February 2020

California’s 2019 Travel Consultant of the Year - LUXlife Magazine

Bay Area’s 2019 Best International Bespoke Holiday Agency - LUXlife Magazine

It’s the month for amour with Valentine’s Day, but it’s also the month for SuperBowl parties, Mardi Gras this year, and more than a dozen “theme” days, mostly revolving around food! February is also a great month to travel with the ones you love. Or, plan a trip just for yourself around your personal passions, like photography, cuisine, sports, wellbeing, etc. It’s hard to believe that 18 years ago, I followed my own personal passion – travel – and started Planet Hoppers to help you with your travel dreams.

Featured Trip Of The Month

KRISTA AND ETHAN CELEBRATE IN CHIANG MAI

See their fun-filled itinerary here.

This is the first trip Ethan and I have done together that we’ve used Amy’s services. The Chiang Mai itinerary was just amazing….perfect. Ethan and I were just blown away by how easy everything was. You land, you’re not used to anything yet, you’re tired, you don’t know how to get around or anything. But literally everything was planned for us and we did not have to worry or even think about what to do at all, it was all there for us, done perfectly, in advance. We just said “Amy you’re a rock star!”

The day after we arrived, we had a ‘Monk Chat’ where you spend all day with a Buddhist monk and they talk with you about the teachings of Buddhism and meditation and, at the very end, you can ask them any questions you want about their lives, or about Buddhism, or anything really. Very positive and something really good to do on your first full day because you’re still kind of tired and you can just chill out with something spiritual. And it just puts you in such a good mindset for the rest of your trip.

We went to an elephant sanctuary and, this was my favorite part of the entire trip: it was like being an elephant owner for a day. Elephants are just so special and to be so up close and personal with them, watching them, feeding them, is amazing. We got to ride them through the jungles. They love the water, so we took them to a river and got in the water with them and bathed them. They are so fun, and so smart. And the babies are so adorable. To be able to interact with them and be connected to their wisdom makes me appreciate them a lot more. At first I was a bit scared of their size but then you get used to it and it is an incredible experience, plus you’re out there in jungle and you see these villages and their people and it’s great being outside of bit cities. It felt like being in the real Thailand in a way.

Amy planned a visit to a lantern festival for us. And an amazing dinner at a local restaurant during the festival that was along the river. It wasn’t that expensive either. Just amazing views, amazing location and we got to see all the lanterns going up along the riverfront. So cool. Then we each got lanterns and lifted them off. The restaurant gave customers these cool floating flower blessing things and you light them. Then you go down to their own private dock with the lanterns all set up and you set them off the dock, up in the air, so beautiful.

I just trust Amy so much after the Thai experience now. We bought the most amazing pieces for our home, beautiful art, handmade, sculptures, tapestries, clothing. In Chiang Mai, it’s very artsy and Amy recommended this art market outside of the city, in these beautiful grounds, like the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach, like a farmer’s market, only with artists and craftspersons.

Amy is an amazing agent, she’s just so “on it”. And made it so easy. She’s definitely an expert. I would definitely use Amy again for my next trip. I’ve never had a travel agent before but would never consider doing my own trip now. I’m more of a control person but I was just blown away, everything was just so easy and she has just so many suggestions that take a trip to the next level. I’m just going to let go and do whatever she tells me to do and go wherever she sends me because she literally thought of everything.