Our story

Planning travel from Cave Creek since 1995. Susan's Travel Services since 2018.

In 1995, I saw an ad in the newspaper about becoming a travel advisor. I had little kids and wanted to be home with them. So I took a class over a weekend, and it connected me with Terra Travel in Mesa.

That weekend turned into 31 years.

Before that, I graduated from Arizona State in 1993, and my first job was selling paper for Wallace Computer Services. I tell my kids I was the original Office. Sales taught me to listen first and figure out what the client actually needs, and I still work that way.

23 years at Terra Travel

I spent 23 years as an independent contractor with Terra Travel. I booked through paper tickets, the arrival of the internet, 9/11, and the years when everyone said travel advisors were finished.

Every one of those changes taught me what clients really hire us for: knowing which hotel and which cruise is right for them, and picking up the phone when something goes wrong.

2018: our own name on the door

In 2018, I got my own IATA number and started Susan's Travel Services. I wanted more say in which companies I work with, and I wanted to be part of Virtuoso. Terra Travel wasn't a Virtuoso agency, and I knew what that network could do for my clients: stronger relationships with the best hotels, cruise lines, and safari camps, and added amenities when you arrive.

Then 2020 came along, and we made it through that too.

We've been in Cave Creek the whole way, from that first weekend class to today. Our clients live all over the country, but this is home.

Brett and Jennifer

Brett and Jennifer booked their first trip with me in 2009: a family trip to Italy.

Since then we've done Hawaii and trips around the United States. I planned their daughter's honeymoon. I've planned Europe trips for Brett's sister and for their best friends. And now I'm booking Lainey.

That's 17 years and 2 generations. You trust me with one trip, I take care of you, and then you trust me with the people you love. That's how this whole business has grown.

Where we know best

After 31 years, these are the trips I could plan in my sleep:

• Africa. I've been 3 times, from MalaMala in South Africa to King's Pool in Botswana and Mahali Mzuri in Kenya. Safari is my favorite conversation.
• Cruising. Expedition, ocean, and river. I've sailed Norway on Seabourn and cruised Alaska twice, and river cruising is a hotel that moves. Antarctica on Seabourn Pursuit and Tahiti on Silversea are next.
• The Pacific and beyond. I hold specialist designations for Hawaii, Mexico, Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and Costa Rica.
• Families. Busy parents, empty nesters, and the whole crew at once. Multi-gen is our jam.

Full circle

I started this business so I could be home with my kids. Today my daughter McKenzie works right alongside me.

Your trip is our priority. We work for you, before you leave, ON the trip, and when you get back. That's what you're hiring us for: our expertise and our care. The trip is amazing, but it's secondary.

So tell me: where do you want to go first? Reach us at 480-360-0309 or susan@susanstravelservices.com.