TRAVEL IN THE TIME OF COVID-19 The Well-Traveled Now Travel Well Louise Bryan Interviews Jen Duncan
File Jen’s story under Fascinating as you organize your office during this continued pandemic pause. While most of the U.S. adapted to “Safer at Home” orders by stocking up on paper goods, mastering Zoom meetings and making resolutions, Jen Duncan, founder of Brio Travel Artisans, recognized an opportunity to travel in Europe during a lockdown and stay on top of the ever-changing reality of which countries may offer travel options for her clients. Sophisticated Living is excited to talk to the optimistic, analytical travel concierge, who curates personalized luxury experiences for high-end clients, who keep bucket lists on file with Brio. Jen, how did you possibly end up in Europe during the summer of 2020? My client base comprises a variety of avid travelers who cannot stay still. I have a client who wanted to travel to Europe during June and take advantage of the lockdown scenario. Summer 2020 was an unprecedented travel environment, yet I created a travel experience for my client by using my extensive local ground contacts, including travel experts and law firms. We facilitated the hire of a yacht to travel around Croatia, the one country allowing Americans to enter. I would typically travel for a yacht hire in advance of my client to inspect the ship and meet the captain. On this occasion, I actually stayed with my client for the two-week duration of the cruise. After sailing the Adriatic Sea’s blue-green waters, I negotiated entry into Greece, becoming one of the first 22 slmag.net
Americans to receive approval to enter Greek waters. At this point, I hired a villa in Capri and the group continued their journey on land, traveling the surrounding area while using the villa as their base. I remained nearby during the villa booking to ensure a safe and exacting experience for the group. With the inaugural Croatian cruise a success, I helped another client book a week-long yacht charter along the French Riviera. With this cruise, I completed the advance inspection but did not board the vessel for the cruise. When the clients completed their seven-day sojourn without incident, I was ready to travel on my own. Did you recognize Summer 2020 as a once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity? Yes! I was excited to move through Europe and experience the lockdown as a tourist and learn from my travel experiences. I was allowed to travel freely around the continent because I could prove I had already been there for several weeks. While American tourists were not allowed to enter Europe, I was permitted to remain. After you helped two groups successfully navigate cruises and tours in Croatia, Greece, and France during the height of the lockdown, how were you feeling and what was the next stop for you? The chance to explore Europe during the summer without the usual American crowds was serendipitious to someone in my
