Leisure and Group Travel

Linda Gartner – Leisure and Group Travel Consultant Interests: Europe.  I began my second chapter of life career as a travel consultant with Prestige Travel of Cincinnati, Ohio in November of 2015. Prior to this new chapter I was a JH choral director at Sycamore Junior High for 34 years!  

I have traveled to 12 European countries and over 44 European cities. Additionally, I have visited several destinations within Canada, the Caribbean, Taiwan and Mexico.

As an agent with Prestige Travel I hope to share my knowledge and passion for travel with you. I will do my absolute best to insure that YOU have a love of travel, too! Thanks to my affiliation with Travel Leaders I can research the best possible pricings, experiences and offerings for you and your family.  My varied background in travel also makes me a great resource for you and your group—of any size!

As a former Choral Director, I have taken literally thousands of students, staff members and parents throughout the Mid-West, to Washington D.C, and to 9 countries and 32 cities in Europe. (Group travel is unlike anything you have ever experienced; there is always someone different to talk with at breakfast!) I have led groups of 2-8 charter buses, navigating to attractions in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, St. Louis and Cleveland. AND I have taken 9 tours of Europe. One of my most favorite group travel memories was taking a group to sing mass at St. Peter’s in Rome – a true highlight of my travel and choral music career. I will forever cherish the memory of leading in song this group of 108—inside the World’s largest cathedral — and then escorting them to sing, once again, for thousands of people on the piazza outside!

Besides leading large groups, I’ve planned trips with my husband and sons to Hawaii, Italy (7 trips!), Spain, France, the UK,  Greece, San Francisco, Wine Country, Seattle, the San Juan Islands, the Canadian Rockies, Taiwan, Mexican resorts in Playa del Carmen, Cabo San Lucas and Cancun, on cruises in the Caribbean, and for an extended stay on St. John, USVI.

Because of my varied experiences in trip planning, I would like to help plan your ideal vacation — whether you are a family of two or twenty.

If I had to pick a favorite destination, it MUST be Italy. Not only have I led choral groups throughout this wonderful country multiple times, but my family has vacationed there four times, as well. One of those great Italian trip memories was a three-week experience that highlighted pasta, wine, cappuccino, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, gelato and, of course, some Italian history! Cities like Bologna and their famed arches, Ravenna and the breathtaking mosaics, Siena with its magnificent cathedral, and Lucca home of the BEST opera composer, Giocomo Puccini, should be included on everyone’s Italian travel list! And, obviously, Rome, Florence, and Venice shouldn’t be missed; but what about Verona the home of Juliet, Sorrento and its football size lemons that soon become Limoncello, Montalcino in the heart of Tuscan vineyards and Orvieto, a hidden gem? Do not forget Monopoli a true undiscovered GEM!  We’ve had fabulous experiences and made wonderful memories in all of these locations. The Italians are like no other!

In the fall of 2019, I escorted a group of 14 on a Wine and Dine Trip throughout Tuscany and the Lake Como region.  We ate, we tasted wine, we ate again.  It was another wonderful experience.  Group travel!!!  Some of the people on the group knew some of the people on the group....!  BUT no one knew everyone.....until the END!  Lots of laughter, lots of adventure!  Have you ever walked the rooftop of the Duomo in Milan?  We did!  Have you ever had a private tour of the Ferrari museum?  We did!  Have you ever sat in an Italian garden restaurant where the owner MADE you deposit your cell phone prior to being seated so that we all actually TALKED?  We did!  GREAT TIMES!

It would truly be my pleasure to help you plan your trip — from the very beginning to the very end of your travels. I will treat your wants as if they were my wants, researching the best possible pricing for the best possible experience! If you’re on a tight budget, I will help find you the most outstanding experiences available within that budget. If you want a luxury vacation, I will help find you the most sumptuous accommodations and unique opportunities.

I look forward to meeting you and helping you learn about the world through travel. Where would you like to go first?

Linda