Salt & Wind TravelReviews of travel.saltandwind.com

I had a terrific experience working with Salt & Wind Travel. Initially, I thought I would be taking this trip on my own, and thankfully a friend ended up joining me later. From the beginning, I really wanted to be hands-off with the planning, and the team completely took the lead while still listening to what I wanted. They were incredibly knowledgeable about every destination, had wonderful recommendations, and curated a trip that really reflected my tastes and how I like to travel. I felt like I was in great hands throughout the entire process. The app was also fantastic and made everything incredibly easy while we were traveling. Overall, it was a best-in-class experience, and I would absolutely use Salt & Wind Travel again.

Aida was absolutely wonderful to work with in planning our 7-night trip to celebrate our 15-year anniversary. We came to her with a very short planning timeframe and very little knowledge of California, yet she seamlessly pulled together an incredible trip for us. She expertly guided us through every aspect of the planning process — from where to stay and how to structure the trip to what to do and where to visit. She arranged three full days of personalized wine tours with local guides, which included exclusive access and experiences we never would have been able to arrange on our own. Her advice was thoughtful, realistic, and perfectly tailored to what we were looking for. Aida made the entire planning process easy and enjoyable, especially given the short turnaround, and the trip she created for us was truly memorable. We are so glad we found her and look forward to working with her again for future travels!

We had the pleasure of working with Aida Mollenkamp of Sand and Wind Travel, on a trip of almost a month to France. Aida embraced with enthusiasm the task of developing our itinerary including six cities, starting in Normandy and finishing in Nice, with several nights on either end in Paris. Every detail was managed and booked from small boutique hotels, to walking tours, tastings, day trips, and car or train transports. In addition Aida gave us dining suggestions, and then booked dinners according to our preferences. Each hotel reflected the character of our destination, was located centrally so that within walking distance we were winding through charming streets, or close to a magnificent cathedral, or by a seaside promenade. On day trips and city tours we were led by individuals with art history or architectural backgrounds, or an impressive understanding of the culture and geography of the location. Aida is a most talented travel professional, using her depth of knowledge together with her astute people skills to create an extraordinary travel experience. One example is her focus on our last day in Paris which happened to be Bastille Day. We were hoping to see unexplored areas of the city, and were delighted with the unusual Parisian tour which resulted from Aida’s efforts. Our guide fashioned for us a spectacular glimpse of the first and neighboring arrondissements.We began with the majestic Palais Royal, with its stunning courtyard, decked with small black and white striped columns and matching striped canopies shielding the windows above. We strolled through the surrounding gardens and then went on to admire the remarkable circular facades surrounding the Place Des Victories, dramatically presided over by Louis XIV. We ended up at a charming arched facade, draped in clusters of red/orange flowers. We ducked in to find a magnificently tiled interior floor, with authentically Parisian shops lining each side, what a treat, to finish our France experience with such a unique glimpse of Paris. The month left us with a special attachment to each city we visited; it was magical. Thank you, Aida, for arranging this unforgettable experience for us!

Aida and her team did an amazing job! They had excellent communication before, during and after the trip. Our vacation went exactly as we had hoped and the planning ahead of time by Salt and Wind made things so easy! There was absolutely no way we could have planned so many activities, dinner reservations and destinations by ourselves.

We had a great experience with Aida and her team! Aida helped plan a perfect two-week vacation for our family of six in Hawaii. Loved having each day detailed for us in the app, all reservations made, tips for where to stop on the way from one attraction to another, etc. Aida knows so much about Hawaii and food, she was even able to provide additional instructions for us based on dietary restrictions. Highly recommend!

Kristen helped us plan our 2 week honeymoon to Sicily, and she thought of every detail! We met with her a few times over the course of a year, and she tuned into exactly what we were looking for. We ate at wonderful local spots that she found, had private tours in the different towns, and felt well taken care of at our hotels. Her help allowed us to sit back and relax during the planning and all we had to do was enjoy our trip! We will definitely use Salt and Wind in the future!

Definitely a family vacation we will all remember. Kristen took the time to truly understand our interests and specifically our 2 boys. We told her we wanted to eat our way through Italy, less "touristy", and get some unique experiences in there. From private city tours where the guides she picked knew what was important to us, to pasta and gelato making classes, to still seeing all the main attractions, our 2 weeks to Venice, Bologna, Florence, and Rome flew by. Everything was spot on and one of the best parts: low stress as parents!

Kristen at Salt & Wind just organized a 10 day bespoke private trip--starting from Tuscany, then to Portofino, Piedmont, and ending in Milan--for my family of four to Italy. It was one of the best vacation that we had for a long while. The itinerary was a careful blend of historical sites, nature wonders, local scenes, and fun activities. The hotels are great and the restaurants superb. Kudos to Kristen and her team at Salt & Wind!