Celebrating the Return of Travel: Praise from our 2022 Ciao Bambino Family Vacation Planning Clients

This year has been a whirlwind — our clients jumped on the opportunity to travel again with trips near and far! Our jobs have not been easy, since the removal of pandemic rules sparked an unprecedented surge in demand, even as continual staffing shortages created challenges throughout the hospitality industry from airlines to hoteliers. Ciao Bambino Advisors worked through everything thrown our way and likewise, our clients didn’t let anything stop them from experiencing the joy of travel again.

Our goal at Ciao Bambino is and has always been to create indelible memories for families that they’ll cherish for months and years to come. Mission accomplished. (again!)

Kudos to our incredible team of talented Advisors!

Praise for Ciao Bambino from our 2022 Family Vacation Planning Clients

Having Helen’s guidance and help in planning our family’s trip to Italy this past summer was absolutely essential. She made the entire process, from the planning stages all the way through to our return, so easy and stress-free. This was our first international trip as a family and we had such an amazing time, all thanks to the perfect itinerary that Helen designed for us — and one I’d never be able to do. The activities, tours, transportation, guides and accommodations were wonderful. All we had to do was look at our schedule for that day and show up. The important information was neatly organized and saved on the Ciao Bambino app, which made things super convenient … Seriously, the investment we made upfront was well worth it. The memories that were made on this vacation will be cherished for a lifetime. We will be planning all of our family vacations with Helen and Ciao Bambino from now on. — Warwick family trip to Italy, designed by Helen Buckner

Now that I have kids I have been eager to share the world with them … We have been to Hawaii, Europe, NYC, Florida, San Francisco and all over the Caribbean. Several years ago I wanted to go back to Europe with them and take them to Switzerland. I like to plan my own trips but became overwhelmed at all of the options and ended up with analysis paralysis over exactly what to do and worried I would make a mistake. That’s when I was introduced to Ciao Bambino … I was assigned to Susan Robinson and could not have been happier. Since 2018 we have scheduled a 2-week trip to Switzerland, a week trip to Florida and a 2-week trip out west [to] Wyoming and Montana. What I like about using Susan is that she is easygoing, makes great suggestions and has an itinerary that is family-friendly. The places she recommends are always wonderful as well as the excursions. I have recommended her to 10+ of my friends … I just want the best and I don’t want to have to worry that I have made a bad decision. When it comes to using Susan I think you can put your travel worries to rest. — Acton family trips to Switzerland, Florida, Wyoming and Montana, designed by Susan Robinson

We felt we had a good mix of activities planned with you and free time to plan our own activities, and we really had the time of our lives. Thank you so much for coordinating everything, and for rescheduling our tour! — Ireland family trip to Italy, designed by Mandy Cechetto 

Alaska was a hit with us all!  It was perfect with the three grandparents too … We saw Alaska by nearly every mode of transportable possible, it seemed: bus, car, kayak, jet boat, Otter plane, float plane, train twice, cruiser boat and by foot. All were wonderful. — Berry family trip to Alaska, designed by Barbara Weindling

WOW, what a trip! It was truly AMAZING, INCREDIBLE and MEMORABLE! From the bottom of our very grateful hearts, thank you for planning such a wonderful family vacation! The trip was flawless, from the fun experiences to the friendly drivers to the personable and engaging guides to the luxurious accommodations and everything in between! We have fallen in love with Croatia and Montenegro, and hope to return one day. We loved the One & Only Portonovi — it’s fabulous! Not only is it a stunning property, it’s very well appointed, the staff is lovely and welcoming, the food is excellent and the overall experience is top-notch … Can’t wait to think about and start planning our next trip! — Bottoms family trip to Croatia and Montenegro, designed by Kiki Annis

When your family is ready to graduate to a flawless luxury travel experience, call Ciao Bambino. You’ll be glad you did. — Martin family trip to Norway, designed by Laurel Perry

I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful our trip was! Everything was amazing — the tours, the hotels, the service. Thank you for always doing such an amazing job! We had a great mother-daughter trip. It was so special. — Brackin mother-daughter trip to Spain, designed by Katie Stewart

We returned from Italy 10 days ago and are still talking about the wonderful time we had! A two-week vacation with our three children was somewhat last-minute, and there were concerns, with the timing and the current COVID situation, that it would be challenging. We could not have been more wrong. With the assistance of Linda from Ciao Bambino, our time in Siena, Rome and Florence was seamless. Linda was a joy to work with on our itinerary. Determined to make it a great experience, she provided and scheduled several amazing tours and experiences. Our kids continue to reminisce about the tours of Pompeii and Rome as well as their favorite pasta dishes. We are eager to return. — Siela family trip to Italy, designed by Linda Considine

Honestly, Susan, I felt so seen and heard when I looked at the itinerary! You just get us. — Hogan family trip to Ireland, designed by Susan Robinson

Thank you!! Thank you!! We had an amazing time in Europe! Wow. Thank you for all of your planning and help. It was truly memorable. — Ota family trip to the UK, France and Spain, designed by Barbara Weindling

Our trip was AWESOME. Truly fabulous in every way … I would say that all our tour guides were exceptional — could not have asked for better! The cooking class was everyone’s favorite — we all LOVED it!!!! The class consisted of just our family and two other women. The chef was laid-back yet very informative — a perfect combo for our varied cooking skills. Pizza and gelato were just the right amount of work/time and everyone enjoyed eating the final result. It was just enough hands-on time for everyone to enjoy themselves and learn a little something. Highly recommend!!! Truly — the trip could not have been any better! We absolutely loved it and created memories that will last forever. I cannot thank you enough, Melissa. We truly felt cared for and as though we were in the best hands possible throughout our time in Rome. We cannot wait to start planning our next trip with you … What a gift you gave our family! — Neuman family trip to Italy, designed by Melissa Rosdahl

Overall it was an exceptional family vacation! We never could have planned something like this ourselves, so I am very grateful for all the time and effort you put into creating this itinerary for us. I will definitely be back in touch to plan future trips! — Cates family trip to Costa Rica, designed by Chelsea Johnson

Thank you so much Amy and Kiki! I can’t tell you how much we loved everything. It was truly the trip of a lifetime and everything was very seamless. As I mentioned before, every single one of the guides we had was amazing. I also really loved having all of the information at our fingertips in the app. It worked really, really well. — Donoghue family trip to Spain, designed by Amy Annis and Kiki Annis

Thanks again for helping us plan this amazing trip. We all kept saying “Thanks, Susan” when things went well. — Hutchison multigenerational family trip to Amsterdam and Paris, designed by Susan Robinson

Helen helped us plan a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Costa Rica in February 2022. We were used to beach vacations without a lot of culture and our kids were old enough for a little something more, and our trip was the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. We visited both the Arenal and Manuel Antonio areas and had a wonderful time. We were able to sit in amazing hot springs, see countless animals (including many sloths), experience some whitewater river rafting, zipline through the rain forest and relax on beautiful beaches. All of our transportation in-country was smooth and seamless, and the travel app was a game changer. We wished we had another week to see other parts of the country. We can’t wait for Helen to assist us with our next adventure! — Montesano family trip to Costa Rica, designed by Helen Buckner

Kate and I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and generosity in helping us celebrate our anniversary trip. We were actually talking on our drive from the airport to the resort about how incredible our experience had been with you. Our sincerest gratitude for all your help and patience with our family over this past year. The memories we’ve made have been so sweet! — Howard anniversary trip to Napa, designed by Katie Stewart

The memories we’ve made as a family thanks to the trips Susan has been a part of … we are forever indebted! Planning is a true collaboration — our wishes met with her expertise. Each trip has been executed flawlessly with no detail being overlooked. Excited to plan our next family adventure … You truly are the BEST!!!! — Burns multigenerational family trip to Germany, designed by Susan Robinson

The trip was great! So many highlights … All of our tour guides were professional, knowledgeable and engaging. We love the experiences you’ve curated for our family. The kids definitely had their favorite tour guides and tours based on personality and locale. The low-key week in Tuscany was the perfect way to break up the trip. Rome is a super-cool city that we will definitely return to! Thanks for planning yet another wonderful trip for our family! — Marshall family trip to Italy, designed by Barbara Weindling

The trip was an incredible adventure. It was a great mix of scheduled activities that were new and days where we could plan a bit on our own, leaning heavily on suggestions in the itinerary. Visiting the eruption site was the perfect culmination of the trip. Sitting on the side of a mountain and taking it all in — the sounds of the volcano and the quiet reverence that those around us had for the site made for a most memorable experience! — Geraghty family trip to Iceland, designed by Katie Stewart

I just wanted to pass along some feedback from our trip. All in all, it was absolutely perfect, and I can’t thank you enough for helping us think through what we wanted to do and then making it happen. We all really had a blast for the whole two weeks, and each part of the trip far exceeded our expectations. — Dotsch family trip to Spain, designed by Mandy Cechetto

I can’t begin to express the gratitude we feel toward Linda and the amazing work she does at Ciao Bambino. My wife and I were fortunate to make her acquaintance as we were planning a 14-day trip to Italy. It was our first trip to the country, and I was uneasy about some of the logistics. About 5 minutes into our initial call with Linda, her vast experience began to shine through. Whenever a question or concern came up during the planning process, or while we were on our trip, she would simply say “Leave it with me” and came up with a brilliant suggestion. She truly provides an excellent service.  Investing with Linda was the best decision we made, and we are excited to work with her again! — Miller family trip to Italy, designed by Linda Considine

We worked with Laurel to plan our 2-week trip to Greece, planned for summer 2020, and when COVID hit she worked tirelessly to get us refunds or credit vouchers for everything we had booked and prepaid. When travel started opening back up, we decided to add an additional 2 weeks in Italy. Laurel planned an absolutely amazing month-long trip for our family this summer. Every detail was attended to and our trip went off without a single hiccup. She is well-connected with the very best hotels and tour operators. We formed a super-fun bond through all this planning and we will definitely use her again! — Hagens family trip to Greece, designed by Laurel Perry

I just want to say you made this trip truly remarkable (once again). It’s easy to criticize and find things we don’t like (especially these days!), but when you meet and work with special people that create happy days for me and my family, the least I can do is write a note of thanks. Love working with you; I feel we are very lucky to have found you. You nailed it — again! — Korkus family trip to Ireland, designed by Katie Stewart

We had a wonderful time in Costa Rica! We thought it was the right amount of activities for how long we stayed there … We had an excellent tour guide, Alex, to take us through the National Park.  He pointed out things we would have never been able to see without him. Our surf guides were great too. They detoured us from Manuel Antonio Beach to Quepos Beach because it was too rough, so we appreciated the calmer waters in Quepos. Thanks for everything. We can’t wait to go somewhere next year! — Martinez family trip to Costa Rica, designed by Barbara Weindling

We had such a lovely time on the trip overall. I’ll emphasize the hotels were fantastic — great locations and service. We are SO glad we listened to your recommendations on La Bandita! I think the amount of scheduled activities was also just right. The farm and wine tour was definitely the highlight … Thanks again for everything. I’ll definitely be recommending Ciao Bambino to a few friends that just had children and are excited to start traveling! — Ramadurai/Smith family trip to Italy, designed by Melissa Rosdahl

This trip has been nothing short of magical. Every detail has been carried out, we have been treated like royalty — yesterday there were crowds of people waiting for a sunset cruise, and we just got there and walked on. The tour of the small village was not what I had expected, as I thought we were doing wineries and breweries, but it was BETTER! The kids learned about ancient instruments and made their own flutes; the owners of the cultural center really took good care of them. Anyway, we’re only halfway through and we needed to just say thank you! — Scott family trip to Greece, designed by Helen Buckner

We had a great time! From start to finish it was a wonderful, restful vacation … All of our memories are fond and lined with silver linings … and for that we are wholeheartedly grateful to you! — Hickey family trip to Mexico, designed by Katie Stewart

Relevant Links:

Get our guidance for long-term family travel planning on Ciao Bambino

Family vacation planning simplified: A school year’s worth of travel in 6 easy steps

Pick your passion: Best family vacation spots for every interest

18 summer vacations to take before your kids grow up

10 family vacations that will change kids forever

How, when and why to use a travel agent to book a family vacation

Editor’s Note: Photos courtesy of the individual families pictured.