ESPLANADE TRAVEL SERVICE - Key Persons
Becca has been traveling since the young age of 3 months old! Her parents loved going to other countries growing up and wanted her to experience the world with them. She never expected travel to be such an important part of her life, but 27 years later she is on a plane any chance she can get. Becca loves learning about new places as well as being a repeat visitor to many favorites. She likes to travel anywhere from the warm beaches of Costa Rica to Europe with France and England being particular favorites. Becca's next travel goal is Australia, Italy, and Thailand. Her favorite memory growing up was looking forward to visiting her family in Warwick, England every year. She has 14 cousins, 4 aunts and uncles and two wonderful grandparents who reside there and her family enjoys getting together for a reunion nearly every year. Stephen Covey once said, "Live your life by a compass, not a clock." Life is about experiencing something new and not giving yourself a timeline in doing so!
Cheryl caught the travel bug on her first trip to Hawaii. That trip showed her there is so much more to see and experience in the world. Over time the travel bug led Cheryl to Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, the Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand (her hands down favorite) and more. Twenty Countries and counting. Early on, it became clear to Cheryl that she could parlay her love of travel and seeing the world into a career.
Cheryl has worked in the travel industry for over 40 years with stops at Midway Airlines, Qantas Airways, Air Berlin, and South African Airways. Cheryl is an expert at the ins and outs of planning travel and loves working with clients to make every trip the best experience it can be. Cheryl will tell you it's a worn trope, "do something you love, and you will never work a day in your life". But for her these are words to live by.
Cheryl was born and raised in Chicago and has lived in Hawaii, Tucson and Ft Lauderdale. She looks forward to meeting new people every day and helping them get to the destination of their dreams. Cheryl says "there is nothing better than hearing the excitement and joy in the voice of a client when they call to tell me stories of their travel experience."
Before Cheryl's next international adventure, she is dreaming of going back to New York City and enjoying multiple Broadway shows.
As an avid traveler and veteran travel designer, Christine knows what a profound impact discovering a new place has on our lives. Christine handcrafts her trips with a painter's eye, always looking for the experiences and flourishes that will take your experience from "Wow" to "WOW!" Her time designing vacations for families and individuals, coupled with her love for visiting the temples of rugged Thailand, the sun-dazed beaches of St. Thomas, or the Alaskan tundra, have made her knowledgeable on destinations around the world.
Whether you're looking for a long weekend in the tropical coast of Belize to snorkel with manatees and relax under the palms, or a longer adventure actively exploring the country and culture of South Africa, Christine is dedicated to helping you explore this big, beautiful world in your preferred style, comfort, and pace.
Christine was born in Boston and grew up in North Andover, now residing in Belmont. She can't wait to hear about your travel dreams and turn them into an unforgettable experience.
Diane has been dreaming about, traveling to, living in or plotting her next trip to Europe for over 40 years. France is her particular love, but Italy, Spain and Morocco are close behind. She has also had great adventures backpacking and hitchhiking in Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and India. The first time Diane traveled abroad was in college when she went to Angers, France, in 1980. The United States were in the middle of the Iran Hostage Crisis, and there was nervous tension with the Iranian kids in the exchange program at first. Of course, as Diane got to know them, she realized they were just like her - nice kids, struggling with the French language, missing home, trying to get by. It was eye-opening for her and she has looked at the world differently from that time on.
For Diane, working at Esplanade is simple: she loves to travel, loves planning travel, and feels blessed to be able to do this for a living!
At the age of 12, Jacky boarded a small aircraft, facing backward, and flew from her local airfield to Le Bourget in Paris to meet her pen pal. Thus began the life of travel to - at last count - 122 countries.
She joined Esplanade Travel in 1965 when it occupied offices on Charles Street, near the famous Esplanade on the banks of the Charles River. Since then, she has become a celebrated member of the travel industry, recently celebrating her 58th anniversary at Esplanade.
Her early travels in the 60s and 70s took her to the Ancient World, the Middle East and Asia. She has bought a picnic lunch for 25 people in rural Iran, ridden a motor bike in Bali, an elephant in Botswana, a camel in Egypt, a horse in the Andes, and driven a VW in Ethiopia. These incredible experiences helped earn Jacky the honor of being named to the original list of 100 Most Powerful Women in Travel by Travel Agent Magazine.
Job Titles:
- Director, Africa Department
Keeping it all in the family, Jill has been working with her sister, Jacky, since the early 1980s. Starting out in marketing, Jill has managed the Africa Department for more than 30 years. She and her husband travel to South Africa regularly and are looking forward to escorting a small group of friends in July 2023. Jill is often heard telling her clients, "You will not go to Africa just once" - and it usually proves to be true.
Growing up in England, traveling around Europe was easy - in fact her first travel memory is flying alone across the channel to Paris at the age of 15. From skiing in Chamonix and Zermatt to barging in France, Jill was introduced to other cultures early in life. She and her husband also enjoy cruising, whether it's on the Zambezi, Spice Islands of Indonesia, Tahiti and the South Pacific, or the West Indies. Being on the water is always relaxing and a wonderful way to see sites often difficult to access by land.
As a 40 year veteran in aviation, Leigh is passionate about travel and discovering new as well as familiar places. Leigh looks at all aspects of air travel to find you the best schedule available. Her time with South African Airways allowed the opportunity for extensive travel, so whether you're looking for an adventure actively exploring the country of Africa or the magnificent scenery and culture of New Zealand, Leigh is dedicated to helping you explore this big, beautiful world in your preferred style, comfort, and at your pace.
Linda learned to travel at a young age. She would be placed in the car without question and taken wherever her family went. It was fun, but she never knew how travel would enhance her life at the age of eight. The sand and ocean salt of Mexico clinging to her show-and-tell were just funny at the time and a chance to make the other kids jealous. However, those trips created a passion within her, and every chance she got, she was on a plane, whether with her family or a People to People leadership group. Those trips embedded a love for Europe as she explored more countries than her small town could count. When old enough, she set out alone, traveling Europe on her own and meeting friends that would last a lifetime. Each step was a lesson, and she learned more about herself and whom she wanted to be. Travel, although corny as it might sound, saved her life. It is now an honor to help others discover themselves and a small part of this vast world because you never know what travel will give you until you go.