Agents

Karla Constantine, Travel Advisor

Email: karlac@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

For over 36 years, Karla has been busy traveling the world and helping clients create lasting vacation memories. She gets a thrill out of visiting a new place or having a fun adventure like tasting wine in Tuscany, hiking the Milford Track in New Zealand, taking a safari in Kenya, or kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland. A few of her favorite travel adventures have been river rafting on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and renting an RV in Alaska.

Karla has been to Hawaii 12 times so can provide you with insider tips on the best places to swim, surf, dine and get shave ice. She has also logged numerous trips to Alaska, Italy and many parts of Europe. One of Karla’s favorite destinations she has visited is Vietnam for the majestic temples, serene beaches and war history. She has also traveled to many ski resorts throughout North America, and has led an annual Winter Park Ski Train vacation for 26 years. Karla looks forward to helping you plan your next great adventure.

Debbie Chester, Travel Advisor

Email: dchester@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

According to Debbie, checking out the lava in Hawaii and dogsledding in Alaska is a must sometime in your life. A few of her other favorite activities have been whale watching in Puerto Vallarta, swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman Island and taking an outback safari in Punta Cana. Debbie is extremely knowledgeable about all-inclusive resorts in the sunny Riviera Maya/Cancun area of Mexico having been there over six times. She can match you with the best resort for your vacation based on your budget and preferences.

Debbie has over 20 years of experience in the travel industry servicing both leisure and corporate travel clients. Her favorite part of her job is helping her clients plan their trip of a lifetime. She also enjoys helping you plan and celebrate any special occasion in your life while traveling.

Lynn Cox, Travel Advisor

Email: lcox@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-632-3659

Every time Lynne gets back from a cruise, she says it is her new favorite trip because she is always so excited about what she has experienced. She has over 25 years of experience selling luxury cruises and tours and facilitating group travel. She specializes in sending clients on long, extended voyages such as world cruises and grand voyages that span from several weeks up to four months long, in addition to river cruises, and specialty land trips ranging from safaris to guided tours of Europe.

Lynne also sets up large group cruises for everything from family reunions to an organization’s annual meeting where the group combines meetings with an exciting cruise destination. She works with the group leader to plan and organize the entire retreat from start to finish, and occasionally serves as a host for the group on the ship.

Having traveled all over the world, a few of Lynne’s favorite memories include hiking at Alaska’s Eastern Baranof Island and exploring Glacier Bay National Park by foot, experiencing France for the first time on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager, and discovering Germany on her first river cruise. She thoroughly enjoys sailing on small ships to get to experience the smaller ports where large ships can’t reach. The cruise lines Lynne knows best include Crystal Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea, Holland America, Seabourn, Celebrity and Tauck.

Lori Grantz, Travel Advisor

Email: lgrantz@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

A few of Lori’s favorite travel memories include ziplining with her father through the Costa Rican rainforest, flying over Niagara Falls in a helicopter, swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman, and taking in the impressive scenery and wildlife by rail in Alaska. Lori has worked in the travel industry for 20 years and enjoys getting to know her clients personally and helping them fulfill their interests and passions through travel. Lori loves planning destination weddings, anniversary trips, babymoons and family reunion cruises where she gets to know the grandparents and great-grandparents.

Lori has visited the Riviera Maya region of Mexico 11 times and has taken seven Caribbean cruises so is a pro at recommending the best excursions. A few of her suggestions? Rent a jeep in Cozumel and stop at all the small beach bars, especially Coconuts, where there is no electricity and everything is chilling on ice or hot off the grill. Or climb the Coba Mayan ruin, zipline through the jungle, rappel into a Cenote, and enjoy a tasty local lunch prepared for you by the women of the Mayan village. Lori is excited to help you pull the details together for your next vacation.

Vickie Grysen, Travel Advisor

Email: vgrysen@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

Vickie’s favorite part of her job is talking to her clients after they return from their vacation, wedding, or honeymoon to hear all about the fun they had and the memories they created. She also really appreciates when clients refer her to their friends and family because then she knows she has done her job well.

With over 36 years of experience in the travel industry, Vickie assists both leisure and corporate travel clients. While she has visited many destinations around the globe by land and sea, her favorite place has been New Zealand where she spent two weeks visiting both the North and South Island.  She loved the New Zealanders and all of the activities offered and the beautiful landscapes.

Vickie excels at planning destination weddings and will stop at nothing to help her clients get the best resort at the best rate. She has been on 25 cruises so can give you the scoop on the different cruise lines and itineraries, matching you with the best fit. Whether you need help rebooking your flight or want that special room or cabin, Vickie has the industry contacts to help you.

Tina Hirr, Travel Advisor

Email: thirr@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

Tina’s most rewarding part of her job is seeing the excitement in her client’s eyes as they tell stories from their recent vacation. She has nearly 20 years of experience serving travelers in a variety of roles in the travel industry. She has racked up many miles traveling to the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, and throughout the United States with her family of six.

Tina enjoys visiting the U.S. National Parks and has vacationed at Glacier, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Badlands, and Devils Tower. She has also traveled to many islands throughout the Caribbean and Mexico by land and by cruise. She has traveled in Europe and recommends taking a river cruise. Tina looks forward to providing you with her personal recommendations on the destinations you are interested in visiting.

Michele Peleras, Travel Advisor

Email: mpeleras@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

Michele’s favorite part of her job is having the opportunity to interact with people and share her knowledge and expertise in travel. She has gained that insight and insider knowledge from her 22 years working in various aspects of the travel industry. The destinations she is most passionate about include Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe. Having visited Hawaii over 8 times, Michele has plenty of suggestions for activities to try. One of many adventures she recommends is driving up to the Waimea Canyons in Kauai to take in the breathtaking views with a stop in Hanapepe at Salt Pond to swim and snorkel, and another break at the Fern Grotto to experience the fern covered lava rock and gardens. Michele has also frequented plenty of warm-weather destinations throughout Mexico and the Caribbean by land and by cruise and enjoys the history and architecture of each unique destination.

For those looking to travel a little farther, Michele is quick to recommend a trip to Italy, South Africa or a European river cruise. In addition to seeing the landmarks in Rome, Venice, and Florence, Michele often suggests her clients stay in a villa in the beautiful Tuscany region to visit the charming small towns, enjoy good food and wine, and take in some cooking classes. In South Africa, Michele encourages clients visiting Cape Town to travel to Victoria Falls to venture on a thrilling safari at the Saba Saba Game Reserve. A big fan of river cruises, Michele believes it is a great way to get an in-depth experience into a particular country/culture.

She looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you and offering you a worry free vacation!

Bethann Rahn, Business Development

Email: brahn@ctexpertsgroup.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

Bethann has worked in a variety of positions within the travel industry for over 15 years, and now works hard to support employees and independent travel partners at Cruise & Travel Experts. Having a MBA in business and marketing increases her knowledge with marketing negotiations, plan creation, events, and training within the company. Her previous roles in leisure travel, vendor relations, and business development have helped give her the experience and insight to help agents and agencies increase their sales and profits through effective training and marketing programs.

Bethann’s favorite part of her job is working closely with vendors to educate travel consultants on exciting, new travel experiences they can offer clients. She is a strong advocate of using a travel advisor to help create a fulfilling vacation and believes these experiences help people make memories that they can talk about for years to come. She has two favorite destination areas. For relaxation in the sun, she enjoys walking the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and for history and culture, she likes traveling anywhere in Europe to see all the ancient buildings and learn their history.

Sharon Sikkema, Training & Education

Email: ssikkema@cruiseandtravelexperts.com
Phone: 800-750-7839

Sharon’s first job in the travel industry had her doing everything from selling travel to deicing aircraft. Thirty years later, Sharon has built a successful career inspiring, managing and training travel agents.  She worked at Worldspan/Travelport as a GDS trainer for seven years, and spent the last 11 years as a training consultant for Carlson Wagonlit Travel (later named Travel Leaders).

Sharon enjoys helping others learn and develop their knowledge base and careers. She prefers working with professionals who want to learn rather than those who are told to learn. Nothing makes Sharon happier than when a travel advisor advances their career by putting her best practices in place.