanner, Colorado Springs
Private Jet Vacations
Brian T. Robertson, Robertson International Travel Consultants, Santa Barbara, California
Rail Travel: North America
Sylvia and Ted Blishak, Accent on Travel USA, Klamath Falls, Oregon
