Once-in-a-Lifetime Memories: 2024 Ciao Bambino Family Vacation Planning Testimonials

Looking back on 2024, it’s been another busy year of high travel demand and the excitement that comes with it! We’ve been hard at work helping our clients navigate the challenges and stresses that today’s ever-evolving travel landscape can bring. From insider expertise that saves families time and money, to drawing upon our own tried-and-true experiences and catering to different life stages, we’re meeting families where they are and fine-tuning our approach to make travel dreams come true in the best possible way.

This year is extra special because we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary — what a happy milestone! Over our two decades in business, we’ve seen a lot of changes in the world, and Ciao Bambino has adapted right along with them. On our blog you’ll find many years’ worth of testimonials from travelers who rely on us to help them make the most of those all-too-quick childhood years. In heartwarming news, these days we’re planning an increasing number of parents-only trips for longtime clients whose kids are now in late high school or college. In many cases they’ve been with us since the baby and toddler years and we’re grateful that they continue to put their trust in us as they redefine what travel looks like for this new chapter.

No matter the age or stage, it is our team’s dedication to stellar service and putting together exceptional experiences that creates this incredible feedback, as well as the vacation memories that last a lifetime. Here’s to another year — and beyond — of unforgettable journeys!

Praise from Our 2024 Ciao Bambino Family Vacation Planning Clients

Our family trip to Portugal was seamless and memorable thanks to Kristen’s expert planning! She helped us narrow down cities to visit; designed an itinerary that perfectly balanced the interests of my husband and me, as well as our kids (ages 5 and 9); and thought about all the little details in between. Planning was a breeze — Kristen was easy to communicate with, and CB’s digital planning tools made the process efficient and convenient. Accommodations, activities and service throughout our trip were wonderful. We highly recommend Kristen and can’t wait for our next adventure! — Bhandarkar family trip to Portugal, designed by Kristen Avini

Melissa, we had the most wonderful time! The experiences you planned were all wonderful and will be very special memories. All four of us loved the ninja training, origami, tea ceremony and dinner with the geisha. Our hosts were all wonderful, authentic and so welcoming! We also had an amazing time at kidzania and Tokyo Disney and appreciated the help making those arrangements and figuring out the systems. Both Four Seasons and the ryokan were phenomenal. The ryokan was a very special experience and we loved every minute. They were so accommodating to the children’s meals and we were able to relax there perfectly … Many thanks for the trip of a lifetime! We did not want to leave; everything was absolutely incredible! We look forward to connecting for the next trip. — Boone family trip to Japan, designed by Melissa Rosdahl

Helen planned the most amazing European vacation for our entire family. After losing our beloved mom, mother-in-law and grandmother in 2023, we knew that it would be a good year to gather together, switch up traditions and travel over Christmas. We had a group of 10, with kids ranging from ages 11 to 24, and all were able to enjoy! This trip started in Amsterdam, included a cruise down the Rhine River and ended in the beautiful mountain town of Chamonix. Our family of five then spent some extra time in Switzerland and celebrated New Year’s Eve in Zurich. All of Helen’s careful planning with transportation logistics, fun activities and beautiful accommodations made this trip even more enjoyable and seamless. It was the trip of a lifetime, but I can’t wait to work with Helen again on another memorable experience!  — Green family trip to Europe designed by Helen Buckner

Tori was a rock star! She was thorough helping us and booking hotels and also offering ideas for activities. Can’t wait to use her again! — Fahey family trip to Ireland, designed by Tori Shields

The pasta making class was the best; the kids really enjoyed it. The hotel and pool were super nice to come back to after being outside in the heat, both being top notch/high quality. Specifically liked the location of the hotel being away from the tourist sites, per escaping back to a location less crowded and closed in. Being close to the Borghese gardens and museum was an extra plus. … Amalfi, just an absolute wow. [We] appreciated being in Amalfi and not dealing with hordes in Positano. The hotel, again — couldn’t have asked for better. All in all, this was an amazing trip and itinerary/planning were spot on.  — Moses family trip to Italy, designed by Mandy Cecchetto

Our trip was great! We felt like your planning and advice made everything very smooth and seamless. We walked almost 100 miles, ate a lot of great food, have hundreds of photos to show our friends and family, and feel very fortunate to have been able to take this trip. Thank you so much for helping us! We felt like your advice was every bit as important as the actual booking you did for us. We’ve recommended you to a lot of friends/family and if we have the opportunity to travel to Europe again in the future we will definitely reach out to you. — Klamm family trip to Italy and Germany, designed by Kerry Rawcliffe

We just returned from a relaxing and fun-filled week at Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda in the BVIs. This was a combined celebration for our 25th wedding anniversary and birthday(s). Thanks to our wonderful travel advisor, Lynda Zuber, we stayed in a beautiful Beach Cottage with a thoughtful bottle of wine waiting in our room to kick-off our celebration week. Lynda ensured our airport transfers were seamless from the airport to the resort, which included a private ferry ride. The hotel offered an amazing breakfast each morning which was included in our room rate as well, thanks to Lynda’s relationship with Virtuoso Hotels. As a Rosewood property, each room is assigned a private butler to take care of onsite requests, and our butler team of Mikel and Neil were outstanding. We enjoyed private tennis lessons with the onsite pro, Luis, who was high-energy and a lot of fun. We also chartered a boat for two days of exploring beaches and snorkeling around the islands. Understated elegance probably best describes this Caribbean resort and we truly loved our long-overdue getaway. We look forward to working with Lynda and the Ciao Bambino team on our next vacation! — Gassel anniversary trip to the British Virgin Islands, designed by Lynda Zuber

Taking my two teenagers and one young adult to Africa by myself felt daunting but exciting. Cary made the planning fun and easy. She took what we were looking for as far as culture and travel itineraries and helped us plan a great 10-day adventure! We were able to book some unique experiences, from a street art tour of Cape Town to the amazing safari experiences. Cary helped with everything from packing details and restaurant suggestions to exciting days balanced with downtime due to the long flights and time changes. Our trip ended up being an amazing experience of early mornings with teenagers, which rarely happen, and African sunsets that were straight out of The Lion King. The animals on safari were like nothing we had seen so up-close and personal! The planning was unparalleled and no stone was left unturned. Family travel is full of adventure and uncertainty, which can lead to anxiety. Cary ensured we could fully enjoy the adventure by mitigating so much of the anxiety. Family travel is worth the extra effort … the memories are forever. — Carlton family safari in Africa, designed by Cary Walker Collett

Tracy helped make our first trip to Paris and London seamless. From our beautiful hotels to transfers and awesome tour guides our days were pretty perfect. Visiting Normandy was a must do. It was a memorable day and the highlight of our trip. And London was even better than expected. — Norris adults-only trip to Paris and London, designed by Tracy Smith

Planning a trip with Brendan and Linda is like planning a trip with your close friends who live in every destination you’d ever want to explore. This trip to Italy was the second family vacation they planned for us. Their depth of knowledge and insights into everything from where to stay based on proximity to our interests and preferences, to activities and excursions, restaurant recommendations, connecting us to the best guides, and superb timely transfers, not only made trip planning effortless, but it took the stress out of travel, allowing us to enjoy every moment and soak up the memories. We so appreciate having their support throughout the trip and the Axus travel app with our itinerary details is priceless. Thank you, Brendan and Linda, for making this a trip of a lifetime; can’t wait for our next adventure! – Neely family trip to Italy, designed by Brendan Considine

I just wanted to send a BIG thank you to you and your colleagues for planning the most fantastic family vacation to Greece. We loved every minute! The staff at the hotels, tour guides, porters at the airport, and drivers were all wonderful and made us feel like royalty. Even though at times we were super exhausted, each activity was wonderful. The private catamaran, kayak cruise, snorkeling with a speedboat, visits to small towns and tours of museums were amazing. And I have to say, a highlight of our trip was the cooking class on our last day. The family who taught the class was just lovely and we greatly enjoyed hearing about their life. I have given your information to several friends and strongly encouraged them to contact you for their future trips. — Stathopoulos family trip to Greece, designed by Susan Robinson

Oh my goodness Sydney — just arrived to the new hotel and holy heavens to Betsy — it’s bananas!! Absolute eye candy on EVERY level on EVERY surface! We couldn’t stop ourselves from giddily squealing as we danced through the secret gardens and ogled over every detail in each of our rooms! This place is heaven. Amazing find! We never want to leave. We’re having the BEST time! Tonight’s meal at Narru was insane. One of the best of my life — it was truly epic! And the rides have been beyond gorgeous. The guides are so wonderful, the lunches are incredible too — thanks again for all of your work! — Dean group cycling trip to Spain, designed by Sydney Memmott

Such an incredible trip! … One of our favorite parts was connecting with and learning from our guides. We had the same guide (Mark) all 3 days at Lamanai, then Shane/Nathalie on the boat and Brainard while we were in San Ignacio. All of the guides/captain grew up in the areas where we were when we were with them, and they were all fantastic. Because we were with them for multiple days, we felt like we were able to build relationships, share pictures on WhatsApp, etc. Belize was just incredible. The people, cultures, history, archeology, ocean research, adventure, food. Wow. — McMahan family trip to Belize, designed by Kiki Humes

Once again, you hit it out of the park. The trip was AMAZING! The peace of mind that comes with partnering with you is truly such a blessing. It has changed my mindset of international travel … now all I can think about is where to go next. Thanks so much for the awesome plans. — Schlehuber family trip to France, designed by Katie Stewart

As an experienced traveler who takes pride in meticulously planning my own trips, I never thought I’d need the help of a travel advisor. However, planning a family trip to Italy (Lake Como, Milan, Florence) in April, while being a first-time mom to a baby under one year old, quickly made me realize I had underestimated my ability to plan logistics and manage my work/life/baby schedule at the same time. That’s when I did some research and found Ciao Bambino. I was so pleased to have been paired with Sarah, who is an absolute travel lifesaver. The depth of Sarah’s research was phenomenal. She provided extensive details and a wide range of options, particularly for day trips and tours. Navigating Lake Como, with its many towns, villas and transportation options, was made effortless thanks to her precise instructions and timing recommendations. Even when we were undecided about visiting the Ferrari museum and doing a test drive, Sarah offered us detailed options to consider, making our decision much easier. One of the most reassuring aspects of working with Sarah was that her support didn’t stop once we arrived in Italy. She continued to check in on us and even provided real-time assistance, such as booking car services, which added an extra layer of comfort and convenience. Overall, Sarah’s help made our trip seamless and stress-free. Having her support both before and during the trip felt more like having a knowledgeable friend by your side than just a service. I can’t recommend her and Ciao Bambino enough for anyone planning a family trip anywhere. — Tsang family trip to Italy, designed by Sarah Sik

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

Photos courtesy of the individual families pictured.

Editor’s note: This post was accurate when published. We advise checking independently for the latest information and updates. Ciao Bambino does not accept responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in, or for any actions taken based on, the information presented.