Personal Connections in a Digital World: 2026 Ciao Bambino Travel Planning Testimonials

By Amie O'Shaughnessy
September 4, 2026
10 Min Read

Each year our client testimonials tell us something about what matters most to traveling families, and this year the message came through loud and clear. We are loving that clients of all ages and stages continue to prioritize meaningful experiences over the accumulation of material possessions. And likewise, the more our clients are enveloped in technology in every aspect of daily life, the more they appreciate the human connections we foster through the trip planning process and in our itineraries. Based on this year’s testimonials, our CB Advisors have knocked it out of the park!

As we plan more complex itineraries in destinations farther afield, our Advisors collaborate deeply and continually with one another across our team, and they are experts in weaving a variety of destinations and experiences into immersive itineraries across the globe. I love reading that our service gives families the confidence to travel to new places, and that our trips strike the perfect balance between downtime and fun.

Although we’ve dedicated the last 22-plus years to crafting trips for families with children of all ages, a growing part of the travel we plan is empty-nest and solo adventures, as many of our long-term clients have entered a new chapter traveling without children. Our entire Advisor team just went through training on how to dive even deeper into helping clients uncover the fulfillment goals behind any given trip — because they are all different — so we are poised to help our clients make the most of every travel opportunity.

With that, we’ll let this year’s words of praise speak for themselves … read on.

Founder & CEO

Rave Reviews from Our 2026 Ciao Bambino Travel Planning Clients

“Thank you, again, for everything you did to make this the trip of a lifetime. Truly, I would not have been able to create a trip like this without you … From the hotels, to the tours, to the transportation, to the recommendations for things to do/places to eat, it was all perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You will be the first person I reach out to when we are ready to plan our next trip.” — Shay family trip to Greece, designed by Loren Braunohler

“Tracy, it’s our last day at the villa and I wanted to thank you for all of your help setting up this beautiful vacation! The villa is so gorgeous and comfortable. The owner has been amazing accommodating all of our needs this week … Both tours were absolutely fantastic. The limo service for all of our groups has been perfect! A dream come true vacation!” — Brower multigenerational trip to Italy, designed by Tracy Smith

“What an extraordinary trip this was for us! Every detail was accounted for. We will never leave the country without using Kiki.” — Guild family trip to Peru, designed by Kiki Humes

“Overall, this was the smoothest, most relaxing European trip I could have imagined … Everything just happened exactly as planned. It required so little thought or preparation on my part, and nothing went sideways like it does when I wing it. It was a total pleasure and we’re looking forward to working with you again! Your service was worth every penny and more!” — Potalivo family trip to Portugal, designed by Lissa Poirot

“We had an amazing time in Paris. Your hotel suggestion made this all possible. It was a convenient location for all of our activities, had AC and was tucked away on a quiet street. The staff were incredibly helpful and the pool was perfect to come back to after a hot day … We loved all three tours. The guides were lovely, funny and rolled well with touring a teenager! Your suggested itinerary had the perfect amount of time to do impromptu things … Thank you so much for all your help!” — Harris family trip to France, designed by Natalie Pratti

“The quick answer to your question is that you absolutely knocked it out of the park. The trip was beyond amazing!! Every single adventure was fabulous … We repeatedly got the response of ‘wow’ by people we met/spoke with on the trip when sharing what we’d done or were doing each day.” — Zook family trip to Alaska, designed by Amy Annis

“I’m just back on a plane and headed for home, and still dreaming about England and our magical trip that you did so much to make perfect. I am so grateful for all of your support and efforts on our behalf. Visions of the Cotswolds will forever dance in my head … The places we stayed were exquisite (along with their gardens) and the food was fantastic. Hopefully this won’t be the last trip you help us plan!” — Castle/O’Grady mother-daughter trip to England, designed by Susan Robinson

Let us take care of the details so you can savor the journey.

Tell us where you’d love to go, and we’ll pair you with an expert Travel Advisor who handles the planning from beginning to end: custom itineraries, private guides, immersive local experiences and handpicked hotels.

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“It is hard to put into words how incredible the solo trip was. It was healing, exhilarating, wonderful and amazing. I felt so cared for and SPOILED. It turned out to be the perfect place to be on my own, and the way the itinerary was built was utter perfection. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” — Schlehuber solo trip to Benelux, designed by Katie Stewart

“We truly had an amazing time; this was an exceptional trip from start to finish. All of the tour guides were excellent, very personable and knowledgeable. The logistics throughout the entire trip ran incredibly smoothly. Everything was handled seamlessly for us, which made it very relaxing. Honestly, we wouldn’t change a thing … Thank you again for putting together such an incredible vacation. We had an absolute blast and would love to work with you again in the future.” — Finocchario family trip to Australia, designed by Brendan Considine

“We wanted to tell you that we’ve had a wonderful time this week. Everything was seamless and honestly, just perfection! And thank you for the bottle of Prosecco … we enjoyed it by the pool one afternoon. (Also perfection!)” — Schlosser family trip to Italy, designed by Shelby Robinson

“Shari did an outstanding job planning our family’s long weekend in Dublin. She built a fantastic itinerary around a concert, including excellent tours, a stunning cliff walk in Howth, and a beautiful Georgian hotel. Her recommendations for museums, shopping and dining were spot on, and she struck the perfect balance between structured activities and free time. Thanks to Shari, we had a truly memorable Dublin experience.” — Moulton family trip to Ireland, designed by Shari Margolin

“The trip exceeded our expectations all across the board for all four of us. When asked by family members what was our favorite, it has been hard to point to any one place or activity as it was all great … Hotels were perfect and the guides really helpful. Thank you so much for all your help in setting this up and all the work you put into our trip to make it such a success.” — Cunningham family trip to Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand, designed by Melissa Rosdahl

“We honestly can’t express how grateful we are … My mother called me this morning, moved to tears, just to share how special the trip was for her. You helped us create exactly the memory we hoped for — a moment that my mother and I will cherish forever. The trip brought us closer and gave us experiences that will stay with us always. Thank you for making this happen for us!” — Sanders mother-son trip to France and England, designed by Anna Diebel

“We had such an amazing trip — the wedding was perfection on our end, and everything else was so, so wonderful. Despite torrential rain in Venice on our arrival, our walking tour with Leo was fantastic. We’ve had a lot of one-on-one tour guides over the years, and I think he may have been my favorite. He had such great local insight … he showed us so much of Venice that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. After the wonderful wedding, the trip to Slovenia was simply divine … Our day at Lake Bled was amazing. Our driver/guide both days was a treasure … The car train and mountain explorations the next day were incredible — I feel like we saw so much of the country, and it really is just all so breathtaking! Thank you, thank you!” — McCready adults-only trip to Slovenia, designed by Lynda Zuber

“I asked for a bucket-list trip, and Kristen delivered. Thank you for helping us navigate Paris, Normandy, trains, museums, pastries and tired kids with ease. As a history-loving family, standing where so many important events unfolded — especially in Normandy — was incredibly meaningful and something we’ll never forget. It was also great to see how far our kids would walk for pain au chocolat and gelato.” — Barrs family trip to France, designed by Kristen Avini

“We had a great experience in Montreal and your expertise was invaluable to have … I will let you know when I start planning our next trip for sure!! This is just the beginning of our travel relationship!” — Sung family trip to Canada, designed by Lauren Taylor

“The trip was fantastic! Great accommodations, well-timed activities to avoid heat/crowds and provide enough downtime, superb guides, delicious food and excellent customer service with the local operator when some changes were needed … It was just wonderful. An experience we will remember for a lifetime.” — Schaffer family trip to Greece, designed by Kerry Rawcliffe

“For a trip with teens, Morocco was a feast for all of the senses. Cary helped us see the city, the water, the mountains and the desert all in one trip! … Thanks to Cary for giving us the confidence to travel somewhere brand-new to us!” — Carlton family trip to Morocco and Turkiye, designed by Cary Walker

“The trip was truly amazing and feels like it was a dream! Everything was spectacular from our travel to the activities … [We] will forever have that trip as a wonderful memory for the two of us!” — Coleman mother-son trip to Switzerland and France, designed by Tori Shields

“Oh my goodness! Our trip to Switzerland exceeded all of our expectations in every category! We were free to enjoy each day without being encumbered with all the travel details — and tickets and transportation needs! Your thoughtful gifts in our hotel rooms were a fun and tasty surprise. We enjoyed every bite … You’re amazing! So professional — with a genuine desire to help create a fabulous trip. Your attention to detail is absolutely outstanding!” — Chappell family trip to Switzerland, designed by Sydney Memmott

“Helen did an amazing job putting together our family trip to London and Paris. From beginning to end, she was incredibly easy to work with and made the entire process enjoyable. One of the things we appreciated most was how well she listened to what our family wanted. We were traveling with kids ranging from a teenage boy to college-age girls, plus us as parents, so there were a lot of different interests to consider! Helen took the time to understand what each of us would enjoy, gave us plenty of great options and then built an itinerary that was awesome for our whole family. Helen was also great while we were traveling. She checked in with us along the way and made sure everything was going well, which gave us an extra level of confidence throughout the trip … We would absolutely recommend her to anyone planning a trip! — Carlson family trip to England and France, designed by Helen Buckner

“We made it, the airport transfer was smooth and the hotel was beautiful. Thanks for the treats and cards in our rooms! It was such a great trip — thank you for all of your help!!” — McDonald Gilmore family trip to Mexico, designed by Mandy Cecchetto

“Lucinda planned a 30-day trip to Italy for my husband and I. I can’t say enough about how she put together a driving itinerary that not only included what we wanted, but so much more for us to see along the route from one destination to the next. The trip far exceeded anything we imagined. All the details were taken care of — hotels, water taxis, tour guides, museum tickets, even train tickets for a day trip from Rome to Naples. This gave us plenty of time to meander and wander on the backroads! It was an absolutely amazing trip!” — Stanton adults-only trip to Italy, designed by Lucinda Kemmet

“This was the trip of a lifetime, and what made it the most memorable — and the most appreciated — was the creativity, care and considerable attention to every little detail that Tina put into our Canadian Rocky Mountain adventure. From the moment we arrived in Vancouver to our last day in Banff, including our excellent hotel rooms and amazing VIP treatment, every day was a great, easy-to-navigate day. There was a good balance of downtime and fun, private excursions; plenty of time to explore our destinations; and an utterly awesome Rocky Mountaineer train experience. And finally, every conceivable question was considered and answered in advance by Tina, our partner in this travel adventure.” — Engblom empty-nest trip to Canada, designed by Tina Woitaszewski

“We had an AMAZING time on our trip — seriously, it was so great. We had the perfect amount of time in each place, the accommodations were so good, we ate well, saw some really cool things and got in every one’s vacation bucket list item. I really appreciate all the work you put into the research and administrative work of putting all of that together, I could not have done that on my own.” — McGarry family trip to California, designed by Rachel Sewell

“This truly was one of the best family vacations we’ve ever taken. Every region had its own charm, we made incredible memories together and we couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to so much of France. Thank you for all the planning that went into making it happen. We already find ourselves talking about ‘next time,’ which is probably the best compliment we can give.” — Jenkins family trip to France, designed by Linda Considine

“I wanted to reach out to you and thank you for all your work planning our Italy vacation. You were very patient with us answering all of our questions and following up on all of our requests. All of the arrangements were executed flawlessly, even when I asked for last-minute changes. We had an exceptional time and made great memories. We will request your services in the future and recommend you to our friends and family.” — Angus family trip to Italy, designed by Alex Carrier

Relevant Links:

How family travel changes at every age and stage

What kids learn from travel that they can’t learn in a classroom

18 summer vacations to take before your kids grow up

Mindful travel tips with kids: How to live in the moment

How family travel creates resilient kids

10 family vacations that will change kids forever

Pick your passion: Best family vacation spots for every interest

Photos courtesy of the individual families pictured.