Melissa
Barkalow

As a travel advisor, my goal is to make your unique travel dreams come to life, providing my professional expertise to ensure your travel is tailored specifically to your interests and remains worry-free. I specialize in designing exclusive travel experiences by listening to your needs and desires and crafting personalized itineraries enhanced by nearly a decade of partnering with diverse clients as a luxury travel advisor, a lifetime of personal travel to more than 40 countries, and a love of learning through my own research, as well as the feedback I have received from my client's experiences. I have always prioritized travel and believe it is essential to creating an interconnected and thriving international community and helping people have new and different experiences is both a joy and passion.

I have traveled around the globe, so no matter where you are interested in exploring, I have foundational knowledge to develop an itinerary to meet your needs. If I haven’t personally been to your intended location, I am invigorated by research, scouring travel guides, connecting with local tourism offices, and tapping into my network of travel advisor colleagues to ensure your trip checks all your boxes and exceeds expectations.

In the last year alone, I have had clients travel to the following locations:

Petra, Jordan

Cairo, Egypt

Reykjavik, Iceland

Amsterdam, Delft, The Hague, Netherlands

Nassau, Bahamas

Barcelona, Spain

Valletta, Malta

Rome, Venice, Sicily, Italy

Machu Picchu, Peru

Prague, Czechia

Vienna, Austria

With so many options for travel, I prioritize personally experiencing the companies I work with. If you prefer land trips, I regularly partner with tour companies on day, multi-day, and week-long itineraries, varying from private, small, and mid-size group options. If train travel is your preference, I have crossed Europe using Eurorail and have traversed the Rockies on a luxury train line and can provide personal recommendations and suggestions for similar options. For cruisers, I am well-versed in river cruises and larger ocean-liners, with recommendations to meet your specific needs – exploration-focused, kid-friendly, gentle-paced, luxury, all-inclusive – I am happy to walk through all options with you.

I am here to help you plan, book and execute your next trip, no matter the size of the trip or budget. A Better View Travel offers travel by design and can plan unique one-of-a-kind experiences affording you the opportunities to create memories that will last a lifetime.