Staff

After a 6 year start with another prestigious travel agency, Jean, together with her late husband, Roger W. King opened King Travelways as a retail travel agency in 1977. The object was to serve the traveling public ‘with a difference’. Their mission was to arrange travel with honesty, thoughtful attention to detail and individual care. Every trip, every person, was special. Almost immediately the agency began designing custom-made tours, many of which were not only conceived and marketed by Jean, but escorted by Jean and Roger – always with the emphasis on the integrity of the individual needs, that they not be thought of as part of a ‘herd’. Through years of networking with trusted colleagues around the world they have built up a group organization to handle many types of tour requirements. This philosophy and skill in people handling has developed into a specialty with a strong core of clients. Now, not only their own individual loyal clients are participants in their tours, but they have added a number of prestigious university alumni associations, museums, clubs, and other organizations, as well as family groups celebrating special occasions. Jean’s knowledge of world destinations is hard to match. She is a lifetime CTC (Certified Travel Counselor), and an expert in Africa, many European countries and the UK. Favorite destinations? She is totally at home in London, loves many eastern European countries in addition to Austria, Germany, France, and Italy. The best destination of all would be a toss up between a river cruise and an African Safari. Jean is a loyal alumna of Mount Holyoke College and is always pleased to be traveling with fellow ‘uncommon women’.



Barbara Serafin

Who’s the little chatterbox – the one with all the curly locks? No, it’s not little orphan Annie, but our Barbara. She charms everyone with her smile and sincerity, which you can almost feel over the ‘phone. Barb is a graduate of Briarwood College’s Travel & Tourism Department. In addition, she worked  for many years in the banking industry, so has great business background. She started with King Travelways as an intern in the in the summer of ’95, and by fall was a full time Travel Counselor. She knows the Caribbean like a book. Aruba is her second home, but she is equally knowledgeable in Las Vegas, Disneyworld, and on cruises. She has traveled extensively outside of the USA as well, to Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland. Barbara is the office manager at King Travelways, and is the account manager for a number of our corporate clients.



Charlotte Chardenet

We are so lucky to have Charlotte as part of the King Travelways’ team. In her former life, she was on the other side of the fence. She was DSM (District Sales Manager) for Sabena Airlines for 30 years, so is an expert in the mind set of our airline partners – especially the international carriers. She handles all of our group flight records, negotiating the best fares, and ticketing the most difficult flight itinerary. She has a long-standing relationship with the UConn undergraduate study abroad programs, and is now handling our special low fare routes into Africa. Do we have bargains? Yes, indeed. Charlotte is expert in other areas as well. She is an excellent French cook, and she skiis like a whiz – she met husband Bob on the slopes!

Susan Heald

 

Susan’s love for travel goes back to her childhood, moving around as a ‘Navy Brat’. Now settled down with husband and child, she has found her travel niche at King Travelways. Graduating top of the class at WorldTek Travel School, she started with ‘total immersion’ into the travel business and has become a top staff counselor. She specializes in individual vacations, and sends our business clients to all points on the globe. Expert in Disneyword, cruises, worldwide tour packages, she herself has traveled the US, Caribbean, and the UK. She recently returned from a family vacation in the Turks & Caicus in an all-inclusive resort and says it’s the only way to go!



Jane Kuhn

Jane started in the group travel business in 1972 with a one week camping trip to the Virgin Islands National Park in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since then she has branched out and has arranged and escorted groups traveling to worldwide destinations for college alumni associations, museums, churches and private groups. Jane is an alumna of Wellesley College and holds the CTC (Certified Travel Counselor) designation,  a professional travel degree.  As she has traveled widely throughout Europe, Asia and Africa you can consult with her about itineraries for your group.  Some of Jane’s trips are on small ships to unusual destinations – Russia’s White Sea, and Baja California, for example – and some are to better-known spots, like Alaska or the Yangtse River in China. When Jane is not off on trips around the world, she is at King Travelways planning for the next adventure! The Virgin Island trip is now an annual March event, still very popular. If you have an interest in an inexpensive winter getaway on one of the world’s most beautiful islands, call for details on next winter’s trip! On a personal note, she plays tennis, and spends time in her vacation home in Vermont.  What are her favorite trips?     St. John, USVI;  Italy, especially Tuscany, and maybe Vietnam!

Debra M. Vitelli

Debbie has been a part of the King Travelways family since 1983, and knows every corner of the travel business. She is a top-notch Travel Counselor, and is especially valuable in our Group Department, with the rare ability to design, put into operation, and even escort our groups. She knows every detail, with keen follow through from start to finish. Travel is in her soul, both professional and personal, and she knows the world inside and out. She herself has traveled throughout Europe and Africa, Central America, and Alaska. She has designed and escorted a number of our African safaris – and has even ‘trained’ daughter Kaitlyn and husband Bryan to assist. For family vacations Deb has an eye out for the latest perfect destinations, on sea and on land.

Nancy Bardwell

Nancy is that rare combination of understanding the backroom functioning of the travel business, and the ability to book and escort tours and cruises. She keeps our accounting going, and us on our toes. She is so thorough, and a real eagle-eye – a very important part of King Travelways.