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How we help clients with emergencies
When clients are “in country,” Anne & Barbara are vigilant, ready to step in and help in any emergency or with any request.
Steve and JJ were driving in Veneto and Anne got a call on WhatsApp, so she returned it, no answer, and got the following text: “Car died at the top of a one-way lane. Not getting cell reception but will call soon. Major *#!@%!” She advised them to immediately call the emergency number on their rental. Fortunately, they were within walking distance of their hotel, were able to call from there, and the mechanic met them the next morning and resolved the situation. But just having Anne at the other end of the phone and in a country where she knows the language and the protocols helped them relax and “enjoy” their predicament rather than fretting. Stress-free adventure is our aim!
Clients also run into problems getting access to money from ATMs, and Anne has been successful in finding a way to help them out. A client in Siena had her bank card eaten by an ATM outside the bank. Fortunately, the bank was still open, and Anne was able to help her retrieve her card and get her funds. Clients in Venice had trouble accessing funds, and Anne arranged for the hotel to help them out.
Barbara helped a client resolve a payment issue at a New York hotel where Cornucopia Journeys had already paid the charges. And Anne helped clients in Panama resolve a payment issue with a hotel (not always easy in Panama, by the way….).
What else have we been able to help with? A client got lost in Venice and Anne was able, with the help of the host at her hotel in Venice, to locate her and get her on a train to Florence to rejoin her traveling companions. Clients in Paris missed a train connection in Paris, and Barbara was able to help calm the waters and find resolution.
We’re here to help, wherever you are and whatever the challenge! That is part of our personalized service. And we are proud of it.
What a year! Our busiest yet!!
We discovered that everyone was really ready to travel in 2022!!
Celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary
It's been a long two years of not going anywhere...time to get going!
Ringing out the old year, ringing in the new!
It is almost too strong to resist, this itching to go! We not only agree and encourage your dreaming of your next trip, but are here and ready to help you plan it! It's never too early to start planning. And while regulations will be shifting for some time to come, it is good to be and stay informed about what is possible and what not at the destination you have in mind. Are hotels and restaurants open? Museums? Workshops and other activities? Are guides available to deepen your understanding of what you are seeing? Can one move from one part of the country to another without encountering obstacles? What kind of protections can be built into your trip in case of cancellation or interruption? The situation in Europe is very slow to improve. While England is beginning to open up, the rest of us are behind in vaccine rollout and openings. In Italy, for example, at the moment in orange zones you can eat in a restaurant at lunchtime but only take out is available at dinner, and there is a 10pm curfew in place at least until the end of April. Pressure is building on the Italian government to open more quickly, but given the slow momentum of the vaccine rollout and the explosion of variants, it is questionable how safe further openings are.
Sharing artworks created by our clients from their journeys.
2021 is upon us! We longed for it, we waited for it, seemingly endlessly, and here it is! Uncertainties still abound, but new hope is in the air. Time to PLAN!!!! What new adventures would you like to undertake this year? Where would you like to travel…first? …second? Are you ready to think about traveling in the fall of 2021? Planning is a more active pursuit than dreaming. We all did that in 2020. It’s such a therapeutic activity. But planning, if you want to travel in 2021, is more essential than ever. Venues will open slowly, perhaps limited in capacity. Forethought, reservations, calculations, leaving room for improvisation and regrouping are imperative to be sure that your journey is as memorable as you envision. We’re here. We are eager to help you realize your dreams. It’s what we do. Well. Happy, healthy, joyous new year to all!!! We deserve to realize the hope it brings. And to venture forth on the promised adventures!!
December, 2020 Dear Friends, The year 2020 is not one many of us wish to remember in detail. We have struggled individually and collectively with many issues, some urgently life-threatening or emotionally devastating. So to adopt a cheery, devil-may-care attitude looking back over this unprecedented time seems utterly inappropriate. But we have individually and collectively accomplished things in this period that are worth remembering. Here at Cornucopia Journeys we launched our new web site last March — exquisite timing, to be sure! The new site includes a Journal that gives us time and space to reflect on journeys we have planned or taken or might take, experiences awaiting us, and reflections on moments and people that are worth remembering. So instead of highlighting the journeys people took in 2020 — and of course, there were none this year — we are offering this year’s Journal stories for your perusal, to visit or revisit as your time and inclination may allow. Just click on one below and enjoy. And please note, we are always looking for new topics that might interest you, so please let us know your suggestions for future posts. You know how to reach us! We look forward to "seeing" you in the new year and to helping some of you create new adventures. Remember, it's never too early to start planning! And it's never too late to ask for a helping hand. As we all begin to look forward to a future without Covid, we are eager to help you expand your horizons! It's what we do. Well. Our very best, from our hearts to your homes, Barbara & Anne
I look forward to the olive harvest in my beloved Tuscany every year! I will never forget my first harvest in the early 90’s. I began gingerly removing each olive, one at a time. This lasted about two minutes, until I observed my companions stripping olives from each branch with abandon. And then I just clocked into the rhythm and the oneness with the trees and the sky and the liberating movement. It became my autumnal therapy, and those years when I could not manage to get to the groves, I deeply felt the loss.
