Susan Ketchum and her husband caught up with their planner Jennifer in person.

We recently traveled to London for just a few days prior to other travel and once again counted on Jennifer to help us plan. We have been to London many times so we asked Jennifer to recommend a few things that were different for us.

She was able to secure tickets to the Cartier exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum, which was sold out. It was gorgeous and we always enjoy going back to the museum…so much to discover.
Jennifer also planned a “Foodies Tour” in the Hackney neighborhood, which is vibrant and trendy.
Because of scheduling, this tour took place on Sunday morning which was not ideal. It was also a bit too long. Jennifer appreciated this feedback from us. We did enjoy seeing a part of London we were not familiar with.

Jennifer and her team arranged for drivers to and from the airport and after a long flight this is so much appreciated. They also suggested restaurants and secured reservations for us.

We have stayed in several different lovely hotels in London and for us part of the beauty of travel is the accommodation.

Jennifer always gives us several hotel recommendations to choose from. This time we chose the Dorchester Hotel, which was exquisite. Amazing service, beautiful rooms and common spaces, and very good restaurants. The hotel is also within walking distance of everywhere we wanted to go, and Hyde Park was across the street!

It makes a big difference that Jennifer lives in London and knows what’s happening and is aware of the new and old restaurants.

A bonus was that after working with Jennifer on numerous trips to Italy and France, we were finally able to meet her in person.

We really trust Jennifer’s advice and she is already planning our stay in Paris in October.

This is the fourth time I have called upon Jennifer and her team to help me plan a fantastic holiday—and once—again they have hit it out of the ballpark (or batted a century, whichever metaphor you wish to use)!!!

I had planned for a barge cruise with friends and family on Loch Ness and quickly decided that since I will be on the other side of the pond, why not romp around the rest of the UK and append nearly all of June 2025 exploring!!

As always, Jennifer had some great ideas to round out my post-cruise visit. Unfortunately, the airline (which I booked) had a two-hour flight delay leaving the US and consequently put our detailed plan at risk. I notified Jennifer and she said no problem and quickly readjusted my meets-and-greets in the UK. Once I landed (over two hours late!), I was met and expeditiously escorted through customs and onto my flight to Inverness. Ahmed—my driver in Scotland—knew of the delay, met me at the airport and whisked me off to my hotel and subsequently the barge for my week-long cruise.

Ahmed would pick me up 7 days later and drive me to 100 Princes Street in Edinburgh, a hotel recommended by Jennifer and one worthy of royalty. I felt as if I was staying in someone’s home. Right on the edge of the old town, at the base of the castle, I had amazing views of the city. But that’s not the best part about the arrival. Along the way from Inverness to Edinburgh, Jennifer’s team arranged for me a visit to the Duncarron Medieval Village, a recreation of a Scottish fortified city of the 1600s. My host was a famous movie star (well, sort of famous); he was in the opening scenes of Gladiator. He’s the warrior who threw the head of the Roman officer down in front of Russell Crowe’s character!! The best part though was the fact that I greatly improved my axe-throwing skills and am ready for some great times at local bars on Friday nights!

I also got a private tour of the former royal yacht Britannia. We have nothing like that (and never had) in the States. She’s still an amazing ship even 28 years after decommissioning.

My final day in Edinburgh was a historical marvel: Jill took me on an all-day tour of the Old City. From the castle, down the Royal Mile to Holyroodhouse, she provided details of who lived where, when and why things happened, and even threw in a few lesser-known tidbits. I now get to tell my nephews and nieces that I visited the place where Harry Potter was “created.” I visited the graveyard where some of the characters’ names were “borrowed.” I also know who was the inspiration for Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde!!

Unfortunately, I had to leave Edinburgh my next adventure, but Jennifer convinced me to take the train to London instead of flying. She was—of course—right. Seeing the countryside passing by your window for four relaxing hours beats flying overhead at 35,000 feet and straining to see the ground!

I was met at King’s Cross by Calin who drove me to one of my favorite places in the UK—The Pig on the Beach. Part of a boutique suite of hotels, The Pig is everything a country home is supposed to be. Jennifer first booked me here in 2021, and I couldn’t wait to get back and see more of Dorset and the Jurassic Coast. She paired me up with another history buff—Ian—and we toured the area stopping in Weymouth, Plymouth (an old stomping ground from my Marine Corps days) and Portland. I specifically requested a return visit to T. E. Lawrence’s home at Clouds Hill and a follow-on visit to the nearby Tank Museum. A treasure trove for a history nut like me!!!

Again, unfortunately, it was time to leave and continue onto my next and last leg of this adventure. After the train from The Pig to London, Ali met me at Waterloo Station and got me to the Saint James Hotel & Club. The Saint James is ideally located in the middle of Mayfair and offered me the chance just to walk around and explore. I had asked Jennifer to allow a couple of “down” days so that I could recover from vacation (!) before going home; she did just that. I spent a couple of days just wandering between Piccadilly Circus (and eating too much at Fortnum & Mason), window shopping Jermyn Street and the Burlington Arcade (£3,000 for a bespoke attaché case!!) and just people watching from pub windows. On my final day in London, Ali drove me to Heathrow for the flight home.

All in all this was an amazing experience; Jennifer and her team (special shouts out to Gen and Ainara) continue to live up to their reputation as WOW List providers. I think it’s time to plan my next visit!!

We just returned from an incredible 3+ week mid-June to early July journey through Europe planned by Jennifer and her team. My husband and I took my mid-70’s parents and our almost 13-year-old daughter to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Tuscany to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The trip was nothing short of epic—and the expert planning and guidance from Jennifer & team made all the difference.

Jennifer works with a trusted network of hotels, guides, transfer providers, etc. so I always felt like we were getting the best of the best. The one time we had a less-than-stellar experience with a guide, we shared feedback and the team was able to act quickly and swap out our guide for the next day so that we didn’t have to spend another day with him. She has a team on the ground in each country that keeps close tabs on your trip and sends a nightly text recapping the plans for the next day with all the relevant directions, contact information, tickets etc. This made it so easy to just relax into the vacation and not worry about logistics!

In London, we were there for Trooping the Colour, the king’s birthday parade. Our daughter is obsessed with all things Royals, and our guide David managed to help us get just the right vantage point to see the parade in all its glory. The squeal of delight when she saw Kate & the kids pass by in the carriage is something I’ll never forget! David also managed to execute a perfectly timed sprint out to the front steps of Westminster Abbey mid-tour to see the Red Arrows flyover before going back inside to finish the tour. He was a masterful storyteller (he has a theater background) and he connected well with everyone in our group. We were thrilled to also have him the next day at the Tower of London where he continued to captivate us with stories so fun our daughter didn’t even realize she was learning a bit of history!

I could go on and on, but my best advice is to reach out to Jennifer and tell her what you enjoy and what you’re looking for, and then trust her recommendations. You will not be disappointed!!

Wonderful trip with two dear friends. Traveled to the Cotswalds, London, and Edinburgh. Each hotel was lovely and first class. Great service and hosting in each.

The Cotswalds are beautiful. Lovely countryside and architecture. They have done a marvelous job of avoiding the pollution of signs, fast food, varied architecture, etc. I could easily live there. We woke at 2 am to experience Stonehenge at dawn just two days before the solstice. Great experience.

London is an amazing city. Great guides. Afternoon tea was amazing. The British museum, British War Museum, and Trooping the Colours were great. Had dinner at a great Indian restaurant.

Edinburgh is a truly underappreciated city. Wonderfully friendly folks. 100 Princes Street hotel was fantastic. The Castle and the Royal Residence were great but the real gem was a sheep dog herding demonstration in the countryside. The herding expert had amazing ability to direct the brilliant dogs with whistles and body language. It was a stunning end to our trip.

Jennifer was directly involved. Her advice was on target. The trip costs were not elevated by her involvement. The biggest plus was that the entire team was incredibly responsive during the trip. We reached out several times and Jennifer or her folks responded within 15 minutes at any time of the day or night. I would certainly use Jennifer again.

We just returned from an eleven-day trip to England (four days in London, three days in Cornwall, and four days in the Cotswolds). Jennifer worked with us to create a travel plan that exceeded our expectations.

To begin with, all of the hotels Jennifer recommended were terrific, including Fleming’s Mayfair Hotel in London (great location; top-notch staff; very nice accommodations), Carbis Bay Hotel in Cornwall (site of G7 summit in 2021; located on a gorgeous stretch of beach near the attractive seaside town of St. Ives; we stayed in spacious room in the main hotel, though if we had to do it over again, we would have probably chosen one of the modern beach front units as Jennifer had originally recommended), Bovey Castle in Dartmoor (beautiful resort and golf course that served as a one-night stop over on way from Cornwall to the Cotswolds), and Buckland Manor in the Cotswolds (located in the small and extremely picturesque village of Buckland, within a few minutes of Broadway; a historic 13th-century church adjoins Buckland Manor).

Moreover, Jennifer designed a series of incredible experiences that more than matched our goals for the trip, including (1) guided tours to Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Parliament, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Churchill War Rooms, and Oxford (tour guides Glen, Jane, and two Davids were all fantastic); (2) Sunday roast in Bath on our way from Bovey Castle to Buckland; and (3) enough free time for us to enjoy driving from town to town and seeing sites on our own.

In Cornwall we recommend seeing the Minack Theatre, perched on a rocky seaside bluff near Penzance, and also the nearby, stunningly beautiful Porthcurno Beach; Saint Ives; and Port Isaac. In the Cotswolds some of our favorite towns were Broadway, Chipping Campden, Stanton, Snowshill, Upper Slaughter, and Lower Slaughter. We rented a car and even though the driving can be tricky, we loved seeing the countryside at our leisure. We even helped rescue a wayward lamb on the road one day! A special and humorous moment experienced with some locals who stopped to assist.

Jennifer’s team also communicated with us throughout the trip, sending us a text every evening detailing the events the next day (including any tickets, reservations etc. we might need). We really liked this format for keeping up on top of our plans.

Thank you to Jennifer and her team for delivering an incredible trip, which included a WOW Moment that truly met the definition: a tour of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and other behind-the-scenes locations in Westminster Palace used by Members of Parliament and British Royalty. Thank you for the unforgettable memories.

Diane enjoying oysters at the Borough Market with her daughter and twin granddaughters.

My daughter, twelve-year-old twin granddaughters and I spent Easter break in London. This was the second trip arranged for us by Jennifer and her staff who helped us visit Paris two years ago. Once again, we had a fabulous time with excellent guides and arranged tours.

Wes was our driver/guide for a panoramic black cab tour of the city to see the London landmarks. He was tuned into stopping at sights the girls would enjoy, including spray painting their own creations in Graffiti Tunnel on Leake Street. Wes was terrific and the girls loved him.

Our guide, Ben, for a half day tour of the Tower of London was very knowledgeable and a natural story teller. An afternoon at the Harry Potter Studios was a highlight for the girls. Our black car ride to and from the studios was greatly appreciated after spending 4 hours at the studio when everyone was tired.

Our behind the scenes experience at the Borough Market with Tash exceeded our expectations. We had 12 different samplings from scallops, oysters, tea, cheese, crumble, and fresh sugarcane juice. Tash was very engaging and energetic.

The views of London from sunset dinner at the Aqua Shard, the London Eye and the Thames speed boat ride were memorable.

Our trip to London was well organized with professional drivers and guides. I wouldn’t hesitate to use Jennifer and her staff again for a trip. Their recommendations were excellent and made the trip special for all of us.

Heathrow Interruption: We were to spend 3 nights in London before our Canary Island cruise out of South Hampton. We were fully settled in our seats, sitting on the tarmac at JFK, waiting for our flight to London to take off. Captain informed us of a delay in our flight. Well, that delay turned into requesting all passengers to deplane at approximately 2am, about 31/2 hours after our scheduled departure. We collected our bags, found a hotel and began phone calls to make flight arrangements to get to London. Once the flights were established, we needed travel support to get to our cruise departure point, Southampton.

So I reached out to Wendy Perrin and her staff for insight and suggestions. And I also reached out one of Wendy’s trusted travel advisors that we had used before for our travels in the U.K. and France—Jennifer. She and her staff were able to get us a car and driver from Heathrow to Southampton in good order for our cruise departure.

Thank you Wendy and Jennifer for being there and able to provide service on such short notice!

Theresa Sandoval’s family enjoyed an Arsenal game during spring break in London.

Jennifer and her team made our London spring break trip seamless! First and most importantly, she helped us to secure Arsenal tickets to celebrate my husband’s birthday. She had great advice on schedule our other activities around the match. Her hotel recommendation was exactly on point, and we could not have been happier with our stay and the ideal room set up for our family of 4 at the Haymarket.

Her team was available at every point, and they sent us helpful reminders of where to be and when throughout our journey. Last but not least—Jennifer set us up with the BEST tour guides!! Russell showed us around the changing of the guard, Churchill War Rooms, the British Museum, and the best food market in a converted church. He met everyone’s needs and questions and kept all of us (even the 12- and 17-year olds) engaged all day! The next day, after a private speed boat ride up and down the Thames, Stuart gave us a behind-the-scenes, after hours tour of the HMS Belfast.

Again, we loved every minute of the tour and were so grateful for his time and expertise. Thank you, Jennifer, for helping us to plan a wonderful vacation!!

The Mesechers—Paris and London, February 11-20.
This was our first time together to visit Paris and London and we have to say it was an amazing experience! Our WOW List travel specialist and her team of local advisors in Paris and London were invaluable in helping us plan the perfect experience of museums, markets, dining and all of the little things that they recommended. Receiving a text the evening before outlining the details of the following day was wonderful to not only help us prepare for, but also to start the anticipation of an exciting day to come (and help us navigate travels, including our greeters and transportation drivers). Our private guides were wonderful (we highly recommend them) as they helped highlight the best parts of museums, galleries, churches, neighborhoods, and markets, and sharing the history and culture changes in each activity which would have otherwise been overwhelming (where do we start and what should we see?).

Our amazing guide in Paris, Lucia, taught us how to “read” art by showing how to look at the direction of flow, the intricate details that have “a message” within the art and the story behind each piece. It was fascinating (we will never look at art the same)! We highly recommend the Horse Guard changing of the guard in London (we were fortunate that King Charles was in town so we were able to see the white horse) and everyone should spend at least one day and night as “royalty” at the Le Grand Controle in Versailles! The immersive back-in-time experience with staff in full costume and personality and the breathtaking 18th century suite was a true memorable highlight of our trip. We also highly recommend the Borough Market with the private guide, Lauren, who did a wonderful job walking us through this vast outdoor market of 200+ vendors to show us some of the best (and unique) samplings of cheeses, meats, pastys, sausage rolls, desserts and a variety of delicious offerings. (Note: do not plan a large dinner that evening because you will be pleasantly full by the end of the tour.)

Once again, we are glad that we used the amazing resources of Wendy Perrin and her WOW List to help us build an incredible and memorable itinerary that we would not have been able to experience if we had done it ourselves. The proverbial “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know” becomes very evident when you talk to your trip advisor to build your wish list of travel plans because of their intimate knowledge of the area and their passion for making every traveler’s trip a Wendy Perrin WOW experience. Thank you to everyone who was directly (and indirectly) involved! We are already thinking about where we want to go next so we can reach back out to the Wendy Perrin team!!

Travelers Jan Heininger and Jamie Reuter visit The Hive in Kew Gardens.

England, Feb 28 – March 5, 2025

Jennifer organized for us a recent stay of five nights in England (London, the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon) before we went on to Malta for another nine days. This was the third trip Jennifer has organized for us and as ever she made and executed arrangements that were flawless. From airport pick up from Heathrow to drivers to guides and accommodations, we were cared for seamlessly. (And that all-electric BMW i7 was to die for.)

Our tour of the Tower of London was excellent (I had been but my husband had not) and having a private guide brought the Tower alive. It was eerie to stand where Sir Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell had been executed—a site I’d missed on my previous visit. Similarly, having a highly knowledgeable guide for Kew Gardens enhanced our visit. For two days we had an excellent guide/driver for Blenheim Palace, a driving tour with stops of the Cotswolds and a day in Stratford-upon-Avon. (Be sure and take the superb Costume Tour at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.) Given the tight quarters of the Shakespeare sites, we were exceedingly glad we were visiting in early March and not high season when all the sites would be over crowded.

Our hotels were excellent and we were delighted Jennifer was able to join us for breakfast one day. It was a treat to finally meet her in person. We can’t praise Jennifer highly enough. Last year, on the second trip she arranged for us, my husband broke his leg in Paris and Jennifer and her French head of operations gave us enormous assistance dealing with his twelve days in hospital and for surgery. We were so glad that this year we were able to go from being the clients-no-one-wants-to-be (or have) to clients for whom everything goes flawlessly. For years, Wendy has urged off-season travel to high-demand places. We couldn’t agree more on the value of doing so.

The guides were excellent in each place and the trip was tailored especially to our needs, as we had 3 generations of family with us. I would not hesitate to use this resource and highly recommend their services.

Jennifer and her staff planned a wonderful trip for my husband and I to Paris and London in mid-September. We were somewhat flexible in our travel dates and Jennifer helped maneuver around the Olympics, Fashion Week, Buckingham Palace opening, and the fact that the “Versailles experience” required a 2 night stay on a week end. Without her expertise in picking our dates, we would have found ourselves in traffic jams and disappointed at not being able to do some of the things we had wanted. And such a great suggestion to start our trip in Paris, so that we would pick up an hour (due to the time zone change) upon arriving in London.

Jennifer took all the effort out of the details of trip planning. After an initial discussion about our travel goals, she provided us with descriptions of special experiences she could arrange. This was extremely helpful and allowed us to pick and choose. She also indicated the price of each activity, which allowed us to prioritize how we wanted to allocate our travel budget. She gave us theatre recommendations in London and then landed lovely 2nd row seats. She booked our train tickets, the boat tickets, handled the dinner reservations, arranged and rearranged drivers, and also gave us recommendations on options for Sunday Mass.

While members of her staff handled the details of individual reservations, it was clear that Jennifer was still on top of everything. During our final walk through of the itinerary, she added a driver to our WWII experience because she thought we would accomplish more than being on foot.

Regarding our itinerary, we wanted to do a lot of traditional sightseeing but did it in a very special way—private cruise on the Seine, Montmartre food tour, Paris at Night in a vintage car, Paris at War, 24 hours at Versailles, behind the Scenes of the Churchill War Rooms, Windsor Castle, to name a few. All of the guides were excellent. They knew their history and were generally lovely people.

Every night we received a text with the details of the next day’s plans. In some cases, the text included additional copies of the tickets that were required for the day. It was very comforting to know that someone was always there for us.

Overall, our trip was very well organized and went off without a hitch. Jennifer is an expert at what she does and in her knowledge of Paris and London. It was a pleasure working with her and I would not hesitate to use her again.

We just returned from a 6-day trip to London (3 nights) and Paris (3 nights). Was a fabulous introductory trip to both countries, as we traveled abroad with our two youngest children (13 and 18 years old) for their first time. Jennifer and staff were terrific at arranging transportation, hotel and guides. Every plan was smooth, and we never had a moment’s worry. The itinerary was full, but we were able to truly see the iconic sights and places of interest for our first time in London and Paris. Both hotels we stayed in were excellent, with connecting rooms that allowed us to be “with” each other while keeping a little privacy. The Rubens at the Palace hotel in London was especially fun for us, with a porter greeting all guests at the door in full palace costume. Both hotels also had delicious, included breakfast which made for an easy start to each day.

Highlights in London included the Churchill War Rooms and museum which was probably everyone’s favorite place we visited, dinner at the Shard (we chose to eat at Oblix West and Jennifer made sure we had pre-booked a window table during sunset…amazing!), and the Borough Market for their famous chocolate-covered strawberries (they did not disappoint!).

Highlights in Paris included a dinner boat cruise on the Seine, seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night and strolling along the Champs-Élysées toward the Arc (which we climbed up to a spectacular view of Paris).

This was truly a seamless, memorable and fantastic trip! Many thanks to Jennifer and her team for the effort they put in to make our vacation wonderful.

Back from a fabulous trip to London, with side trips to Windsor Castle and Oxford. I went with my wife, Marci, and 2 of our grandchildren, cousins Jake (13) and Drew(16) from 8/14 to 8/21. We worked with Jennifer Virgilio and several members of her team. Both in the planning and the execution while we were there, all members of the team were extremely responsive and helpful. The guides they chose to accompany us on private tours — Georgiana, Martin, Mark and Russell were all excellent.

The most unusual thing we did was the behind-the-glass private tour of the Churchill War Rooms. I have no doubt that the normal public tours are fine, but actually being able to go into the rooms and see the charts, maps, papers, etc. up close was an incredible experience.

Jennifer and her team added tremendous value. They selected a hotel, the Rubens at the Palace, that was just the kind of hotel Marci and I love. Her team was able to get us tickets to a Premier League match as well as show tickets. No complaints!

My wife and I, along with 6 other friends, were in London for a 2023 Memorial Day Weekend Getaway. Working with Jennifer’s office was a pleasure. The five guides they arranged were all top-notch and made the experiences (Westminster Abby and War Room, Chelsea Flower Show, Tea at Claridges, Royal Opera House backstage tour, Antique Shopping, East End Food Tour) come alive. The transportation arrangements and drivers were excellent. The private coaches were extremely clean and comfortable. Expectations were exceeded.

The restaurant selections were hits as well. Kutir (Indian food) was top-notch and the lunch at Nopi was extra special with your help…amazing food. It was a happy surprise that a sister restaurant was where we stopped on our food tour for cakes.

Thank you to everyone for working to make this long weekend in London very special, since moving in a group of 8 is not always the easiest. The group has great memories that have been taken home.

Jennifer recently planned a 4-day trip for my friend and me to London. We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, which was perfectly located and such a luxurious treat. Jennifer and her team made excellent restaurant recommendations as well as a wonderful high tea experience. She also arranged a stylist and driver to take us around London for the day. Not only did we love our stylist but she took us to neighborhoods that we wouldn’t have gone to on our own. We also saw the Tina Turner show, which I would definitely recommend. Jennifer’s knowledge of London is excellent and as this is the second trip she has helped plan for me, she has gotten to know me and my likes/dislikes, which shows the personal touch she takes with her clients. I’m looking forward to working with Jennifer again soon!

Once again, Jennifer and her team of WOW experts created an amazing adventure in the U.K. and Italy for me. Starting with a meet-and-greet at Heathrow, we bypassed the LONG passport-control lines, picked up bags and were off to Dorset. We explored and investigated the last home of T.E. Lawrence—and finally located the marker of his fatal crash site near Bovington—and paid our respects at memorials in Moreton and Waresham. Off to my old stomping grounds in Portsmouth for an amazing hands-on refresher on pre-WWII D-Day happenings and a stop to see the Mary Rose (after a 31-year restoration effort). Finally to London for the Ceremony of the Keys in the Tower at night—quite eerie if you think about what went on in the Tower—and an amazing cruise up and down the Thames (HIGHLY recommended for all). In Greenwich, we got to stand in two hemispheres at once and see the original clocks that helped ships at sea navigate.

Boarding the British Pullman, we could see how the “other half” lived in the early 20th century, the luxury (and great food!!) were still awe-inspiring. Then came another bucket-list highlight, an overnight on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to Venice. A few martinis in the Bar Car and you could imagine sitting with Agatha Christie as she writes another “who-dunnit.” Again, the food, champagne and atmosphere were stunning and the craftmanship of these luxury hotels on wheels could never be matched by today’s trains. There is simply too much history embedded in the wood inlays and thick woolen carpets.

Arriving in Venice gave us time to wind down and relax—it’s another great walking city, one in which you should get lost and then discover a hidden gem. It was off to Milan for the last few days of this tour. Seeing daVinci’s “Last Supper” for the second time in 53 years took my breath away…the 20+ years of restoration have helped to improve the masterpiece (and ask about Leonardo’s secret trick for maintaining perfect perspective in the mural). Walking up to the roof of the Duomo was perfect to catch a glimpse of the fashion capital below you (as long as you are not afraid of heights). The culmination of this experience was Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor being sung in La Scala….we could have sat through the performance again, if possible.

The trip was fabulous, the attention to detail and support was flawless and the experiences eternal….I’m starting to plan my next excursion already!!

Jennifer (and her wonderful team) helped me plan our recent mother/daughter trip to London and Paris. I wanted to create an unforgettable experience for my daughter’s 16th birthday. Words cannot express how perfect this trip was… I could never have created this epic trip on my own (and don’t think I will ever try). I spoke with Jennifer before we even began the process, and she asked questions about my daughter to help tailor the trip around her preferences and interests. We traveled during spring break ahead of her June birthday, as per Jennifer’s recommendations to avoid the summer crowds. My daughter had some specific requests, which Jennifer did a fabulous job of delivering! She also suggested other activities, hotel options, made dinner reservations, arranged train transportation, private guides and drivers, and transfers. She even helped me with my request to have flowers delivered to each hotel room upon our arrival. I did not have to worry about anything but my airline reservations. She and her team allowed me the opportunity to simply enjoy 10 glorious days with my daughter…priceless.

We stayed at the Reubens on the Palace in London, which was a beautiful hotel and very well located for walking to shopping, theater, Buckingham Palace and the Underground. The hotel provided a lovely gift and note to my daughter upon our arrival for her birthday and left a variety of treats for turndown each night. The staff was friendly, and the doormen were very kind and helpful. We had a very busy itinerary which included horseback riding in Hyde Park, a private guide for a full day in London, Windsor Castle, East End, theater tickets, a visit to Harry Potter studios, and even a day train trip to Harry Styles’ hometown (specific request). I will not regret my decision to secure private guides and drivers. Russell was our guide for all of our tours in London. He was so knowledgeable, personable and did a wonderful job considering my daughter’s interests. We truly enjoyed our time together with him. I would highly recommend requesting him if you are considering a trip to London, as you will find yourself seeing, doing and learning things that you might miss if touring on your own. Having a private driver also allows you to sit back, relax, enjoy the scenery and once again experience more than you would if you are trying to navigate the Underground, maps or hailing taxis.

Our travel from London to Paris was very organized and uncomplicated. I purchased business-class tickets on the Eurostar, which allows you entrance to a wonderful waiting area that has a lovely display of food, drinks, and magazines.

Jennifer arranged a VIP Meet and Greet for us when we arrived in Paris, which was quite helpful to navigate our luggage through the train station and out to our transfer driver.

We stayed at Hotel Madame Reve in Paris, after exploring many options with Jennifer. We were very happy with our choice. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Our room had a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower and a large outdoor terrace. There was a bottle of champagne and macarons waiting upon our arrival with a nice note for my daughter. They even made the king-size bed with 2 separate sets of sheets for us since they do not have twin rooms. We have visited Paris many times, so Jennifer provided excellent activities for us including a Perfume Workshop, Pastry Making Class, private Louvre tour, the Moulin Rouge and a day trip out to Chateau de Chantilly to ride horses and tour the chateau with a private guide/driver. Our guide, Tatiana, took us through the Louvre and did an exemplary job of showing us the highlights and also pointing out artistic styles, providing pertinent art history and keeping my daughter engaged. I felt as if we walked away from the Louvre with a much better experience and understanding of what we saw.

Our departure was a welcome surprise. The driver was timely, friendly, helpful and dropped us off at the airport to another VIP Meet and Greet. This gentleman took our luggage, walked us through the airport, helped complete tax refunds, took us to VIP check-in and escorted us to the boarding gate. If you have the opportunity to take advantage of this, I think you will find that you will never do without again! We loved it.

Throughout our stay, I was receiving texts with reminders and information on the following day. If we had any concerns or problems, (which we didn’t), I knew that I could reach out to someone for assistance at any time.

I would never have been able to provide such a memorable vacation without Jennifer’s help! I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

Wynne Wages and family in front of Windsor Castle.

Our trip to London and Oxford planned by Jennifer Virgilio was absolutely amazing. She listened to our desires, planned a wonderful trip which checked all of the boxes for our various family members, and was incredibly patient and kind throughout the entire process. We felt very secure with Jennifer’s team and with the guides and drivers that they secured for us. This was our best family vacation by far and I would highly recommend Jennifer for anyone traveling to the U.K.

My “royalist” daughter was in literal tears when we walked up to Buckingham Palace…and her enthusiasm didn’t wane throughout the entire trip. Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London…so many places were thrilling for her (and for all of us!).

Our London guide, Mark, was fantastic. He truly let our desires lead the way. For instance, Tanner wanted to go by the Lindo Wing steps if we had time. Mark and our driver made the time…and made her day! He said that was a new request for him, but that he aimed to please. He was patient and knowledgeable and we loved our days in London with him. Trey was absolutely enthralled with the BTS tour of the Churchill War Rooms. We all were, actually.

Elizabeth in Oxford was a breath of fresh air. Such grace, knowledge and love for Oxford. She was wonderful as well. Not only do I want to be her best friend, but I want to be in her book club! If I could change anything about the trip, we would have spent an additional day in Oxford…we absolutely loved it.

David was so nice and had so much information to share. He was less flexible than the other two guides…keeping us on track!…but we had a lot of sites to see during his two days with us. Stonehenge was a true sight to behold…truly amazing. All of us were disappointed with Bath. It felt very commercialized and the Jane Austen Centre was fairly juvenile. I wish we had gone into Bath Abbey instead. My next trip will be the cathedrals, chapels and churches…we loved them all so much! Stratford-Upon-Avon was great; unfortunately Anne Hathaway’s cottage was closed so we missed going there. But we had added a stop to Holy Trinity Church and Shakespeare’s grave, so that eased the pain!

Both hotels were amazing, especially The Chesterfield Mayfair. The staff was extremely helpful, kind and gracious. The Old Bank was lovely, too. We just had less interaction with the staff. The locations of each were perfect and I’m so glad that we selected those two.

We are so appreciative of the help Jennifer provided us on our recent trip to London and Paris.

We had a fun week and were thrilled to be able to check Paris off our bucket list. Jennifer’s office provided exactly what we asked for – assistance with travel logistics between cities, interesting tours to fit in between business commitments, and a plan to see all the key sites of Paris in a short amount of time!

We both appreciated the daily texts very much. As well as the quick responsiveness when we did have questions. This was reassuring and helped to keep our logistics straight!

In hindsight, I would have done a few things differently, but overall we were really pleased.

~ London ~
We had business in London as well as free time, so I asked Jennifer to fill in some of our down time so we could see parts of London in a different way than we do when traveling for business.

Windsor Castle – I selected this because I thought it would be a good way to pass that first day after an overnight flight. Our guide, Russell was great (as was Wayne, our driver) but ultimately we didn’t see the value, as we were not at our best after the travel and we lost time due to a delay disembarking from the plane.

Next time, I will simply get the hotel for an additional night so it is ready for my arrival.

East End Tour — This was a nice way to see a different part of the city. Russell is an energetic and educated guide and we enjoyed his company.

Fashion Tour — I really enjoyed this and I am not really into fashion, but I wanted to try something different as I have been to London several times. First of all, my guide, Cindy, was wonderful. She is enthusiastic and clearly keen on the subject matter. She was really well prepared and had supporting materials to share along the way – pictures and historical information that she carries in her iPad. In addition to fashion, it was a great way to learn more about the culture, architecture, and history of England, but in a non-traditional way.

It was also really nice that this was a walking tour, as it helped me navigate the neighborhood afterwards when I was meandering on my own.

~ Paris ~
We only had two full days in Paris and I had asked Jennifer to plan a trip that packed in as many of the main sites as possible, which she did accomplish.
Jennifer had recommended a greeter and a car upon arrival in Paris, which we appreciated, as the train station is super busy and it was later at night so having the greeter there was nice.

Classic Car Tour – My husband enjoyed it. We covered a lot of ground and saw all of the well-known sights! I am mixed about this one as I prefer walking tours/slower paced.

Our guide, Renejean, was very nice and we enjoyed his commentary and his company. Renejean also made some good restaurant recommendations, showed us a great local cafe and treated us to a wonderful croissant.

Eiffel Tower – This was a nice way to see the tower. Our guide was good and I enjoyed being with a group here and meeting some other tourists. We also could have easily navigated this one on our own.

Louvre – Isabelle was great. It was very helpful to have a guide here as I can imagine that on our own we would have just meandered about and may not have seen all the top exhibits or even fully realized all that we were looking at. We both really enjoyed our time and Isabelle as our guide. She also made some good suggestions for our afternoon exploration and set us off on a good path.

Airport Greeter – Such a great service! Ending a vacation without the stress of navigating departure is wonderful!

In summary, it was a great trip. I realize now that Paris is perhaps a city best enjoyed in a more relaxed manner, walking and exploring. I wish we had had at least one more day to do more meandering about.

Jennifer’s office did a fantastic job, and the tours recommended met all our needs as we discussed originally. In the future, I may approach these trips with less of my own plan initially and see what the local guides suggest as a pace and schedule. I always learn from travel and this was no exception, any activities that I would have done differently are a part of that process.

Thank you for all of your help!

Our London trip over the 2022 Thanksgiving holiday was fantastic—fulfilling the wishes of a family of four including two teens. We are very glad we went for five nights, any longer would have been too much, any shorter wouldn’t have included such a variety of experiences. We all needed a seamless getaway from work and school with enough activity to engage without the worry of language translations. We had heard the Christmas lights could be grand (they were) and that the streets wouldn’t be crowded (not true). The trip was energetic and vibrant—a great refresh.

Jennifer and her righthand planner, Zara, were pleasant to deal with, efficient, and thorough. In five short weeks, they planned a packed itinerary meeting all our specs. They suggested 3 hotels and we selected the one (The Ampersand) with a charming private nook for the four of us, which had the added benefit of being near the Tube. The staff was very attentive and the food delicious. After a day, the breakfast staff knew us and had our food ready every morning when we arrived! Dinner was good too. Given we were hesitant about dining out coming off Covid, meeting our personal needs was important and appreciated.

The trip planners added value in many ways: organizing a one-direction route for our activities taking into consideration the timing of all activities and our walking stamina. There was no backtracking and all new material to see. They also provided guides that had extraordinarily deep knowledge of the subjects we wanted to tackle each day, from London history, architecture, Savile Row and Tower of London to the new demands on the city from an environmental perspective. We are foodies and our food tour was over the top, even the vegan cheese! The planners also suggested our getting our own theatre tickets ahead of time online to save an agent fee, which we appreciated. While we were very fortunate with all our guides, one convinced a maître d’ (twice) into taking us for an early meal without a reservation, including a Friday night at a great Indian restaurant (Masala Zone).

In the end, the teens loved the London Eye (priority tickets cut so much time), Cabaret, Winter Wonderland, Tower of London, and the RIB ride. The historians in the family enjoyed St. Paul’s, changing of the guard, financial district, judicial buildings, and the many detailed stories from the guides. My husband enjoyed Savile Row, the changing architecture seen from rooftops, and the night lights. Me, I loved the personal photography shoot at night. We all loved the food tour. Other travelers can’t go wrong with any of these.

If you are booking with Jennifer, specify your interests in detail, where you want to spend your money (hotel, shows), and all the things you want to see. She listens, follows direction and has great suggestions. Make sure you bring a hard copy with you of the names and addresses of each destination in case you cannot access your phone itinerary. The RIB ride entrance was not obvious, so we floundered and barely made it.

Jennifer Virgilio was our trip planner for traveling to London and Paris with our two young children. This was the first time traveling internationally with our children because of previous COVID restrictions, and the first time using a travel planner.

Jennifer had many suggestions for family-friendly activities in both cities, as well as dining options. We used the local guides in Paris (as we were more comfortable navigating activities in London on our own), and they were all knowledgeable and wonderful. The duty managers in both cities were in touch via text (and phone, if needed) throughout the trip. Both hotels were lovely, with gracious service, and in very nice locations.

We did book greeters and car transport at the airports and train stations and they were extremely helpful, particularly with children in tow. We would highly recommend this service.

Jennifer is extremely patient, kind and knowledgeable. We’d highly recommend using Jennifer’s services and will do so in the future if we are to return to her geographic areas of speciality. It was a huge relief to not have to sort out logistics on our own.

We are just back from a 2-week stay in London over the most magical time of year! Zara helped my family of four (2 adult children) plan an amazingly festive and fun time in London! She assisted with everything from show tickets, tea and dinner reservations. Her team was always prompt in responding to any inquiry I had and was very professional from start to finish. Our “wow moment” was a dinner river cruise on the Thames to ring in the New Year with Big Ben and the London Eye as the backdrop for the most spectacular fireworks display! This is my second time using someone from Wendy’s WOW List and I can’t wait to plan another trip with her recommendations!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL We had some complicated logistics where we had to be in Rome in mid-July and in London a week later. We could do anything with the days in between so we contacted Jennifer, who has offices in both locations. Jennifer suggested we spend the week in northern Italy, 3 days in Florence and 3 in Venice, followed by 3 days in Bath once in the UK.

I would categorize our experience with Jennifer as mixed, due to a mismatch in our styles more than anything else. While I like Jennifer and we truly had a wonderful trip, I am not sure we are her ideal client. My sense is that person would be someone that prefers to be catered to and escorted every step of the way, while we thought it was overkill to have someone meet us at our train in Venice, simply to walk 100ft to a water taxi. That’s something we could have managed on our own. We like good, attentive service but that level is overkill for us.

The good stuff:
-The itinerary was great. We specifically asked for activities that were not too heavy on history and museums (to keep the teenager happy) and that is exactly what we got. We would have loved an extra day in both Florence and Venice but were limited by time.

-I liked that there was someone in communication with us daily. We would receive a daily text with the next day’s agenda. This also allowed us to easily contact Jennifer’s team when we wanted to add something in at the last minute–which they were able to do!

* The guides were fabulous! Highly recommend Veronika in Florence and Alvise in Venice:
* In Florence, Veronika took us on a city tour focusing on artisans doing their craft as they’ve been done for hundreds of years. We could never have found these shops on our own, and even if we could, we would not have known what we were looking at. Such a treat! Veronika also took us on a food tour–delicious!
* Alvise took us on a city tour of Venice as well as Murano and Burano. His love for his hometown is contagious and made the tours so much fun.

Overall, we had a positive experience using Jennifer and her staff, but I do think a different type of traveler would be better served by their services.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL I took a two week trip with my 13-year old son to the United Kingdom to visit my two college-aged girls who were living there for the summer. Jennifer planned my trip (and this is the second time I have used her). As expected, she delivered a first class, organized, spot on trip. Ekaterina, who works with Jennifer, assisted in a lot of the coordination of the trip and she was amazing, kind, organized and responsive. My trip was not an easy one to plan because it was constantly evolving (even during the trip itself), because I was trying to coordinate my trip with the schedules of my daughters, one of whom was in Scotland and the other in London. I sent so many emails changing things almost daily for a few weeks, and Ekaterina was able to quickly respond and pivot. Jennifer’s group also checked in with me daily to confirm the plan for the next day. Our trip was terrific. It was a perfect mix of history and some laid back adventures that my kids enjoyed. Two highlights were when we went behind the scenes for a private tour at the Winston Churchill War Rooms and had a private tour at the Tower of London at night and watched the centuries old changing of the keys ceremony there. The hotels were first class and our private tour guides were absolutely top-notch and incredibly knowledgeable. I will use Jennifer again on another adventure and highly recommend her!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL Thank you Jennifer Virgilio for planning an amazing trip to London. Our original trip was scheduled for April of 2020 and the pandemic delayed that trip until March of 2022. Jennifer was a pleasure to work with the entire two years it took to finally get us to London. We had a fantastic guide, Alex, who was so incredibly knowledgeable, full of energy and so much fun to be with the entire 4 days. I would highly recommend Jennifer and her team to anyone traveling to the UK or anywhere else she specializes. The trip was perfect!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL A poet once said “…through the trials and tribulations…” My travels were certainly an unforgettable experience that encompassed nearly 2 years of planning and replanning, the tireless efforts of Jennifer and her team must receive the highest commendations.

I rechecked my notes and saw that my first deposit for airfare was paid in November of 2019…but then, the “fun” started. Four reschedules later….and a tremendous effort by Jennifer, finalized my dream trip for Oct 2021. And it was everything that I had hoped for…with a little hiccup on the side.

London was amazing as ever. Jennifer was spot-on in recommending the Kensington. It had the best martinis of the entire trip (and I tasted many all over town) and was a quick walk to the Underground for exploring the city. Although I have visited several times in the past (I lived in Portsmouth on-and-off for three years), my travel expert—Hugh—turned out to be a bigger history buff than I. Special access to the Churchill War rooms, a visit to the crypts of (an almost deserted) St. Paul’s and amazing walks through Blenheim and Chartwell. Hugh knew more than just what was in history and guide books….it was an amazing educational and entertaining experience. Stephen and Antonio kept me apprised of my schedule daily and made sure every detail was confirmed. I am already planning a return to follow in the footsteps of T.E. Lawrence…Hugh, you better start reading up!!!

At the back end of the trip, Venice was starting to come alive. I, too have visited Venice before, but the city seemed to be emerging out of its pandemic isolation and tourists were coming back. So was the water!! It wouldn’t be Venice if San Marco were not flooded at least once during the week…it did not disappoint. The Baglioni Hotel Luna was perfectly situated at the corner of the Piazza San Marco, right off the Grand Canal and around the corner from Harry’s Bar (still have great Bellini’s). Alvise, my artisan tour guide, knew the ins-and-outs of the cathedral, the amazing talents on Murano and introduced me to Maestro Pastor and his wood-carving talents. But Jennifer left me just the right amount of time to wander (and get lost in) Venice on my own—it’s the best way to experience the city.

Unfortunately, the middle of vacation was filled with major upheavals—none of which was due to the actions of Jennifer and her team, but by Belmond. A day before I was to embark on the Orient Express, the entire journey was cancelled. A major disappointment. However, Jennifer, Antonio and Mattia quickly sprang into action and coordinated/expedited/confirmed transport for me from London to Bologna to Venice. It was a major logistics coup and something I could not have done without their help—it turned a nightmare scenario into a (minor) annoyance. But what would life be without such a glitch?? This only means that I will have to come back next year for the train experience—and Jennifer is already working on that. I’ll let you all know how that works out this time next year!!

My thanks to Jennifer, Antonio and Mattia for making these weeks a memorable occasion. See you all next year!!

We are truly grateful for Jennifer’s help with our recent trip to Europe with our 3 children. She provided us numerous options as far as activities, repeatedly offered to help with restaurant reservations and her team texted us each evening to remind us about the following day’s activities and schedules. We cannot say enough good about our London tour guide Augusta Harris who made our day together an absolute joy for our entire family. Her warmth, humor, knowledge and people skills make her a dream guide to spend the day with!

We just took a 9 day trip to London with our 3 children, aged 11, 10 and 7. Jennifer helped us to plan a few activities for while we were there, and they turned out great. The kids’ favorite was a bike tour through the Royal Parks of London. We saw all the great sites, had lunch at a beautiful spot and even braved the crazy English weather! Jennifer and her assistant, Paola, could not have been more helpful. We received itineraries before we arrived, and while we were there. We were in contact through text and email and they were even able to offer to help set up more activities while we were there! I would 100% recommend Jennifer to anyone looking for a full service trip specialist!

I am thrilled with the attention to detail and immediate response I got from Jennifer and her fantastic team. They completely understood the challenges of a multi generational trip to London. Our drivers, tour guide and itinerary were perfect. It really took all of the stress off of me so that I could fully enjoy our trip.

I highly recommend using them for your next trip to London.

Jennifer Virgilio and her team have arranged our trips to Rome and Paris last summer and London this summer. All three trips were meticulously planned and closely tailored to the varied interests of our traveling group where ages ranged from toddler to adult. Each day had something for each person in our group. Jennifer’s team was very responsive and accommodating and their local contacts were connected, knowledgeable and service-oriented. We stayed in new or renovated hotels in historic centers, we ate at world class restaurants and our local guides were engaging, knowledgeable and patient. We were able to visit areas generally not open to public, such as inside the Notre Dame tower, and visit popular places before they opened, such as Vatican properties. Our itinerary was packed with great experiences and everything happened as it was supposed to. We were so pleased with Jennifer that we are now considering traveling to the remaining countries that she covers because we think traveling with her is better that traveling to maybe more popular destinations but with less outstanding travel agencies.

Jennifer Virgilio made the logistical arrangements for much of our March 2017 trip to London, Bruges, Normandy and Paris. She went above and beyond just making reservations for us. She had our Eurostar tickets delivered to our hotel in London and our train tickets from Caen to Paris to our hotel in Bayeux. She made all our dinner reservations in Paris at Michelin star restaurants. She was an absolute delight to deal with, “got” us immediately and her advice was not merely useful but spot on. She knows London as well as Paris and guided us to a wonderful meal at a top Indian restaurant in London. I would use her again for any trip to Paris and highly recommend her to anyone thinking of going there. She’s terrific.