Anne
Connally

For more than 25 years, I owned and operated a gourmet food company and shared my passion of cooking with those who love eating well. My experience working with celebrity chefs, retail stores, and executives prepared me for my career in the travel industry. To deliver a great product again and again comes from the tiniest of details which is one of my strengths, whether it’s in a perfectly executed gourmet meal or the trip of a lifetime.

Before I sold my business, I would travel to Italy for inspiration and was always on the lookout for new food products. When I returned home, people would always say they wished they could come with me. The next year, I decided to bring a group of food and wine enthusiasts along for the journey. The trip was amazing, and everyone had a great time eating at family restaurants, exploring the local villages, all while enjoying the local wines. The next year, another small group trip was planned during the wine harvest to Tuscany. That was in 2010, and since then, I’ve been guiding small groups to Italy and all over Europe. In 2015, I hung up my apron, sold my company, and made the decision to feed my soul through travel in search of great food, wine, culture, and hidden gems throughout the world.

As exciting and wonderful as travel is, the components that go into a perfectly planned trip can be quite stressful. To deliver the 5-star experience you've dreamt about, you need someone who will spend the time to get to know the travelers and their travel style, then map out the details with all the details.

Travelers should experience the culture not just the physical space of a destination. They should feel a level of enthusiasm and passion for the city from the moment they arrive by being welcomed and embraced. It takes more than nice hotels and a few unique experiences to deliver a world class experience. It starts with the basic infrastructure of trip building from the time you exit the aircraft with a greeter who quickly whisks you through Customs and hand delivers you to your friendly English-speaking driver who promptly drops you off at your hotel. When you reach the hotel, the staff is eagerly waiting to welcome you as their VIP guest to their city and hotel. In your room, our preferred partners will have a welcome amenity waiting for you and other surprises. When it comes to tours, your guide will have pre-purchased the entry tickets and the credentials to bypass the lines while others are wasting valuable vacation time standing in long lines. These may be small items, but they are basic hospitality expectations travelers in the know have come to expect.

My clients don’t just mark a city off their bucket list. They can say they had an authentic experience; from swimming in the Mediterranean, making focaccia bread and basil pesto with a local chef, to driving a vintage Porsche along the French Riviera, creating a one-of-a-kind fragrance with a master perfumer, via ferrata in the Dolomites, to sharing tea with a Berber family in the Sahara Desert.

For example, in London, you could visit the private residence of a Military Knight of Windsor who lives within the castle's walls. Your Knight will escort you on a personal tour beginning at his home followed by a visit inside St. George's Chapel and other areas within the castle.

I've been fortunate to have visited over 25 countries, 44 states, and countless cities throughout the world making meaningful relationships with hoteliers, cruise operators, tour companies, and wineries. As someone who loves planning travel almost as much as traveling, I’m ready to assist you with your next amazing travel adventure wherever that may be!