Reviews

Pam is a life saver … we were caught in the floods this summer in Eastern Europe threatening our idyllic 25th Anniversary cruise from Prague to Budapest. Not only was she available 24/7 to help us navigate the changes to our trip, she ensured our interests were well represented with the cruise line company so we could just relax. She recommended the best private guides in both Prague and Budapest adding a personal dimension to our trip we were not expecting. Thanks so much, Pam!

Pam Keystone and the Art of Vacationing has been handling our leisure trave for 31/2 years. During that time Pam and her staff have provided excellent advice and service on our travel plans. With the pandemic making travel almost impossible Pam and her staff have always been eager to assist us in canceling existing trips and provididng alternatives for travel which has been severly limited. Pam provided assistance even though it was costing her money to cancel all our travel while still providiing alternative where possible.

To illustrate, we had a trip planned in mid September and when it was booked there was no vaccination requirement for travelers.
My wife has a severe allergic reaction to vaccines and her Doctor strongly recommended not getting the vaccine.
Pam appealed to the travel company but to no avail. My wife and I were upset but over the next day we decided to create a trip on our own which would allow us to travel to the destitnations we wanted to visit. Called Pam and she said absolutely it could be done and she and her staff put together an itinerary superior to the one we were going to take on the tour. All the flights, hotels, car rental, tours and guides were booked and all we had to do was show up at the plane. All of these arrangements were made within a couple of days and over a weekend. It was the best travel service we ever experienced.
We will continue to trave with Pam and would not use anyone else.

This 2021 trip was rescheduled from 2020. Pam and her team made every effort imaginable to work through myriad complicated rules, regulations and numerous regulatory changes to get this trip on the books for us and make it a smooth, wonderful journey to France and England. The 2 week trip went off without a hitch with multiple planes, trains, and automobiles. They managed all the COVID testing protocols before and during our trip for border crossings and re-entry. It could not have been smoother. The entire planning process during multiple changes of travel restrictions from three countries did not faze them, they kept abreast of the airline and entry protocols, kept us informed and kept cool heads throughout. The trip itself was fantastic while we were able to see everything we wanted during a time when tourism is down significantly - with no lines and with the foreign hospitality industry warmly welcoming travelers. I highly recommend this professional team!

Art of Vacationing is a treasure for travelers. We used the reward travel service and the trip planning service and could not have been more pleased. Pam and her staff are knowledgeable, efficient, and most accommodating. More importantly, they listen carefully and think creatively. and, they know how to solve the problems that inevitably arise in travel planning and travel. There may be a better operation somewhere, but we doubt it.

Our vacation was just absolutely fabulous. Thank you so much for arranging a wonderful 10 days in Italy. We had beautiful weather, great accommodations, amazing tour guides and tours, unbelievably delicious meals. The entire trip went smoothly. All of your tour guides were above and beyond. Giovanni, Angela, Todd and Andrea were pros and so passionate with their profession. Pam, Mark and I really enjoyed the ride from Rome to Florence with stops in Ovieto and Siena. The Brunello wine tour with Todd was a favorite, he is a true sommelier. We purchased wine and it has arrived in Naples. We will enjoy and reminisce our Italy vacation. I could go on and on, it was a dream vacation. Your team, expertise, guidance and contacts made for a memory-making vacation.

Flights, trains, guides, fabulous hotels – Pam helped us with it all. Our trip to Italy was a trip of a lifetime and we are very grateful to Pam for her guidance and assistance. We are looking forward to our next adventure in May- a river cruise in Provence.

Dreaming about upcoming vacations is always fun. Then the frustrating tedium of transferring points, black out dates, rules and regulations, innumerable contacts… the fun is gone. Thanks so much, Pam, for listening to our dreams, and then doing the hard part, so we could anticipate the fun.

We had a wonderful trip to Italy. Let me say how much we appreciate your service. Yes, I know you are paid, but if I had planned this myself it would have been a much less enjoyable trip. Your advice was sound, and you were very patient with us.

WE WILL BE BACK! Our experience with Pam’s planning for our vacation to Tokyo and back via our home resort, Canyon Villas at Desert Ridge was fast, easy, and first rate. We were extremely frustrated novice vacation planners. We thought we knew what we were doing to use our Marriott points, but guess not. We will be flying business class to Tokyo, Phoenix then back to Wisconsin, carefree, because of Pam. Thank you.

Pam’s The Art of Vacationing took the worry and frustration out of our trying to cobble together our Marriott Reward Points and airline Frequent Flyer miles for a wonderful trip to Paris. Pam was able to get us a week at Marriott’s Champs Elysees property and the Frequent Flyer miles to get us there WHEN the room was available, no mean feat. And she did so on relatively short notice. We had a great time in Paris and didn’t have to worry about the travel details.

We are fortunate that Pam Keystone has come into our lives and we now consult with her for all of our vacation planning. Her advice helps us to navigate the maze of timeshare information which is often overwhelming. Pam is a consummate professional who is not only knowledgeable but is dedicated and sensible in her approach

I wanted to share with you our Italy trip experience. Rome was fantastic – the hotel and Giovanni were both A+. Tuscany again was absolutely top notch with Pennuccia and the “barn”. A+ again. The accommodations in Florence were also lovely and I’d give them an A. Angela made the Florence part wonderful and we loved her. You did a spectacular job for us and we will definitely use you again for future European travel.

As you know, we have been Marriott owners for over five years. During this time we have never ventured successfully using the exchange system until we met with your expertise. Come this spring we will be fulfilling a dream come true as you have helped us plan our trip to Hawaii. You have arranged the complete trip for us incorporating our airline miles, Marriott points and the Interval trade.

Kudos to your website. It is very professional and contains so much great information. I know it was taking you a long time to complete it but it seems very well worth it. I know I will be using it often

When we decided to plan our trip to Portugal and Majorca for 2009, it was obvious that we needed some help. We had points from 3 companies, plus Marriott reward points and timeshare weeks. Fortunately for us, we knew Pam and asked her for some help. We now have a totally planned, month-long vacation, including plane, hotel and car reservations…..all handled by “The Art of Vacationing”. We recommend her company if you want a complete trouble free package.

Pam Keystone’s extensive knowledge, experience and resources provide valuable information, as well as cost savings for her clientele. Her organizational skills, high standards and excellent service could benefit even the most experienced timeshare owner. The Art of Vacationing truly is “Ownership Simplified”

We met with Pam last February while vacationing in Scottsdale. It took us about three minutes to know that her services were for us. I was always struggling with “the system”. Her knowledge, professionalism and attention to detail are amazing. Just recently we decided to trade a week of our time to Aruba. Pam took care of the request for us and in less than 3 weeks we were confirmed. We look forward to many more vacations arranged by Pam in the future. “Ownership Simplified” is an understatement when it comes to Pam and The Art of Vacationing.

We are home and back to reality. You created a wonderful tour for us in Eastern Europe All 3 countries were incredible and we both learned so much. Our guides were ALL excellent. Thank you for making this trip a time for us to remember in years to come. We loved every minute you created for us. Hopefully, we’ll be knocking on your door again soon:)

I just wanted to thank you and your team for making the arrangements for our recent trip. All of our flights and connections were just perfect. We loved our seats both coming and going to Europe and for the first time we had just the right layover so as not to miss our flight connection in Paris!! I was actually able to re-select my seats on the commuter flight from Venice to Paris to sit in the exit row…..no problem at all and no extra cost like in the states.

Thank you so much for the first trip that you have organized for us; we will certainly have you organize many more. The first class and business class flights to Paris and the Marriott hotel stays definitely maximized the value of our Marriott points. You have spoiled us and we may never want to fly coach again. The 5 days at the Champs-Elysees Marriott contributed to a fantastic sightseeing tour of Paris. We enjoyed the 17 day France river cruise that you recommended with Avalon so much that we are already planning our next one. And finally, the 3 days at the Monaco Marriott provided a very relaxing end to a wonderful journey. Thank you for everything you did to make this a memorable trip and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Thanks for ALL your help with this trip. You are a dream to work with!

We got back from Italy last night and I just wanted to thank you and your staff for arranging such a wonderful trip. Everything went pretty much to plan. All flights were on time. While I thought the private tour guides were a little pricey beforehand, they were all very good and well worth the money for the access and information that we were given. We would have missed so much without them.

Thank you so much for planning our UK vacation. We absolutely, undoubtedly could not (and wouldn’t want to) have planned this memorable “Marriott vacation” without your help, guidance, suggestions, phone calls, emails, etc, etc. You gave us 100% attention and we felt like we were your only clients…you gave us the “Royal Treatment” and look forward to our next vacation.

We’re back – and it was all wonderful. Thank you for all you did to make it so. Every reservation went off without a hitch and we are most grateful for your attention to detail and first-rate follow-up. I was also very conscious of the fact that even when you were away – or on overload – nothing slipped through the cracks. You really run a first-rate operation and we’ve passed your name on to our friends. I hope some of it pays off to someone so deserving.

I am writing this on our flight home. It seemed a fitting time to express our thanks to you…a very special thanks…for helping us structure what was a fabulous trip to Italy! Of particular note were our three guides….Giovanni, Angela and Umberto. Each was special in their own way, and we left each one thinking how fortunate we were to have, over a short period of time, such a special and informed focus of places that otherwise would have seemed overwhelming in the scope opportunities each place afforded. We could not have been more pleased! Your choices of places to stay we’re also wonderful….and the order of our stays…bravissimo! Especially ending in the quiet, majestic area overlooking Barga. Lastly, we again were so grateful for your “watching over us” on our delay out of Chicago and assisting with the revised connections. Eased our minds for sure. We will truly cherish the memories made…and you making them possible!