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Travel Expertise

Favorite experiences
  • Living in Italy
  • Visiting Fez and the Northern Sahara area, Morocco
  • Cruising through Dubai, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar
  • Traveling to Cuba
  • Journeying through the Silk Road in Bukhara and Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Most recent trips
  • Portugal for history and wine
  • English Channel and Ireland on a small ship cruise
  • Australia and New Zealand on a small ship cruise

If you can dream it up, I can plan it for you.

Vana Carmona
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Vana's Story

In my 16 years with TravelStore, I have honed my skills planning detailed, customized itineraries. Many of these are to Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. And I can also arrange travel to virtually all countries on the planet.

Italy is a particular specialty of mine, as it will always be my adopted home. I even hold dual citizenship. I passed this fascination on to my daughter, who ended up spending nine years in the center of Piemonte, working in the wine industry.

France and Spain are old friends. I am registered with each country’s tourism office as a professional on travel to these destinations. Add Greece and Turkey, and I have covered the Mediterranean. (And I must not leave out my northern favorites, like the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scandinavia.)

Having ventured further afield over the years, I now plan itineraries for South America and Southeast Asia as well as the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and Vietnam.

Recently, I have added Africa to my list of specialties. I’m working my way through as many countries as I can. Safari, anyone? Gorillas? Wine-tasting? History?

Closer to home, my deep roots in New England and New York are a desirable bonus. Many are asking for domestic travel these days: welcome to the New England Coast or a few days in the Big Apple.

I am constantly looking for new destinations and specialties that would be attractive to you. Because I am personally interested in food and wine (I cook a lot!), I have now added culinary experiences to my repertoire. How about cooking lessons, market tours, olive oil tasting, or winery visits? Or even a cruise with a unique food or wine theme?

Travel comes naturally to me. As a child, I crawled over the world map looking for Paris. At age six, I knew it had to be a fabulous place, wherever it was. It took me a while to get there, even after I found out it was in France.
As I grew up, I grabbed any travel opportunities that came my way: the class trip to Spain; the visit to friends in the Middle East; and the research project in Italy. I finally got to Paris when I was 23. It was just as extraordinary as I had imagined.

Over the years, I journeyed from coast to coast and back again, raising two traveling children along the way. I learned Italian and studied Spanish and French, art history, and literature. I worked for the Italian press and completed my master’s degree in medieval history.

It’s all about passion. When I am planning a trip, I always feel I am creating my own next big adventure. It is that personal. And so is my relationship with you, the traveler. Knowing you come back happy with tales to tell is a great satisfaction for me.

If you can dream it up, I can plan it for you. (Or I can even dream it up for you!) Call me. I love to chat about travel!

Vana's Travel Journals

Aug 20, 2020 Avatar Vana Carmona Vana Carmona

Vacationland: Greetings from Maine!

Maine dubbed itself “Vacationland” years ago, and it still stands true today. The state has much to offer for people...

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Jun 30, 2016 Avatar Vana Carmona Vana Carmona

Discovering Cuba

Cuba is piquing the travel imagination like no other destination. Long off limits to US citizens, the gradual opening of...

Read more

Plan your trip
with Vana

800-850-3224 ext. 15529

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