Pikaia Lodge, in the Galápagos Islands, recom- mended by The A-List 2015 regional expert Brian Morgan. Boating the backwaters of Kerala, India. Seeing Tanzania’s Great Migration from a helicopter. Paddleboarding with locals off the coast of Colombia. A top travel advisor can help you turn a great vacation into a truly life-changing adventure. In Travel + Leisure’s 14th annual A-List, we showcase the best specialists in the business—the people who have firsthand knowledge of destinations on the rise, can get you in to sold-out hotels, and provide the best insider travel tips. EDITED BY AMY FARLEY AND BROOKE PORTER KATZ COURTESY OF PIKAIA LODGE PIKAIA OF COURTESY REPORTED BY STIRLING KELSO PHOTO CREDIT TEEKAY CREDIT PHOTO THE A!LIST 2015 1 A-list travel to be an essential part lead China’s most sophisti- SUPER!AGENTS of any education and explores cated luxury tour operator. the world with his family at To keep up with the coun- Meet the travel industry’s all-stars: experts every opportunity. He prides try’s rapid transformation, with unparalleled experience and the himself on demonstrating to Rubin is constantly inspect- ability to turn any dream trip into a reality. clients the benefits of working ing new hotels—Chengdu has with an excellent travel advi- recently seen the arrival of sor—someone who has the Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Temple necessary industry relation- House, and Six Senses—and Maita Barrenechea Jack S. Ezon ships and experience to handle planning new excursions. In With three decades of on-the- Along with bespoke trips for canceled flights, sold-out hotels, Hangzhou, he can set up a vis- ground travel-management individuals, Ezon plans nearly or other unexpected situations. it to a practitioner of Chinese experience in Argentina, Chile, 45 celebrations around the Protravel International, New medicine; in Shanghai, he’ll and Uruguay, Barrenechea world every year. To pull off York City; 212-651-2102; patrick. arrange a nightlife tour that has the friends and the indus- these events, he has a party- [email protected]. explores the city’s jazz scene. try connections to arrange planning department with un- Imperial Tours, Beijing; 888-888- everything from an equestrian paralleled global connections, Lisa Lindblad 1970; [email protected]. getaway in Patagonia to a high though Ezon himself remains Lindblad’s background in an- roller’s beach weekend on heavily involved in the details, thropology comes through in Anne Morgan Scully the Uruguayan coast. She was from selecting bar mitzvah her itineraries, which frequent- Scully’s clients can expect also a pioneer in the estancia bands in St. Bart’s to picking ly include tours led by histo- seamless trips that are full of movement, helping struggling out St.-Tropez beach clubs for rians and experiences usually welcome surprises, from air- ranchers convert their proper- honeymooners. A former law- only available to in-the-know port transfers in luxury cars ties into luxury guesthouses. yer, he is an expert at negotiat- locals. Her recommendations to thoughtful extras such as She’s happy to see that travel- ing on behalf of his clients and are based on in-depth research, personalized shopping sugges- ers are showing increasing keeping up with the demand- conducted with the needs of tions and freshly cut flowers interest in lesser-known towns ing—and often last-minute— a specific client in mind. In in hotel rooms. She stresses and cities, including a string pace of today’s traveler. anticipation of a trip to Iceland, the importance of well-edu- of townships in the Pampas Ovation Vacations, New York Lindblad went with a team to cated guides who are fantastic outside Buenos Aires, home to City; 800-977-5893; jezon@ Reykjavík to vet the country’s storytellers and local taste- 1930s and 40s Italian-inspired ovationtravel.com. transportation options—snow- makers who can enrich a trip architecture and wildlife areas mobiles, Zodiacs, and helicop- with their insider knowledge. such as La Sistina, an island Patrick Fragale ters—and experience cave and Having watched the cruise in- estancia southwest of the capi- The president of Protravel glacier hikes firsthand. She sees dustry develop over the past tal where you may see ostrich- Inter national, Fragale oversees every journey as an opportu- 30 years, Scully is also an expert like rheas, guanacos (similar to an agency with more than nity for cultural exchange and on luxury ships, from ocean llamas), and fallow deer. 900 employees and has sat on personal development. liners and riverboats to private Mai10, Buenos Aires; 54-11- the boards of hotels, airlines, Lisa Lindblad Travel Design, yachts. She’s the godmother to 4314-3390; maita@mai10. and other industry groups. As New York City; 212-876-2554; the Ingvi, a recently launched com.ar. a father of five, he considers [email protected]. Viking River Cruises ship. McCabe World Travel, McLean, Mary Ann Ramsey Va.; 703-762-5055; anne@ Ramsey, who is celebrating her mccabe world.com. 40th year in the travel industry, approaches her work with the Pallavi Shah mind-set of a financial planner, When Shah evaluates a des- meeting with clients to discuss tination, she goes beyond their long-term travel objec- simply checking out hotels and tives and develop an execution restaurants. She dives into strategy. She maintains a mas- historical context and cultural ter list of their dream trips, and background. She is especially uses her frequent travels to vet drawn to experiences that con- destinations and experiences. nect travelers with locals. Ramsey cruises regularly, and In India, for example, she asks creating personalized shore her favorite designers and excursions is one of her spe- craftspeople to open up their cialties. She also makes a point houses and studios and show of flying various airlines to guests the artistic process be- stay on top of new cabin lay- hind their textiles, clothes, and outs and designs. jewelry. Her clients have also Betty Maclean Travel, Naples, taken part in temple ceremo- Fla.; 800-865-8111; maryann@ nies and learned to play tradi- bettymacleantravel.com. tional musical instruments. Our Personal Guest, New York Guy Rubin City; 646-284-2454; opgny@our When Rubin moved to China personalguest.com. in 1994, he was surprised to find a dearth of resources for Jim Strong & discerning travelers in a coun- Nancy Strong India expert Pallavi try so rich in cultural heritage Attention to detail from the Shah is a fan of Jawai, a leopard camp and natural beauty. He and first meeting, accessibility in Rajasthan, India. his wife, Nancy Kim, set out (as a rule, their phone is to change that, and they now answered on the first ring), SUJÁN OF COURTESY 4 THE A!LIST 2015 NEW TO LIST MEMBER OF T+L’S TAB* *T+L has a Travel Advisory Board of !" experts who provide insight on industry developments, emerging destinations, and more. and a contagious passion for travel define this mother-and- The Galleria Vittorio son team. They arm clients Emanuele II, in Milan. with both paper and digital copies of itineraries that are loaded with confirmation numbers and contacts for round-the-clock assistance. Strong Travel Services, Dallas; 214-361-0027; jim@strong travel.com and nstrong@strong travel.com. Valerie Ann Wilson Wilson is an industry influenc- er with 16 o)ces around the United States and more than 30 years of experience. She’s chairman emeritus of Virtuoso’s advisory board and a valued advisor for half a dozen luxury hotels and travel brands. She’s also written two travel books and is on the road for more than a third of every year. Wilson and the staff of her top- notch agency (now also under the leadership of her daugh- ters, A-Listers Jennifer Wilson- Buttigieg and Kimberly Wilson Wetty) are well traveled and highly organized. But they still enjoy the collaborative nature of planning trips with clients. prides himself on delivering “Part of the fun is hearing their EUROPE EXPERTS exceptional access and experi- ideas and vicariously travel- ences (a cooking class with ing through our customers,” a chef at a Michelin-starred Wilson says. CENTRAL EUROPE dinner at a 14th-century castle restaurant, for instance). He Valerie Wilson Travel, New York outside Prague. knows the country’s tastemak- City; 212-532-3400; valeriew@ Nathalie Nagy OTHER SPECIALTIES India and ers and gets clients in to places vwti.com. Fluent in both Hungarian Western Europe. that are typically closed to and German, and a part-time Poe Travel, Little Rock, Ark.; 800- travelers, including a marquis’ Joel A. Zack resident of Budapest, Nagy 727-1960; epoe@poe travel.com. private estate just outside the Concentrating on a small shows her clients an insider’s City of Light. piece of the world—Portugal, perspective on well-known FRANCE OTHER SPECIALTY Switzerland. Morocco, South Africa, Spain, places like Prague and Vienna. Panache Voyage, Geneva; 888- and Turkey—and knowing But she also enjoys introduc- Murielle Blanchard 600- 6777; bob@panache. these destinations inside and ing travelers to off-the-beaten Never satisfied with second- voyage. out gives Zack his edge. A path destinations such as the hand reviews, this Paris dedicated team and network of vineyard-filled Goriška Brda re- native personally vets all GERMANY well-connected locals sustain gion of Slovenia or Brno in the her recommendations, from the business, which grew Czech Republic, where you can little-known auberges and Virginia Giordano out of Zack’s own curiosity and tour the Mies van der Rohe– shops to countryside festivals With her team of historians, expertise as an architect and designed Villa Tugendhat.