We have travelled to dozens of countries using WOW List experts and have come to expect thoughtful planning, unusual recommendations, precise logistical coordination, opportunities to learn about the local history, customs and beliefs, exceptional lodging and dining. Karen managed to raise the bar on the very high standards we have enjoyed from our many other WOW List planners.

Karen listened carefully and offered alternative suggestions in our Zoom calls as we outlined our objectives. She began to fashion an itinerary, which we refined over subsequent Zoom sessions, until we had something uniquely special. After we had agreed to her suggestions, she compiled our entire trip into a presentation with photos and descriptions of each destination, logistical details, restaurant reservations, and lodging accommodations. After we arrived in England she checked in periodically to ensure everything was proceeding smoothly, and emailed us each evening with the next day’s entry passes, vouchers and the like.

We started our trip in Bath. We wanted to see the Roman baths and learn about the Roman period, which we accomplished. In addition, Karen arranged a walking tour (our preferred way to learn about local history) with a charming and brilliant guide who used Jane Austen’s novels to explain how Bath led England in relaxing what was traditionally a rigid class system with little opportunity for a member of a lower class to interact socially with one from a higher class. We explored Georgian architecture (Bath is an architectural gem) and enjoyed afternoon tea.

We travelled throughout the northern sections of the Cotswolds in a previous trip, and wanted more of a meander through the southern sections with a traditional pub lunch. Our driver, who had picked us up at the airport when we arrived and drove us until he deposited us at our London hotel, was a gregarious local who treated us to just such a meander, suggesting alternative routes at nearly every turn, adjusting the planned pub for a more traditional experience, and regaling us with local lore. We ended the jaunt with a tour of Blenheim Palace and its majestic gardens.

By design, London was a whirlwind of tours and activities. Our adult daughter, who had never been to London, joined us for days packed with the Palace of Westminster and a fascinating guided tour of Parliament, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and its grounds, a royal walking tour through St. James and Green Parks and their many royal secrets, strolls through Hyde Park, and a Saturday morning e-bike tour through much of western London with a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide who pointed out architectural gems (Michelin Tyre building, Royal Albert Theatre, the US Embassy, e.g.) punctuated with historical gossip.

As difficult as it is to rank the experiences we enjoyed, two come to mind which really separate Karen from the elite pack of her WOW List colleagues. On our final full day, Karen arranged for a walking tour with AJ West, a London author and historian, who guided us via the underground to the Bank station and its section of London. There we admired the Bank of London, another architectural 15th century wonder, strolled through a Wren-designed church, through the ruins of the original roman amphitheater, through back alleys to stand beneath the windows of Charles Dickens’ London offices where he wrote many of his novels, through the streets that connected the original London Bridge, to the bakery location and origin of the great fire that destroyed most of London in the late 17th century, all the while imagining and discussing what life was like in this bustling, smelly, dangerous, seedy and opulent center of life over the millennium.

How, then, could this experience be matched? Our final evening, after a quick stop at the Sherlock Holmes Baker Street Museum and Abbey Road zebra-stripe crossing, found us at the Charles Dickens Museum, which is the house he lived in for roughly three years while he wrote Oliver Twist. Here we met Jorden, who led us on a private tour of the house (after hours: we were alone with him the entire time) and used sex, gin and opium as metaphors to explain Victorian expectations, customs, mores and the social backdrop for Dickens’ novels. We really were spellbound, so much so that we ordered many of Dickens’ novels from the taxi as we departed, to be delivered to our US home, and reread with a much richer perspective of Victorian London.

This trip was a very special experience for us, largely because of Karen’s thoughtful approach to developing a unique itinerary. We will return to London again and again, always and only with Karen guiding us.

I would absolutely recommend Karen to anyone traveling to London. We’re a family of 2 stubborn grown-ups and 2 stubborn kids, and Karen’s planning and logistical advice helped our trip be the most seamless one we’ve experienced as parents. Where tickets were needed, she took care of booking and made sure we had all the information we needed. There was a fun mix of small group tours and private tours, so we had a touch of luxury on a budget. The hotel she booked was comfortable, centrally located, and yet somehow quiet enough for us to sleep soundly.

Karen and her staff were also available to answer questions and troubleshoot in the few cases we needed to. We had a fantastic time, and Karen and her colleague were a big part of it. This was also our first trip overseas with the kids, and it went well enough that we’re looking for more ambitious trips in the future.

I wanted to share my heartfelt feedback regarding Karen and Liz, and the British trip they organized for me. It was truly an amazing experience, and I was absolutely delighted with the entire trip.

Firstly, the logistics were seamless and very comfortable. They arranged wonderful visits to various castles and the English countryside, creating many memorable moments that you could not get on your own, like tea at Highgrove Castle. I also greatly appreciated their thoughtfulness in organizing primarily female guides, which made me feel comfortable and well cared for as a solo traveler. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and the chemistry I shared with them enriched the experience even further.

Overall, this was a truly wonderful and magical trip. Thank you so much for making it so special.