TRAVEL JOURNAL

TRAVEL JOURNAL Where the PRO GOES

Olga Placeres, the president and CFO of Preferred Travel of Naples, is ready to talk adventure after her industry was impacted by COVID-19. The 33-year travel industry veteran deals with destination suppliers to solve any client issues. A mother of two grown children, one of whom works in the family business, Placeres moved to Naples from Miami in 1987. Naples is where she met her late husband Pedro and where she’s served three years on the Founders Scholarship Fund Board of Directors. “Our staff has organized food drives and collected school supplies and toys for charity,” Placeres says. “We’ve also partnered with many charities on gala events and have raised over $255,000 for local charities from our travel shows.” Though the pandemic squashed her international travel plans, Placeres road-tripped from Washington, DC, through Charlottesville, Virginia, to Asheville, North Carolina, then back down to Charleston, South Carolina, and St. Augustine, Florida. “In February 2021, we went to Vail, Colorado, and it was invigorating to see people out and about,” Placeres notes. Right now, she recommends working with a travel advisor who understands that safety is paramount—and that protocols change quickly. In the meantime, learn why she’s got bags packed and is ready to brave this new world. —Christina Cush

Clockwise from top: Singita’s Sasakwa Lodge; Fez, Morocco; Belmond Villa San Michele; Les Baux-DeProvence; Mandarin Oriental, New York. When is your passport being used next?

I’m scheduled to go on a Crystal Cruise this July out of Nassau. It’s a short trip, but I’m excited to travel internationally and go on a cruise. I am scheduled for a board meeting retreat in the Dominican Republic in August and am looking forward to seeing how things are handled in other countries.

Share a favorite culinary adventure.

In Florence, Italy, celebrating an anniversary with my late husband at Belmond Villa San Michele, formerly a medieval monastery and now a small luxury hotel nestled in the Fiesole hills. We dined outside with a magnificent view and each course was incredible.

Can you pick your most spectacular accommodations?

I stayed in a three-bedroom villa with a private plunge pool overlooking the Grumeti Game Reserve in Singita’s Sasakwa Lodge in Tanzania. The monkeys would cool off in the pool in the afternoon and the view of the plains was breathtaking. Domestically, I adore the Mandarin Oriental in New York City and the Montage at Palmetto Bluffs in Bluffton, South Carolina.

Pick a premiere museum.

Les Baux-De-Provence, Carrières De Lumières. It is a moving art show set to music, shown on all the walls, ceilings, and flooring in limestone caves that you wander through.

Is there a destination spa to remember?

The Nizuc Spa by Espa at the Nizuc Resort & Spa in Cancún, Mexico. I had an amazing half-day experience with hot and cold massage and a guided circuit of hydrotherapy with an invigorating range of temperatures and water pressures.

The best shopping is where?

I’ve enjoyed browsing the bazaars in India, where you can buy colorful fabrics and fabulous jewels; in Fez, Morocco, I visited the local markets in the medina. I found beautiful rugs at the Palais Quaraouiyine and purchased one to ship back home.

Are there travel books worth reading?

Abercrombie & Kent founder Geoffrey Kent wrote Safari: A Memoir of a Worldwide Travel Pioneer. Another favorite is 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.

Things you can’t travel without:

My Away bags. I have 3 different sizes. I have a Louis Vuitton clutch that goes everywhere. I also need my LimeLife moisturizer, foundation, and a flat iron.