Kathy Hirst
Phone: 801.483.6537
Travel Industry Start Date: 2002
Destination Specialty: Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe; France, England, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, United States, Canada, Botswana, South Africa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Island and Tahiti
Awards & Training: Gold Club for 7 years.
Places I've Traveled: Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, England, France, Scotland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Virgin Islands, Cook Islands, Bahamas, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Costa Rica, Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Island and Tahiti
Biography: I have always loved travel! Even as a little girl I would plan imaginary trips to places I found in National Geographic. I have realized my dream and have been in travel for over 26 years. I love being creative for my clients. I especially enjoy planning unique experiences that my clients would not have imagined or seen anywhere else. My travels have taken me to France, England, Spain, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Netherlands and Hungary in Europe and I specialize in planning travel for all these countries. I have a love of Southern Africa and have visited there many times. I can help you plan the perfect Southern Africa itinerary including your unique safari. I have traveled and love the South Pacific and would love to help you plan your island getaway. I have a special fondness for New Zealand and the beautiful scenery there. I also specialize in Hawaii, Mexico, Alaska and the Caribbean. I have traveled to South America and saw the amazing region of Patagonia as well as many beautiful cities and regions in Chile and Argentina. I recently returned from Ecuador where I visited the cloud forest and the Galapagos Islands. I look forward to assisting you with your next adventure.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page “ – St. Augustine
Customer Comment:
"Dear Kathy,
I just wanted to thank you for your work on our recent trip to Morocco. Michael and I had an amazing time, and loved seeing so many different areas of the country and learning about the variety of cultural traditions. We did decide to change the original plan of simply backtracking across the same areas of Morocco and instead changed our flight departure city to be able to explore the city of Fes...definitely a worthwhile change!!
The medina in Fes was unique--not only different from the medina in Marrakesh, but unlike any place Michael and I have ever seen. Wandering through the shops and visiting the variety of artisans who showed us their work crafted entirely by hand with the traditions centuries old --rugs, silk scarves, silver dishes, pottery and mosaics, leatherworks, dying fabrics, etc.....was amazing. The night spent in the Sahara in an ornate tent, delicious dinner in tagines, and camel ride at sunrise was spectacular!!
I especially wanted to express how much we enjoyed our driver Slimon Chakir. He was with us the duration of the trip, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. He offered a tremendous amount of interesting information on the people, culture, history, politics, government, economy, etc. in Morocco. He was flexible and catered entirely to our interests from morning to night all week. When we decided to rearrange our flights, hotels, and touring of Fes at the last minute the last 3 days of our trip, Chakir helped us make it happen. He arranged for the new hotel reservation, the new airline tickets from a more convenient airport, and a wonderful tour guide from Fes to show us many, many areas of the medina, which had been his home his entire life. We hope to return to Morocco with our children in the near future, and hope we can work with Chakir again.
Thank you and Olive Branch Tours for making our stay so incredible. It was a trip unlike any other we have ever had!!
-Michele
"I just want to say Kathy Hirst is an amazing travel agent. I have always planned my own trips and this time we used Kathy after being referred to her by a friend. Our trip to Italy was fabulous!!! Kathy's travel knowledge is so valuable. The hotels, transportation, and tour guides were wonderful. Even when my mother in laws bag was stolen the travel insurance Kathy set us up with made the bad situation not so bad.
Our travel party of 11 was truly impressed with how well she organize our 2 weeks in Italy. Kathy is top notch.”
-Shauna Winters Philips
"Kathy, we just wanted to thank you for putting together a perfect vacation for us. There are too many memorable events to pick a favorite! However, the cooking class in Rome with Caesar was an amazing experience. We highly recommend this. We learned so much about Rome and the local culture while enjoying great food and wine with a small group of couples from around the globe. Caesar was so welcoming and entertaining. Monterosso was also one of our favorites for enjoying beautiful scenery, gorgeous hikes along the mountainside vineyards, delicious food, and the incredible blue Mediterranean.
The transfers to and from the train, hotel and airport took so much stress out of the trip. We stepped off the train in Venice and were met by our guide who got us to our hotel by way of a water taxi. We didn't even have to think about where we were going or how to get there. The sun was starting to set so the buildings were glowing. It was amazing!
The locations for all of the hotels as well as the hotels themselves were great. We were able to get everywhere we wanted to go by walking around the beautiful cities. We felt safe everywhere we went and met wonderful people everywhere. The bottle of Prosecco waiting for us in our hotel in Rome was such a thoughtful touch
There wasn't one single hiccup in any of the arrangements. Thank you so very much!"
Jim and Jody Vickery