Carrie Bonney

For me, the best trips are not about simply seeing a destination. They are about experiencing it.

I want to know what the locals eat, what they drink, where they gather, and what makes their corner of the world unlike anywhere else. I want to wander through UNESCO World Heritage sites, discover the little restaurant tucked down a side street, taste wine where the grapes were grown, and explore a destination with a local guide who can tell you the stories you would never find in a guidebook.

That is also how I plan travel for my clients.

As a travel advisor with Coasters and Castles, I specialize in customized luxury travel, culturally immersive vacations, food and wine travel, small group experiences, European travel, river and ocean cruises, safaris, and multigenerational trips. Based in Southwest Florida and working with travelers nationwide, I create trips for people who want more than a checklist of famous sights. They want to sink their teeth into a destination, sometimes quite literally.

Planning is one of my favorite parts of travel. I genuinely enjoy putting all the pieces together, finding the right hotel, choosing experiences worth your time, coordinating transportation, finding exceptional local guides, and figuring out those little details that can turn a good vacation into an extraordinary one.

My goal is also to make the entire process feel easy.

Working with me is relaxed and personal. I learn how you like to travel, what excites you, what you would rather skip, and what would make the trip unforgettable for you. Then I build around that.

I have planned everything from intimate couples trips to large group journeys and multigenerational family vacations, including the wonderfully complicated challenge of creating a trip that keeps grandparents, parents, and grandchildren equally excited.

My clients have traveled throughout Europe, South America, South Africa, and beyond, as well as aboard ocean and river cruises. I also have relationships with local guides around the world, including many I have personally traveled with and trust with my own vacations.

I believe firsthand experience matters.

I have traveled to Italy nine times, Croatia three times, Ireland three times, France and Spain multiple times, and throughout destinations including South Africa, Zambia, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Slovenia, Bosnia, Belgium, England, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, the Bahamas, Hawaii, and nearly every state in the United States.

Italy has a particularly strong hold on me. Northwestern Italy and Tuscany combine many of the things I love most about travel: incredible food, extraordinary wine, history, culture, beautiful landscapes, and experiences that reward slowing down and staying awhile.

France is another favorite, particularly Bordeaux and Champagne.

And when it comes to wine travel, I bring more than enthusiasm to the table.

I hold the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines with Merit, as well as Champagne Master credentials, and my professional wine experience includes winemaking, wine education, marketing, sales, hospitality, and working directly within the wine industry. That background gives me a different perspective when designing wine and culinary travel. I understand what is happening in the vineyard and cellar, but I also understand that you should never need a wine dictionary to enjoy what is in your glass.

To me, luxury travel is not simply about choosing the most expensive option.

Luxury is having the right experience.

It is exploring with a knowledgeable local guide instead of following fifty people off a tour bus. It is having enough time to enjoy lunch instead of racing to the next stop. It is staying somewhere with character. It is tasting the food and wine of the region, learning about its history, meeting its people, and coming home feeling as though you actually experienced the place you visited.

It is also knowing someone has thought through the details.

I am not here simply to make a reservation and disappear. If plans change, a hotel needs adjusting, an unexpected issue arises, or you decide you want to add something while you are traveling, I am only a text message away. I work with vendors and travel partners to help solve problems so you can get back to enjoying your vacation.

I can also help clients understand their travel insurance options and why protecting a significant trip deserves as much thought as planning it.

No itinerary is perfect for everyone.

Some travelers want to spend the afternoon tasting Barolo in Piedmont. Others want to watch elephants on safari, explore ancient ruins, sail through the Galapagos, cruise a European river, take the entire family to Italy, or simply sit over an incredible meal and wonder why life cannot always be this good.

That is why I start with you.

Your interests. Your pace. Your priorities. Your people.

Then I put you on the best path I can, using the same care, research, relationships, and attention to detail I would use if I were packing my suitcase and coming along.

Because ultimately, that is my standard.