Travel Specialties
Interests
- Rail
- Adventure
- Sports & Outdoors
- Safari
Destinations
- Canada
- Kenya
- Spain
- Peru
- Chile
Selling Travel Since
2015
Languages
- English
My Background
I literally grew up with The Society of International Railway Travelers. Our family-owned company was born in 1983 -- 4 years before I was born. So we grew up together, and I have grown up traveling. A political science major at the College of Charleston, I founded my own company, Bluegrass Voodoo Vintage. But now I work full-time at the Society of IRT as a luxury travel advisor with Virtuoso Certified Travel Advisor training and as VP for Sales & Marketing for our company. I was thrilled to be the only American advisor invited to see the brand-new Grand Suites on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express on their inaugural run. I welcome you to see my blog post, Track 25, http://blog.irtsociety.com/category/canadian-rail-... to see all about my recent study tour to Canada to review one of our World's Top 25 Trains, The Rocky Mountaineer. If you'd like me to arrange a Canadian luxury rail vacation, I can share with you all my knowledge about the region and the fantastic train. I also recently enjoyed a study tour to Chile - and experienced one of the top VAST products, Explora Lodge. Call to let me tell you about the Towers hike! Or, call to chat about our favorite Peruvian Amazon adventure cruise. I loved it -- let me tell you why!
Places I Have Traveled
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Reviews and Recommendations for Rachel Hardy
100%
of 26 guests
recommend
recommend
Virtuoso Verified Traveler
All reviews are from confirmed guests sharing exclusive insights
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Recommended
Attention to details makes the trip an A+ experience
By: Mimi
Reviewed on: 05 Oct 2016
Rachel did a wonderful job planning our trip and making sure all our needs were taken care of. She gave us great advice in planning the trip. Even tough we were setting up the trip a little late, she was able to swing us the best hotels. I needed to be gluten free and Rachel made sure the trains had food I could eat. Rachel checked out the situations at a couple of our stops and got us dinner reservations when she learned of crowded conditions. She was so on top of things she learned that our return flight had been altered by the airline. The airline did not bother to tell us about the change, but Rachel informed us. IRT's itinerary was detailed and helpful. We highly recommend IRT and Rachel.
Recommended
Outstanding railroad tour
By: Marty
Reviewed on: 09 Oct 2016
The Belmond Grand Hibernian Railway Tour was an outstanding experience. It was luxury rail travel with a broad sampling of the history and heart of Ireland. We especially enjoyed our visit to historic Ashford Castle and the falconry experience with Harris Hawks. The tour and associated whiskey tasting at the historic Jameson Distillery outside of Cork was not only fun, but extremely interesting. The train travel was truly luxurious, as exemplified by the piper leading us on board the first day. The configuration of the train, which included two dining cars with simultaneous seating for all passengers, as well as an observation car that would seat everyone, was very, very nice. The after-dinner on-train entertainment featuring Irish folk music was as good as the Irish folk music we had heard in the pubs during a Music Tour a couple years ago. The Titanic Experience in Belfast, as well as the Waterford Crystal facility, were also high points.
Recommended
Great assistance throughout
By: Claudine567
Reviewed on: 12 Nov 2016
Rachel was incredibly helpful and proactive through the entire trip planning process!
Recommended
Great from my very first phone call!
By: JRobert
Reviewed on: 27 Jan 2017
Rachel Hardy was super --enthusiastic,responsive,accomodating,dedicated.Attended to ever detail promptly and accurately.Answered all my questions and requests cheerfully.She was a pleasure to deal with.
Recommended
Train Trip in India
By: Radman
Reviewed on: 07 Apr 2017
She was informative and always available
Recommended
Canadian rockies
By: Sandy
Reviewed on: 23 Aug 2017
Rachel was extraordinary. She took care of every detail of my family trip. She arranged the airport picks, the guides, the hotels, the train,
and the dinner reservations every evening for 13 people. Nothing was too much for her to do.
(She even arranged to have perfect weather.)
There was nothing I would have changed on the trip.
I can not express how pleased I was with her. I am looking
forward to working with her on all our future trips
Recommended
Orient Express Holiday
By: Gwyn
Reviewed on: 04 Sep 2017
Rachel is very professional, responsive and knowledgeable- she was a great help in planning my trip.
Every question I had she answered immediately and went out of her way to make sure I was happy with the choices I made- hotels,etc. I would definitely recommend working with her- you'll get great results!
Recommended
Canada rail trip
By: john
Reviewed on: 07 Sep 2017
Favorable experience
Recommended
Comfortable Canada
By: Bill
Reviewed on: 18 Nov 2017
Working with Rachel was very pleasant. She anticipated any potential problems before they could happen. Everything flowed smoothly; very professional. We are already working with her on another trip, and happy to be doing so.
Recommended
Seven Star Kyushu train
By: Sandy
Reviewed on: 02 Dec 2017
Wonderful. She was also cheerful, knowledgeable and ready to help.
No request was too much for her. Our trip was terrific
Recommended
Remarkable Journey
By: Paul and Fredrika Jacobs
Reviewed on: 07 Sep 2019
Extremely easy. There was a high level of professionalism, attentiveness and responsiveness to all queries.
Recommended
Danube Christmas Markets
By: Bill
Reviewed on: 04 Jan 2018
As always, all the folks at IRT set up a perfect trip for us that was the perfect combination of planning and anticipation. The arrangements could not have been better.
Recommended
Golden Eagle- Northern Lights
By: SueEllen
Reviewed on: 02 Mar 2018
Very responsive and accommodating!!
Recommended
Elbe River Cruise Plus
By: Bill
Reviewed on: 13 Jun 2018
As always, pleasant and efficient. The trip was a complete success, a big part of which was due to Rachel's continual monitoring of our progress. We could not be more pleased with the service rendered.
Recommended
Micato Safari
By: Gilla
Reviewed on: 25 Aug 2018
Working with Rachel Hardy was an absolute delight. She was so very helpful from the moment we contacted her to the completion of our trip. She first advised us that Micato Safaris was an excellent company and that turned out to be absolutely true. We could not have asked for a better experience. Rachel provided us with every detail on what we needed for the trip, what preparations were required, information on visas, etc. She was so very helpful in every aspect. She responded quickly to any questions we had. She was so very patient in responding to multiple questions and concerns. She made the whole experience worry free. I can not image anyone more helpful or delightful to work with and we will certainly contact her in the future for any travel interests.
Recommended
Good Time
By: Armaggedon
Reviewed on: 02 Sep 2018
Easy and painless, excellent service.
Recommended
Rovos Rail
By: Chuck
Reviewed on: 07 Sep 2018
Everything went off as planed. All hotels, transportation, were as described. Could not have ask for a smoother trip. No Stress.
Recommended
Hard working very responsive
By: Dave
Reviewed on: 14 Sep 2018
She was wonderful and very responsive to our needs and questions
Recommended
Positive experience
By: Lucky Lake
Reviewed on: 07 Sep 2018
Rachel was always very responsive and helpful with all aspects of our travel. She was knowledgeable about the trip we were taking and had inside recommendations. She was a pleasure to work with.
Recommended
Great Train Trip
By: Daneta
Reviewed on: 20 Oct 2018
Rachel was welcoming, accommodating and helpful. She was absolutely correct that this will be a great train trip to South Africa. Actually, this was the best trip I've ever taken and I've been a few places such as Europe & China. My husband and I will be planning our 2021 trip soon to return to Africa. I highly recommend this trip.
Recommended
From Toronto to Vancouver October 2018
By: Yoda
Reviewed on: 01 Nov 2018
Easy. Rachel was very contentious and responsive in a timely manner with any and all questions.
Recommended
Wonderful Travel Planner
By: Gabriel
Reviewed on: 27 Feb 2019
Second time booking with Rachel and her agency, wonderful as always. Quick response to any email/questions. Should there be any problem, it was fixed also very quickly. Highly recommended!
Recommended
Exceeding all possible hopes and expectations
By: Diane
Reviewed on: 19 Apr 2019
In a word, wonderful. She listens, she understands, she acts, she responds--all with attention to detail and efficiency. I am so happy. I have traveled my entire life, but aging has put limits on my mobility. I was beginning to despair--would I be able to make more of my dreams come true? With the help of Rachel Hardy, the IRT team, and their associates at Remote Lands, I was able to see everything I had hoped for--and more--in comfort. Amazing! I am so grateful. My life is larger than ever because of this incredible team. I strongly, and fervently, recommend working with Ms. Hardy to create trips that deliver in every conceivable way.
Recommended
Top Shelf Advice
By: Tom and Christine
Reviewed on: 11 Sep 2019
Rachel was extremely helpful and knowledgeable both before and after we decided to sign up for our Orient Express trip. She presented the journey both enthusiastically and accurately resulting in nothing but exceeded expectations and the trip of a lifetime.
Recommended
train
By: Chuck
Reviewed on: 13 Sep 2019
She listened to what I wanted and gave advice that improved my experience. I would highly recommended her efforts.
Enjoyed an amazing trip with her assistance.
Recommended
Recent trip.
By: Hank
Reviewed on: 14 Sep 2019
This was just our 2nd trip handled by a professional travel agent. Rachael was terrific in meeting all our needs/questions/wants, responding within hours to the extreme of a day. She contacted us to make sure all needs were met; even on the actual trip! Just “great” friendly service.
Working with Rachel Hardy, you will have access to:
- - Special perks and extra amenities
- - An experienced travel guide whom you can rely on before, during, and after the trip
- - Exclusive luxury resorts and properties
- - Once in a lifetime experiences
Explore with the Best
Virtuoso Advisors are constantly pushing the boundaries in unique travel experiences.Alliance programs are unique tailored experiences exclusive to travelers working with Virtuoso Travel Advisors.
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- Canada
- Kenya
- Spain
- Peru
- Chile