Meet Pat
After 34 years in medical sales, I had the opportunity to start my 2nd happy career as a travel advisor with Brownell Travel. Wow! What a whole new world and adventure for me! Just when I thought I had been blessed to have traveled this big, beautiful world of ours, I was humbled to learn so much more and add so many places to my own bucket list. My love for travel started in college when I learned to snow ski on a University of Florida weekend trip to NC. Next, I spent two summers in Maine as a camp counselor teaching water skiing and exploring all of New England that I could. Weekend trips included Boston and Salem in MA; Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, and Portland in Maine; the lakes of New Hampshire and parts of Vermont.
My first job in sales brought me to the Caribbean, Palm Springs, and Hawaii, and from there travel became a priority! Living in Florida, it was a treat to snow ski, so we chose a different mountain every spring, hitting the resorts in Colorado, Utah, CA, Idaho and Wyoming. Florida is also the hub of cruising, so my children have been lucky enough to experience multiple cruise lines on both the east and western Caribbean and Mexico. Eventually, we ventured to Europe, exposing our two girls to the beauty of different cultures and languages in Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Then Alaska, Canada, and Hawaii were “celebration” trips for anniversary and graduations! Call me addicted, but travel feeds my spirit. The memories and all the wonderful people we have met has enriched our lives in such a beautiful way.
A friend gave me a framed picture of this saying, “ The world is book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” (Saint Augustine) Since I love to read, that pretty much sums it up for me!
What's the most memorable travel experience you’ve had?
Taylor (my colleague and daughter) won a trip to the Maldives with Four Seasons in 2022, and we did a mommy/daughter trip! When you think of bluest of blue waters, filled with the most colorful and amazing marine life and pristine white sand beaches, you can imagine yourself there! It was such an over-the-top experience, from the calm and relaxing spirit wherever you were, to the amazing organic and fresh food they prepared. Do not let the long journey to get there deter you! Taylor and I enjoyed the most incredible spa services and soaked in their calm culture. We were so very grateful to experience an over the water bungalow! It was the first time I rode in a sea plane which was so very fun. Maldives are a must see!
How do you keep up with the latest travel trends and updates?
Emails from our worldwide partners are a great source to tailor clients’ interests to certain hotels, resorts, cruises, etc. Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure are two of my favorites because many of my clients read that magazine.
Tell us a fun fact about you that not many people know.
I teach clogging and attend workshops 2-3 times a year to learn new dances and visit great friends I’ve met along the way. It started as great exercise while my girls were taking dance lessons, and our whole family ended up dancing on national clogging teams-a happy chapter in our lives for sure!
