Smooth Sailing Travels
Kimberly Tisdale Turk
Dream Vacation Franchisee Owner
My parents instilled a love of traveling when I was a child by taking me on multiple cross-country car trips. I did the same with my children when they were young, because I knew you needed to see the world to understand it. Once my children were older we started cruising. I love unpacking once and waking up each day to a new adventure.
When I retired from teaching I decided to put my experience and love of travel to use by opening my own travel agency. I teamed up with Dream Vacations so I could provide my customers with a wealth of travel opportunities.
My mother has had mobility issues for a couple decades. She had a scooter that bumped over many a cobblestone path in Europe and now her motorized wheelchair has taken her around Hawaii, Ireland, and Scotland. Thanks to her I am very familiar with finding accessible accommodations and excursions. Travel should be accessible to everyone and I would love to help you take the trip of your dreams, no matter what barriers the world puts in front of you.
My Favorite Trips
Mediterranean Cruise
I love sailing out of Southport, England because I get to visit London. My son found a Harry Potter walking tour that we took one day after a cruise. Seeing the filming sites was great fun.
Our Mediterranean cruise was my first trip to Europe and I loved every minute of it. The food in Italy and Greece was amazing. I literally lost my breath when I saw the Colosseum. I was able to bring information about Pompeii back to my classroom. Did you know they had fast food restaurants? I didn't until our tour guide told us how it worked.
Alaska
This trip made me look like a bad mom and an even worse educator because I took the kids out of school in September for a land and cruise trip through Alaska. Doing both a cruise and a land trip let us see the diversity of biomes in Alaska, from the tundra to a temperate rainforest. The kids got to pet sled dogs and we took several nature hikes. We saw tons of bald eagles and a couple grizzlies eating salmon. The junior ranger program was both entertaining and educational.
We were lucky enough to see a glacier calve while we were sailing. The sound started like a low rumble and then it got loud as a huge piece cracked off. Watching the waves was almost as exciting as seeing the glacier calve. We got to do some whale watching too.
Northern Europe
My parents and I took this trip without my kids. I was amazed by the accessibility provided on this cruise. Every stop had a wheelchair accessible option through the cruise line, which is often tough to find. I got to wander around Edinburgh and take an Outlander tour which took me to multiple filming sites. The history and architecture were mesmerizing.
After the cruise I dragged my parents to the Harry Potter studio tour and it was well worth the journey for all of us.
