This was our fourth trip with a Wendy Perrin-recommended provider, two with the same company. We discovered on this trip that the other travel designers spoiled us with excellent guidance on where to go, where to stay, and what to do — as well as flawless execution with attention to every detail while we were there.

This trip started out bumpy. While it was a good trip overall, we enjoyed the places we went, the places we stayed, and the restaurant recommendations; there continued to be bumps along the way.

I read about the Fogo Island Inn several years ago and wanted to go. We decided if we were going to go to Newfoundland, a challenging place to get to from Chicago, we should explore other areas, and it was with that in mind, we contacted Wendy, who introduced us to Jill Curran. At Jill’s suggestion, we stayed in two other locations, East Bauline and Gros Morne. While we enjoyed the Fogo Island Inn, the retreat she recommended in East Bauline was our favorite destination and accommodation.

We had a hiccup in the early planning (in January) when we modified our dates. Jill assured us the accommodations we chose were available on the new dates and told us she was holding them. I asked if she wanted a deposit to ensure the hold, and she said it wasn’t necessary. Then, a couple of days later, Jill notified me that the proprietor of the retreat we chose “gave away the room.” We had several conversations during which I reminded her that she told us the room was ours, and she replied that the proprietor had also assured her of the same. I then encouraged her to speak to the proprietor. She finally did, and the room was ours. While this had a happy ending, I believe Jill should have taken care of it without me even knowing there was an issue.

This incident foretold what was to come.

I want to emphasize again that the high-level planning was well done. Nothing terrible happened. Newfoundland is a unique and beautiful place. We stayed in lovely accommodations, ate good meals, and enjoyed hiking and boat rides to see puffins (the whales eluded us). And we were treated to a lovely WOW Moment on Fogo Island, a special boat tour to Little Fogo Island (a former fishing village) that included Cod fishing — my fisherman husband was proud of his catch. In short, we had a great time.

Yet, we found ourselves actively involved in the details and the logistics, which we didn’t expect. Each day, until Fogo Island, we felt we were on our own to figure stuff out and manage logistics. The other Wendy Perrin travel designers took care of all the details so we could relax and be on vacation.

Following are a few examples:

Day 1: We told Jill we viewed this as a hiking trip. We expected to hike Gros Morne on the first day and then realized the itinerary said “cultural tour.” We had many versions of the itinerary throughout the planning process as we caught errors along the way; we must have missed this detail. Fortunately, our guide was a hiker and adjusted the day.

Day 2: Jill booked a 12:30 pm two-hour boat ride on the Western Brook Pond, a one-hour drive from our Inn. On the same day, at the same time, Jill booked a reservation for 6:30 pm at a restaurant she highly recommended, which sounded great. The restaurant turned out to be near the boat dock. But she didn’t tell us this detail. Had we known, we could have reserved an earlier dinner. Once we found out, we tried stopping in to see if we could get in at 5:00 pm, but nothing was available. We didn’t want to drive round trip another two hours to go back for dinner so we had to cancel the dinner and eat at the Inn again.

Day 3: We flew to St. John’s, arriving at 10:20 am. Initially, we had a late afternoon flight that same day. The airline canceled the later flight four months ago, and this early-morning flight was the only option. We notified Jill when this happened, and the change never found its way into the itinerary despite several emails asking.

Jill made no arrangements or suggestions for the day in St. John’s while we waited for 4:00 pm check-in at our accommodations an hour away in East Bauline. We made the best of the situation and went to the Rooms Art and History Museum, which Jill recommended for Day 5, and wandered around the town.

Day 5: At our request, Jill planned a hike with a geologist in East Bauline, where we were staying. She added a drive to St John’s to the itinerary to meet with the guide for a tour of St John’s. The guide lives in St John’s, so he was heading home; for us, it would have been 2 hours round trip after being in St. John’s for a full day on Day 3.

Since we had already visited St. John’s, we canceled the second visit, and Paul, the geologist, quickly adjusted and arranged a boat tour to see puffins in the afternoon instead.

Paul, by the way, was a fantastic guide. We learned a ton from him, and he was one of the highlights of our trip.

Had Jill told us beforehand that she is a different type of planner and we would not receive the same care, guidance, and details as other Wendy Perrin planners, we would have prepared and planned the logistics ourselves and adjusted our expectations.

All this said, Newfoundland is remote, with long distances between places to visit and limited high-quality accommodations. I suspect Jill’s company is the best travel planner option available. As mentioned previously, the high-level itinerary was excellent.

Response from Trusted Travel Expert Jill Curran:

I’m delighted that Elisa and Art enjoyed many aspects of their trip, from the accommodations, to the guides and food experiences in my beloved home province. Cod fishing while on a boat tour of little Fogo Island is a quintessential Newfoundland experience and I’m glad that the Wow Moment on Fogo Island was a highlight.

From our initial contact Elisa noted in her request that she had read our other Wendy Perrin reviews and of note would like to meet with Paul Dean and I’m so glad that they enjoyed their day with Paul, he is a geologist and an expert on Newfoundland history and culture.

I take Elisa’s comments very seriously and I thank her for highlighting some of the details where we can improve in our communications, and of note we should perhaps change some of our language in trip details to reflect the experiences guests will have.

For example for our cultural explorer tour in Gros Morne, all of our guides are hiking guides, who meet with clients on the day and discuss based on weather, client interests the most appropriate plan or hike for the day. In some cases clients prefer more cultural experiences than hiking, but the guides are versatile to adjust to what would be best for the client on the day. In the case of Art & Elisa’s day we planned for the first stop to be the Tablelands and the guide in consultation with them would discuss if this was the hike they would do, or suggest others.

The resort Elisa referenced in Bauline East is beautiful with several unique, one of a kind rooms, of which there is only one room in a specific category. We had just started working with this resort when I spoke with Elisa, I had literally just met with the owner days prior. In those early days once we requested a room by email, the resort would take it from inventory. But from email to booking confirmation there was a small window when someone else could book it online, which is exactly what happened back in January. In discussion with the owner we were able to have the issue rectified and have never had this problem again as we now have access to the online portal ourselves, so there is no window of a double booking error.

For this trip in addition to accommodations, car rentals, guides, we did book a boat tour of Western Brook Pond, made dinner reservations, co-ordinated with the Inn for driver times, etc. but I am very sorry that they felt there were logistics that we fell short on. We did have an issue with the car rental not being updated with a flight change, which we were upset with the car rental agency on, as we had received written confirmation that it had been updated. While we designed their itinerary and provided suggestions including in this instance fishing guides, I thank Elisa for her feedback on how we may improve.

We were in touch during their trip and if I had known they would have preferred an earlier dining time in Gros Morne I certainly would have made every effort to move it.

Likewise for their arrival day in St. John’s we had requested an early check-in at the resort and I wrongly assumed they would go there right away, as opposed to using that as their day to explore the city. We had a Wow moment in the city planned for Day 5 with Paul, which we were able to modify to be on Fogo Island, once Elisa notified us that she would not like to spend more time in the city.

I have learned from this feedback and I wish Elisa and Art the very best in their next travels.

We had wanted to travel to Nova Scotia for several years and Jill made it all happen in early August. This was, and continues to be, a difficult year for the Atlantic Maritimes due to the wildfires and flooding, not to mention the Hurricane Fiona in 2022. Despite the many distractions, Jill was a pleasure to work with and very responsive.

We had told Jill we were active travelers who like to see as much as possible. We were also amenable to some distance driving, which is necessary if you want to see all the sights. Jill listened well and planned a terrific trip.

We started in Halifax, then took a counterclockwise drive around Cape Breton Island, ferried to Prince Edward Island and then drove back to the mainland and Annapolis Valley. All along the way, Jill has provided us a list of things to see and do, interesting shops and restaurants. We are lobster lovers and managed to have 8 lobster rolls and 3 full lobster dinners each, not to mention mussels and clams! Fabulous food all along our 1500-mile adventure.

We would highly recommend biking as there are many beautiful trails. In addition, the hiking in Cape Breton National Park was gorgeous. Come prepared for some rain — although it did not impede our trip in the least.

My husband and I traveled in Newfoundland from August 9 to August 23. Jill Curran planned our trip for us, and it was a wonderful trip. We rented a car in St John’s and drove it around the island, returning home from Deer Lake. Highlights of our trip were the Johnson Geo Center in St John’s, the Witless Bay Whale and Puffin tour, Bird Rock, the Skerwink trail, the Discovery Geo Sites, the Tablelands, Arches Provincial Park, L’Anse aux Meadows, Norstead, the thrombolites at Flowers Cove, the Green Point trail, and the special activities listed below.

Jill connected us with two local guides who were amazing. We learned so much from them. The first experience was with Mike Edmunds the day after we landed in St John’s. We expected a city tour, but Mike gave us much more than that: an introduction to the culture, the economy, and the “language” of Newfoundland. This single experience set the context for our entire trip.

In Port Rexton a few days later, we had breakfast with Paul Dean, a geologist and former director of the Johnson Geo Center, followed by a guided hike of the Skerwink Trail. Imagine what an experience this was! Paul knows the geology (and the local plants, etc.) of Newfoundland and Labrador first-hand, and was extremely generous in sharing his knowledge with us.

Jill also arranged for us to see a performance of “Come from Away” in Gander, which was a very special experience. She arranged lodging, which was generally quite good—but when it was not quite at that level, I don’t think she could have done much better because of the locations in which we were staying. She suggested restaurants in most locations, and those of which we sampled ranged from good to very good (again depending upon the location and what was available).

There was so much to see and explore, our three weeks didn’t provide enough time. There are many small, local attractions that address the history, culture, and geology of the specific area that you are visiting. Sometimes the weather did not cooperate (as Mike had taught us, these were “bad days on clothes”). For example, our pre-arranged trip on Western Brook Pond, which is highly publicized as spectacular, was in fact miserable because of the weather. For the entire two hours, we couldn’t see much of anything other than fog, and the relatively small boat was overloaded with people. (We were surprised that the trip wasn’t cancelled.) If you can spare the time, build in a few extra days at special locations to reorganize activities around bad weather.

We also learned that Parks Canada guided hikes have a lot to offer; they are incredibly informative! We took two of these. We highly recommend that you take the guided hikes for the Tablelands and for Green Point.

Interestingly, in the planning stages, Jill made some suggestions that I questioned, but they turned out to be excellent choices, nevertheless. Without her knowledge and expertise, we would never have had the opportunity to interact with the two local guides that she included. And we probably would not have included the performance of “Come from Away” in Gander. In short, our trip was greatly enhanced by Jill’s choices.

During our trip, we learned that Jill is extremely well-connected and respected in Newfoundland. We highly recommend that you employ her services if you plan to travel to Newfoundland.

Bottom line, it was fabulous. Jill and her office did an outstanding job. We loved her selection of hotels, excursions, and dining suggestions. She absolutely listened to everything that I said when she put this trip together. We especially liked her inclusion of her favorite things to do in addition to the detailed itinerary. Not even one hitch or hiccup. At every hotel check-in, most made a comment that someone from Jill’s team had called that morning to reconfirm our reservation. We are pleased to pass Jill’s name on to others who are now very eager to explore the Canadian Maritimes.

Our trip was fabulous. Jill could not have planned it better. Our stay at Fogo Island Inn was the highlight and well worth the price. Loved all of our stops from St John to Port Texton to Fogo Island to Gros Morne. Jill’s restaurant and shopping recommendations were great as well. I emailed her with questions along the way and she responded promptly. Would highly recommend working with Jill Curran, in fact I gave her number to a woman that I met on the trip and Jill helped her out that day!

Jill was extremely friendly and helpful, and provided a wonderful detailed trip itinerary with great suggestions. We went to Halifax, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. A lot of driving as distances are long in this area, but very pretty. Hard to beat the fresh oysters and mussels in PEI. She found a truly unique and fantastic restaurant called Woodroad. It was well worth going there, great food, absolutely beautiful site.

Kathryn Wilson and her family explored Fogo Island by boat.

Our family’s Newfoundland trip was all we hoped for, and then some! From my many, many ideas, Jill guided me to the phenomenal Fogo Island Inn with a stop in Gander on the way. She intuited that it would be the right fit for our family, and she nailed it. Her knowledge of navigating ferries and flights made the timeline of the itinerary work beautifully for us. One of many highlights was seeing the play “Come From Away” in Gander, where it is set. Our host driver had been a part of welcoming the stranded 9/11 passengers as shown so inspiringly on the stage, and it was a very meaningful and tangible way for us to connect the show with the history of the events and the hospitably of Gander.

Fogo Island Inn was a dream: other-worldly beautiful, serene, comfortable, and filled with all the activities we could want, along with just as many opportunities to relax. Hard to say what was best about the dining room: the food or the view? Both were incredible. The Inn staff, the community hosts and everyone we met on Fogo Island were so genuine and welcoming.

Jill’s expertise is with Newfoundland, but she was able to help me with the overall shape of our 10-day trip, beginning in Toronto and ending in Montreal. With family traveling from Asia and two different cities in the U.S., it was helpful to talk through our total plan. All of us want to return, and I would love to work with Jill to see other parts of wonderful Newfoundland!

We had a fabulous trip and Jill Curran was wonderful! She helped plan the trip which met our needs and provided experiences for our five-year-old grandson and ones that we would enjoy.

The highlights of the trip were our stay at the Inn at Bay Fortune, and the absolutely amazing Fireworks Feast. Jill was even able to obtain a sitter so the adults could appreciate all that was involved, including a visit to the farm, an amazing cocktail hour, and an unbelievably tasty menu. My only regret was that we were too full to toast marshmallows.

We also took a walk/hike on Prince Edward Island to the dunes. I would recommend it. Jill also arranged for private tours to a goat farm and honey farm. The visit to go clam digging and then dinner, I would not recommend it. Jack was our guide that day and could not have been pleasanter or more helpful. My son left his wallet in the van and Jack helped locate it (while he was on vacation) the next day!!

We stayed in Halifax at the Muir hotel. The hotel was beautiful, filled with art, and the most pleasant and helpful staff. We had a wonderful guided tour, and although it rained, we were able to go to Peggy’s Cove. What a fascinating, and beautiful place. If you enjoy taking photographs, that was one of the most scenic spots during the trip.

We also had a sailboat tour of the Halifax Harbor, and a walking tour.

Jill suggested many restaurants and we utilized her options as guides. My favorite in Halifax was The Bicycle Thief.

We did have difficulty with one hotel in Charlottetown. I called Jill who answered her phone at 8:30 at night, and she made other arrangements for us. She was so responsive, caring, and helpful.

Would like to return to the Maritime provinces in the future.

East Point Lighthouse on Prince Edward Island. Photo: Traveler Phil Hoch

We just returned from a trip to New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, and could not be happier that we chose Jill as our travel expert. Jill was always accessible, even during high season and during both the massive fires and floods the area experienced. With her first-priority travelers on the ground, she always had time for us and our concerns about impact on our trip.

Jill was excellent at listening to our thoughts and wishes and crafted a beautiful itinerary that kept us mostly focused on smaller towns and areas for walking/hiking. From St Andrews to Saint Martin we could not have had a better introduction to the Bay of Fundy and life outside the big cities. Of particular note were our guides. Genny was fabulous in St Andrews and got us on Ministers Island, which you can only drive to at low tide. In St Martin, Mike, Jordan and Joe from Bay of Fundy Adventures took us hiking/walking, kayaking in the Bay, and best of all—our WOW Moment. We were treated to a private lobster dinner on the Bay of Fundy, watching the tide disappear, with enough scallops, lobster and more to feed us for a week. We tried to eat it all and failed!

Just prior to our starting the trip, one of the guide companies closed and Jill seamlessly found Bay of Fundy Adventures as a substitute and was able to get us a room at the quaint and lovely St Martin Inn. We felt incredibly lucky to stay there, hosted by Lynnette and served by Maggie. I would suggest everyone put this town and these suppliers on their itinerary.

We enjoyed walking the dunes at Greenwich beach on PEI and seeing the East Point lighthouse. On Nova Scotia, the grave site of Titanic victims, the boardwalk along the Halifax waterfront, and stops at Peggy’s Cove, Lunenburg and Mahone Bay were part of the final days of a trip we loved from start to finish.

My husband and I just got back from a marvelous trip to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia planned by Jill, July 9 – July 24. We told Jill we liked comfort but valued friendliness and expertise over all else, and she really delivered. In St John’s, she got the author of a well-known history of Newfoundland to give us a long walking tour, including a stop into an officers’ private club from WW2 perfectly preserved. We saw amazing whales and puffins on a boat tour. We drove to the Bonavista Peninsula where we stayed at the amazing Fishers Loft Inn (what a view) and hiked the Skerwink trail. I thought the height of the trail might intimidate but it was fantastic.

From there we drove to the trip’s highlight, Fogo Island and the Fogo Island Inn, which is honestly the nicest, most comfortable place I ever stayed. The Inn was created by a not-for-profit foundation to employ the local community and keep its economy alive. The service is unbeatable—as though your cousins were keeping an eye out for you. The food was great too, and there were more awesome hikes. Don’t miss the boat ride to Little Fogo Island; we saw icebergs and dozens of whales.

The second week, we moved on to Nova Scotia, starting out with two great days in Halifax—don’t miss the boardwalk along the waterfront! We visited Prince Edward Island (lovely drive), but ran into difficulty driving back as there was terrible flooding between us and our next destination. On a moment’s notice, Jill nabbed the last hotel room in little Truro, Nova Scotia, so we stayed safe and dry despite unforeseen circumstances. I cannot say enough good things about Jill’s responsiveness. Newfoundland should be on everyone’s bucket list!

We visited Newfoundland in June to celebrate my birthday. Jill made sure that it was a special trip that would generate the best of memories. She was attentive to my requests and texted me throughout the trip to ensure that all was going well. When she came to meet us for tea, it felt like we were visiting with a friend. The activities that she planned for us checked off all of the boxes that we had requested and then some. We enjoyed the boat and zodiac tours that checked off the puffins, whales and iceberg boxes. Foraging and cooking with Alex was a plus! She was able to get us last-minute tickets to both Sullivan’s Song House and Anchors Aweigh. Our biggest request of Jill came at the end of the trip. We had planned 3 days in Montreal but because of the air-quality issues there, we had to make a last-minute decision. I spoke to Jill and she was able to extend our car rental and book us accommodations. She arranged for us to see the sold-out performance of Anchors Aweigh. We called her our miracle worker.

Jill Curran was fantastic to work with. She is upbeat, friendly, professional and efficient. She would discuss our thoughts on our trip by phone, email, or Zoom, whatever we wanted. We arrived in Nova Scotia 4 days after hurricane Fiona hit the area. Jill had been there and checked on all the properties we were to stay in. All was OK until we got to the hotel, which had a power outage. She arranged for us to stay in another top-notch hotel until power resumed. She was on the phone with us daily. She was great in recommending restaurants, making reservations and setting up tours with the locals.

When two previously planned trips were cancelled on short notice, I turned to Wendy Perrin to fill the void left by the cancelled trips. I had wanted to go to Newfoundland to see the Norse landing sight L’Anse aux Meadows since I was a girl, and Newfoundland expert Jill Curran stepped in and made it happen. Beautifully. And on short notice. After getting to know our travel priorities and limitations, she planned a trip that was better than anything I could have done on my own. Her insights on travel in Newfoundland—how long drives would be, where to eat, sites to see en route—proved invaluable and her involvement every step of the way kept things moving smoothly.

In a nutshell, Jill Curran planned a memorable trip to Newfoundland for us in three short weeks. It was a travel miracle. It was my first experience with the Wendy Perrin team, but it won’t be my last.

This is the second trip Jill Curran has planned for us. We started our trip in Halifax. Jill arranged for a driver to show us the city and Peggy’s Cove. On day three we headed up to Cape Brenton for some great hiking. Next stop was PEI. We had a remarkable food, farm, and artisan tour before Hurricane Fiona hit. When the roads were clear we made our way to Wolfville. Jill had decided on the Lightfoot and Wolfville winery for our WOW Moment. It was a WOW Moment on steroids. We enjoyed the finest wines and foods of the region and met the nicest people on the planet. Our last stop was Trout Point Lodge for two days of R&R before our flight home.

This was our second holiday with Jill and it didn’t disappoint! She organized an eight-day trip for four couples, best friends for the last 30 years….

Before Covid, Jill organized a tour of the east coast of Newfoundland for us. We loved the area so much that we chose to return; this time we visited Newfoundland’s west coast and Cape Breton. Again, a trip full of great adventure, good food and fantastic people. The recommendations from hiking, to eating, fishing and all of the accommodations were wonderful.

In Cape Breton we toured with Harry – he figured our group out right away and told us great stories of the various communities. Misty also caught our vibe from the minute she met us, changed things up and took us to her own town’s annual fair. She introduced us to some of the families there and we instantly felt the warmth and kindness – we didn’t want to leave! On our drive, we stopped at a local artisan, Melinda by the Sea…and an engagement ring was purchased for a surprise engagement that occurred a few days later! Misty then drove us from Cape Breton to Halifax so we could catch our flight to Newfoundland the next morning. She gave us the low-down on where to eat and what to do there. We caught Nova Scotia’s Joel Plaskett at an outdoor concert – a real treat!

And on to Newfoundland…
We stayed in Woody Point at the Seaside Suites for 3 nights – what a treat! The townspeople were again, warm and welcoming (a common characteristic in this part of our country). The local pub, The Merchant Warehouse, had great food and the owner’s daughter plays her guitar and sings up a storm (don’t miss it). We had our screech-in there as well with the incomparable Aunt Sophie!!! The same owners run the Seaside Restaurant and we had an equally wonderful dinner there as well. Taste, a new restaurant down the road, was also very worth a visit.

The hikes here though were unrivalled; accurately marked and well-kept, the unique landscapes and terrain were breathtaking. We will be back to conquer Gros Morne!

Finally, we ended our vacation in Cornerbrook and stayed at the beautiful new Hew and Draw Hotel. The highlight here though was our time with Darren. He took us out in his dory to his cabin on the water. We enjoyed a dinner of mussels and cod with an evening tour of the surrounding region by boat. His mom had even baked us an apple pie! The stories he told us of his family and the region were again just part of the local hospitality.

We have travelled to many places in the world and the Canadian Maritimes is indeed a treasure – thank you Jill for all of your guidance.

This was our first trip to Canada’s Maritime region, so we had no idea where to go and where to stay. Fortunately, we hooked up with Jill Curran. We went through the planning stages and narrowed our travel plans to PEI and Nova Scotia. Jill set up a tour of the Charlottetown area, the capital of PEI, which was very enjoyable and informative. The hotels and sites that she and her team recommended were all great! We would definitely use Jill again when we travel to Newfoundland in the near future.

What a great time to visit Newfoundland. There is so much to see and do there and Jill put together the perfect trip. We were there long enough to see a good bit of the island. Since we knew nothing about Newfoundland, Jill’s suggestions and final itinerary allowed us to see places we would probably not have thought of. All the hotels had fantastic views and we were upgraded when available. The restaurant reservations were spot-on. All our guides were friendly and really enhanced our time whether it was hiking, on a city tour or a private orientation of Fogo Island. Our last day was our WOW Moment: kayaking across Bonne Bay to a private beach for a picnic, and our guide was able to bring along a surprise birthday cake for my husband.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL My daughter and I had an awesome time in Newfoundland. We had a very limited travel time period but Jill made it work.

Jill was very helpful with our planning. Great suggestions for restaurants and the accommodations in St. Johns and Ferryland were awesome.

We had a wonderful private tour of St. Johns, Cape Spear, Petty Harbour and Signal Hill.

We are very much interested in Newfoundland music and were happy to spend some very special evenings enjoying local tunes. The impromtu sing-a-long during breakfast at Dunnes B&B in Ferryland was a highlight.

Great hikes and whale watching were big plusses. Was surprisingly delighted with the Colony of Avalon Dig in Ferryland.

We would have loved to have been able to take a guided tour of the fossils at Mistaken Point near Trespassy but were unable to get a reservation.

All in all, a wonderful trip.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Jill Curran organized a fabulous trip for us to Newfoundland. We had last-minute travel issues due to inland fires and she was able to improvise rapidly and seamlessly. Tour guides, restaurateurs and inn “celebrities” knew Jill and greeted us extra-personally. Highest praise from our family. Newfoundland is a very unique place. We especially liked Port Rexton and Fogo Island. Next time we will get to Gross Morn.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Newfoundland, July 21-30. Jill planned a wonderful trip starting in St. John’s and driving across Newfoundland to end at Gros Morne and flying out of Deer Lake. We got a good feel of multiple different regions and the guides and hotels Jill picked were wonderful. When we had a little hiccup at one stay, Jill and her team were quick to find alternate lodgings the same day and I can’t say enough about their responsiveness. She also checked in regularly with us to check how trip was going. Wonderful destination and would highly recommend for a summer vacation sans large crowds or overcrowding as travel resumes.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  First of all, Jill was extremely sweet and kind and a true pleasure to deal with. Jill helped us plan a fantastic trip to Newfoundland for a week, her suggestions for our itinerary to Fogo Island and St. John’s were all terrific. We decided this was the year to stay in Canada given Covid and see something inside our own country that we wouldn’t usually do. While we were in St. John’s hurricane Larry was rapidly approaching and we decided to alter our plans to leave St John’s a day early to try to avoid Larry. This involved quick adjustments by Jill who managed to get us the same room for an additional night at the Fogo Island Inn. Fortunately we made this change as otherwise we would have been stuck in St John’s with power outages and a cancelled ferry. Jill kept checking in with us to make sure we had what we needed and were comfortable with the changes. On our last morning we came down to breakfast a couple hours before needing to catch the ferry to leave Fogo Island and another glitch, the ferry was down due to a broken water pump. Jill was in constant communication with the hotel, who moved us during the day to another room so we could relax and wait for the ferry to be fixed, fed us and made sure we were comfortable while waiting. That night- finally at 9 pm we caught the ferry to Gander and stayed the night to allow us to catch our rescheduled flights the next day. During both of the mishaps Jill couldn’t have been nicer and more involved to make sure the trip adjustments were made seamlessly. We really loved Fogo Island Inn and the people on the island, a true treasure to have this experience which we will never forget. The staff at the Inn were so friendly and authentic, the food was delicious and the room was unique and comfortable. We loved the hikes and our 2 local guides were truly enjoyable to be with while enjoying the stories and history they provided us. Watching the broadway play Come From Away newly released on Apple TV for the 20th anniversary of 9-11 in the Inn’s intimate movie theatre was a special memory for us as well. We hope we will come back to eastern Canada one day soon!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Fall 2021
Jill Curran, located in Newfoundland, provided us with a complete itinerary, rental car and accommodations. She allocated our time effectively and gave wonderful recommendations for very locale. She suggested music venues, as well as dining venues. She suggested drives and day trips along with pointing out local shops that we might have missed, not to mention the chocolate and pastry shops along the way. All of her recommendations were accurate and welcome and her caring was obvious.
Jill’s caring became particularly evident when my husband became ill and we had to cut the trip short by several days, exacerbated by the fact that it happened on a weekend. She was calm and reassuring and handled details and refunds with grace and efficiency. Although I’m old enough to be her mother, maybe her grandmother, it was lovely to be cared for so kindly. The true test of a travel professional is how they handle the unexpected and Jill was wonderful and I highly recommend her.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL I would eagerly recommend Jill as a trip planning specialist for anyone traveling to Newfoundland. I am 69 years old and had polio when I was two years old. Due to a very weak left leg and back and the fact that I walk with two walking canes I had concerns traveling to a province in Canada that I knew would be rocky. Jill planned the trip that fit my needs and my wife’s and the couple that traveled with us perfectly. I was able to do some very short walks and found that I handled the trip including driving and in and out of our bed and breakfasts and inns without any trouble. We left Louisiana right as hurricane Ike was passing east of us but with Jill‘s help had all of our needs met. Canada has just been opened and had specific Covid requirements which she made us well aware of. While we were in Newfoundland another hurricane passed between the Avalon Peninsula where she lives and St. John’s. She reassured us and sure enough we were fine since we were further west at Twillingate by the time the hurricane came. Each place we stayed had a wonderful room and the hosts were always waiting for us and knew Jill so well. We felt like VIPs the entire trip. While we were in Ferryland we not only met Jill but shared muffins and the best coffee I had on the whole trip at her house and again felt right at home with all of her family. After a wonderful eco-tour returning to thoroughly in our second night she and her family met us at my request for supper at the local fish restaurant and we literally sang and danced with the owner and three of his daughters all in their 60s who work there. I can honestly say all the people we encountered on our trip were as nice and friendly as I’ve ever met many wonderful trips my wife and I have shared traveling literally around the world. We ended our trip at the Fogo Island which of course was amazing and we loved our 2 1/2 days there. The ferry off the island was broken when we were planned to leave for Gander but they took great care of us and we caught a ferry at night and managed to get to Gander with Jill‘s help and some change in flights on our way to Halifax. Jill was literally in touch with us almost on a daily basis despite hurricanes coming and going and felt like an angel guiding us along our wonderful 12-day Newfoundland experience. I love Newfoundland and I love Jill and her family and all the awesome people and friends we met on our trip. Jill was the icing on the cake of a dream trip that I have hoped to make for over 20 years and now can continue dreaming about the beautiful coves, awesome friendly people, and true spirituality I felt in Newfoundland. I know this has been a very long and rambling review but I could go on and on about each single place we saw on the trip and continue to praise and thank Jill for guiding it.
Sincerely, Dr. J. Brent Prather of Lafayette, Louisiana

Jill was a godsend from start to finish for our planning of this Newfoundland Vacation. My memories of this getaway are what have helped me get through Covid lock down. My family and I traveled back in August of 2019.

We had an issue with our flight being rescheduled last minute to a very late arrival on the way out and I was so grateful to have Jill to turn to. She was able to make last minute arrangements for my family and I to stay at a hotel near the airport on arrival. We were concerned about driving late at night so this was a perfect solution. All the accommodations, tours, restaurant reservations were spot on.

The only misstep was a reservation I had made on my own for a kayaking tour. The guide we had scheduled with decided to change the time of departure and left without us. Phone service being spotty while we were on the road we never got his supposed message. My daughter and I were quite disappointed but Jill saved the day and was able to get us set up with an even better personal sunset kayak tour with whale viewing.

Our 9 day adventure driving from Rocky Harbor Gros Morn, Twillingate, Bonavista to St Johns was more than I could have hoped for. We saw breathtaking coastal views, whales, tuna, puffins, moose, met with warmhearted fun people, sang with the locals, drank with the locals, caught cod, ate cod, kayaked, boats tours, held puffins from the Puffin rescue, hiked, picnicked at Ferryland, went to Museums. … It was a packed full vacation but it still managed to be relaxing. I attribute all that to Jill Curran and her team.

I’m not sure I even know where to start telling you about Jill Curran. She planned a fabulous trip, taking our likes into consideration and even including some daring adventures that we absolutely loved. We were in the Canadian Maritimes during Hurricane Dorian, which landed on their shores. She called us on a Friday night to check on us and had made arrangements for us to stay in our hotel if we didn’t want to risk heading out to our next destination, This was indicative of the entire trip. She was always there, checking up on us and our itinerary without being overbearing. We knew we were well taken care of right from the start.

There are so many great parts of the trip to point out-Wofville and eating at Le Caveau. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten Brant Beef. Staying at a Distillery (Glenmore) and meeting Jill’s other travelers, having dinner overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at Panorama at the Cabot Links Golf Course. Of course the piece-de-resistance was our WOW Moment. Jill recommended The Inn at Bay Fortune as a dining EXPERIENCE and it truly was. A farmer who regaled us with their farm and some of what we would be eating, a feast of oysters (my husband LOVES oysters and a meal that lasted the entire evening. Everything was cooked over an open flame and it was terrific! Wendy was kind enough to make this unbelievable meal our WOW Moment. Little did she know there would be another WOW Moment the next morning when we met the Chef, Michael Smith, carving up a 322 pound tuna in the kitchen.

You will not find a more caring, lovely person to deal with on a trip. We are looking forward to having her plan another trip, probably to her home province of Newfoundland so we can meet.

We have just returned from a four week road trip of the Atlantic Maritimes that was arranged by Jill Curran. As this was a totally new destination for us we did not know what we should include and what we should miss out on. Jill arranged a wonderful itinerary for us which included some highlights of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

Our itinerary took us to places where there was breathtaking panoramic views, rugged coastlines, fascinating history, colourful houses, photogenic lighthouses, quaint ports, interesting art, gourmet food offerings and a lot of friendly people. Jill included some outstanding activities as we travelled including a private tour of Green Gables where you would have believed that Anne herself was taking us through Marilla’s home, a lighthouse picnic in Ferryland with million dollar views whichever way you looked, a private boat tour exploring the rugged Atlantic coastline between the sea stacks, a sailing boat on the inland sea at Baddeck, a guided hike to two amazing areas of The Gros Morne National Park and more.

Jill also provided us with amazing accommodation which made our stays at each place comfortable and enjoyable. Not only did we have excellent accommodation but Jill and her team also provided us with dinner reservations at some delightful restaurants and eating destinations.

Our itinerary also took us to a wide variety of walking trails and we had plenty of time to enjoy some notable walks including the Skyline Trail, Skerwink Trail, Greenwich Boardwalk, Salmon Ponds walk, Middle Head, the Lookout Trail at Woody Point, Tablelands walk and the Coastal walk up to Green Point in the Gros Morne National Park.

Jill really took the time to get to know what we enjoyed when we travelled and she put every effort into providing a customised itinerary that catered for our taste and our needs. We enjoyed our time in the Atlantic Maritimes and wish to thank Jill and her team for the individual service that was provided to us while we were there. It certainly is an advantage to get a local person to arrange an itinerary such as we have just enjoyed and organise special accommodation and activities that you may not find if you did not have that local knowledge. It was also a real treat to meet Jill while we were there, that really added an extra special personalised moment for us during our travel.

Thanks Jill and your team for the work you did to make our vacation in the Atlantic Maritimes a memorable one.

Jill planned a special trip for 3 couples celebrating their 50th birthdays together. She was unbelievably patient, (calm) and responsive when having to incorporate all of our wishes into one trip. The itinerary was well paced and the guides provided were extremely knowledgeable and fun. We can’t thank Jill enough for helping us plan such a wonderfully memorable trip.

Trip: 9 days in Newfoundland
Itinerary: 3 days in St. Johns, 3 days in Trinity, 3 days in Gros Morne
We had a fantastic family trip to Newfoundland! Jill, our Travel Specialist, put together an itinerary perfectly fit for our large family group (10 people) with ages ranging from 5-years old to 75-years old. She quickly secured accommodations for our group, had great activity and dining recommendations, and answered all of of my 1000 questions. Her knowledge of the area was invaluable, we greatly appreciated having her on-the-ground experience and perspective. She checked in with us everyday, where we often chatted about how much we enjoyed the previous days activities! Highlights included Sullivan’s Songhouse, the Skerwink Trail, Rugged Beauty Boat Tour, and all of Gros Morne. Jill made herself available to us at all hours during the trip, I always felt I could reach out to her with a quick question, advice, or help. Thank you Jill!

Jill planned an excellent trip for us in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The pretrip planning was complete and unpressured. We enjoyed the venues that she reserved as well as the numerous restaurants that she suggested. To complete her planning Jill knew of special events that were scheduled where we were including the Festival of Small Halls on PEI, the Tattoo in Halifax, and other cultural opportunities along the routes that she outlined. If we had not used her I am convinced that we would not have known of them on our own. Her dedication to her clients became apparent when we ran into a small snafu at one of the hotels. If I were to return to the Maritime Canada again the first person I would call would be Jill.

We listened to local music several times when we were on Cape Breton and the restaurants Jill suggested were all very good. Our flight from Halifax to St. John’s was canceled because of the weather. I emailed Jill and she called in just a few minutes and rearranged our schedule. She did a wonderful job.

The highlight of our trip was Fogo Island and stayed at the Fogo Island Inn. It was such a wonderful experience. Our community host, Eugene, was a great host and made us feel right at home. The next day we went on a guided hike with Roy. He is a retired local school teacher and has written several books and poems about Fogo Island. We bought some of his books. We really enjoyed our time there.

We enjoyed our entire trip. Jill did a great job.

Jill was wonderfully helpful during the whole planning process. She provided good suggestions for our stay in Springdale and ideas of what to do while in the area. We never would have found some of these places without her assistance. Fogo Island was amazing. She recommended excellent restaurants too. The guide she set us up within St Johns was great. Jill spent a lot of time on the phone with me discussing options. We had a small issue with the hotel in St Johns (Murray Premises) – it was really old and past its “sell by” date. Jill was quite proactive in attempting to rectify the situation and did find us another place to stay. We decided not to move as the alternative was a bit too far out of town. We were really pleased with Jill and would recommend her services. Thanks!

Jill Curran arranged a fabulous 10-day visit to Newfoundland for my husband and me. She and I had a long chat in the first place so she could establish the sort of travelers we are and the sort of things we like to do and where to stay. She gave us two possible itineraries and we could not be happier with the one we chose, which we felt gave us a good overview and flavor of Newfoundland, and whetted our appetite for a return. The hotels were all terrific, with excellent breakfasts and all with fabulous views. All the excursions she arranged were spot on: city tour and whale watching from St Johns, wonderful boat trip with Rugged Beauty on the Bonavista Peninsula – Bruce, the owner, shared wonderful stories of the not so distant past (though it sounded like generations ago) and his fabulously colorful family. Jill recommended that we take in a concert by Anchors Aweigh when we were in Gros Morne National Park, and thank goodness she did. They were fantastic and I’m not sure we would have found them. All her restaurant and entertainment suggestions that we took up were just right. We were grateful for her last minute change of itinerary so that we were able to do our whale and puffin watching trip on a gorgeous sunny afternoon rather than the cold, wet blustery day that we were booked. Sadly the weather that day meant we weren’t able to do the famous Lighthouse Picnic – another reason to return. Highly recommend Jill and her team, and we look forward to using other WOW agents.

Jill is a skilled listener who figured out the kind of experiences that we would enjoy and then built our itinerary around personal experiences that would give us a real feel for Newfoundland and its people. All of the guides and activities were excellent. She chose perfect accommodations for us and went so far as to request certain rooms. Jill even arranged for the founder of the Fogo Island Inn to come to meet us. Jill provided us with restaurants, specialty shops, and nighttime music recommendations. She not only checked in with us during our trip, she gave us her personal cell phone number and urged us to call her any time. As our itinerary was so well planned out we had no need to contact her. Jill is an excellent travel agent who goes over and beyond. She obviously loves her homeland and it shows.

Jill helped plan a wonderful trip to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for two people. Her pre-planning time helped to shape our 11 days abroad. She has a thorough knowledge of the geographic area and was able to secure lodging and appropriate tickets for our visit, even when we didn’t give her too much planning notice. Communication was never a problem; always able to reach her when needed.

I’m writing this as the last of the “gifts” I sent to myself from Cape Breton Island arrives. I’m still psyched about our vacation to the Canadian Maritimes. We wanted a relaxing getaway and while Jill didn’t plan that we would miss the East Coast heatwave, she did plan or suggest most everything else. We put a lot of miles on our rental car (we had flown from Newark to Halifax) as we toured Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. We always knew where we would sleep that night and probably where we would dine but during the day we rambled and meandered and just talked to everyone we met. Jill understood what we wanted, made slews of suggestions, and did the legwork so we could relax. The things she thought we shouldn’t miss, e.g., the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck, NS. or the St. Andrew NB aquarium, she was right. She planned for us what on paper was a highly detailed, complicated itinerary, it worked, and we came home wanting to go right back. Thank you, Wendy, for making this connection.

I traveled to Newfoundland in early July 2018. Jill Curran was instrumental in creating a fantastic Newfoundland vacation for me. I was on the west coast because I wanted to experience beautiful Gros Morne National Park. I then flew to the east coast to experience the wonderful city of St. Johns. She listened well and was able to plan according to my specific preferences. I traveled alone, and Jill assured me this was a good destination for someone traveling solo. She was right! The people of Newfoundland are friendly and welcoming. The tours she recommended were all excellent, and the entire trip went smoothly. Also, all the dining recommendations were spot on-so many options for delicious food. I loved Newfoundland and having Jill plan my trip!

Dealing with Jill Curran in St. Johns Newfoundland was excellent. No problems at all. I had nothing but frustration in trying to book things on the internet; all that frustration vanished once I got Jill, via Wendy Perrin. Jill asked me pertinent questions such as our vacation objectives, age, and budget. Within our parameters, she gave us suggestions and upon our agreement made all the bookings. It worked just fine and even the Newfoundland weather co-operated with 15 days of sunshine and only 3 of rain and mist.

With the help of Jill Curran, I traveled with my two daughters, their husbands and three grandchildren (a total of nine people) through Atlantic Canada. Jill and her colleagues arranged all hotels, minivans, and gave advice on restaurants, events, and important sights to see. But, most of all she arranged excursions which we could never have arranged by ourselves and about which my three grandchildren never stop talking. These included a boat trip in which we dug for clams, pulled up lobster traps, gathered fresh mussels and oysters and had a wonderful lobster boil on a secluded beach. Another boat excursion to islands dark with puffins, murres, razor bills, cormorants and other birds, and a boat tour of coastal resettled communities during which we saw whales.

In addition, we attended a songfest in a private home with guitar and accordion in which we participated. We also (and some say this was the best) hiked along the shore with Lori, a chef, who pointed out plants which were edible and then used them to make a sumptuous lunch.
The vistas of inland lakes, pine forests, and ocean fronts were magnificent. This was a visit of a lifetime, thanks Jill and Wendy Perrin’s WOW list.

Jill was great to work with. She helped me refine exactly what we wanted from our trip and then delivered exactly that! It was a wonderful trip made easy by all the work Jill put in on the front end.

Jill was fantastic to work with! She arranged a memorable trip to Newfoundland for me, my husband and mother-in-law. We needed handicapped accommodations and they were spot on, from booking hotels with elevators, mobility scooter rental and special room equipment brought in for my mother-in-law. We had a fantastic private tour tailored to our specific interests. She changed the itinerary mid-trip to give us a better chance of finding icebergs. We couldn’t have done it within her! Thank you!

Jill’s attention to detail was evident at every stop. Her suggested accommodations in Woody Point were excellent and she made sure we had one of the nicest rooms at the Seaside Suites. Her narratives were always appreciated, quite helpful and very specific. Every stop was very detailed and accurate.

In talking with other travelers, they would say: “Oh, that is really the nicest place to stay in the area”. The Inn at Fogo Island was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. Jill was so wonderful to work with and we will be using her again next year to plan our trip to Nova Scotia and PEI.

My wife & I planned a July 2017 trip to the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland with Jill Curran. She hit all the highlights of travel there and recommended great hotels, restaurants, & sights not to mention seeing the terrific and pertinent Broadway show, Come From Away, when we happened to be in NYC prior to our trip. We flew to Halifax, NS, St.Andrews NB, Shediac NB(lobster capital), Charlottetown & Dalvay by the Sea, PEI and finally St.Johns NL as well as Fogo Island. She also included stops at Trout Point Lodge NS, and Fishers Loft in Port Rexton as well as several great whale, bird & iceberg watching trips.

Jill Curran of Maxxim Vacations helped me plan a marvelous trip to Newfoundland in mid-May, 2017. I’m a fine art photographer, traveling with my adult cinematographer son, who gave me only 11 days of his time to accomplish a bucket list trip for both of us. I knew I couldn’t do it alone. Jill made extensive notes of our wants, likes and dislikes at the get-go, and every step of the trip was planned with those criteria as the filters. She managed to pull a few rabbits out of hats and made some arrangements for us that we simply couldn’t have accomplished without her broad on-the-ground network in Newfoundland. She also monitored us all along the way, including changing our travel plans over a national holiday weekend while she was away with her family when our transportation was canceled due to high winds. She contacted the places we were to be, rearranged the bookings, and continued to stay in touch with us right up to the end of our trip. Since Jill lives there, she is more acclimatized to the weather quirks of Newfoundland, and won’t notice the cold as much as those from away. We would suggest that even as late as May, winter coats should go in the luggage (we wore ours every day of the trip, and we ARE Canadian, but it is still cold at that time of year!) The kindness and generosity of Newfoundlanders are legendary, and Jill is definitely a standard-bearer for Newfoundlands reputation.

Jill was terrific. We had never been to Newfoundland and knew only that we wanted to stay at the Fogo Island Inn. She designed a 10-day trip through the province and made the great suggestion that we modify our original dates to be at the Inn for Canadian Thanksgiving when they do a special program. Her suggestions about places to stay and eat were spot on and her communication before and during the trip were very helpful. We had a wonderful time — our only disappointment was that we had not allowed more time in several of the places we visited — but isn’t that the mark of a well-planned trip. We would clearly use Jill again and would recommend her to anyone.

Truly Truly WOW!!

We have just returned from a 3 week driving tour of Newfoundland (August-September 2016) which was arranged by Jill Curran and her team at Maxxim Vacations. Jill was intuitive to our needs right from the start and through phone calls and emails we fine tuned the itinerary to encompass the places we wanted to see and Jill added her magic to create a vacation full of lasting memories and amazing experiences. We were very fortunate to actually meet Jill at Ferryland lighthouse picnics where we enjoyed a stunningly beautiful day while relaxing on a picnic blanket with a gourmet feast. Jill knew and understood how much we valued our accommodation and that it was an integral part to the enjoyment of the trip – she hit the nail on the head here as well! We had a lovely mix of higher end Inns and bed and breakfasts where we got to interact with local Newfoundlanders who went out of their way to provide exceptional hospitality. Our tour took in lots of hiking and 4 different boat trips with each providing something different and added so much value for us – never could have arranged such an awesome trip without Jill. We became so engaged in the history of the province and fell in love with all the outports and harbours and came away feeling we had touched the heart and soul of Newfoundland. I really believe what Wendy says about a TTE making a trip extraordinary and Jill Curran at Maxxim certainly did that for us! It was very special.

Jill planned the perfect trip to Newfoundland, Canada! She was responsive to all our requests and questions and provided us with a spectacular itinerary. We stayed in gorgeous inns with warm, friendly hosts, explored fascinating towns and villages where we met interesting locals and learned about Newfoundlands amazing history, experienced exciting boat tours where we saw whales, puffins and icebergs, and saw wonderful local theater. We couldn’t have asked for more. Jill answered all our questions by email and phone before our trip and was fully available during our trip. We give Jill our highest recommendation.

We are so grateful for the travel expertise of Jill Curran and Maxxim Vacations. We returned from Eastern Canada with wonderful memories and pure awe at all that we saw in the Atlantic Maritimes. Touchdown to take-off went very smoothly, the few glitches in no way were the responsibility of Jill and her team! Everything they planned and organized for us was as described in the planning documents. They were wonderful to work with and we really appreciated all of the insider tips and background information.  Jill kept in close contact during the planning process fine-tuning our itinerary and activities, inserting personal tidbits and recommendations. She sent maps and a detailed itinerary with our final documents. After the trip, Jill took care of any minor glitches we experienced. The attention to detail and her ability to “read” us were awesome and appreciated!  We would highly recommend this team of professionals and would contact them again for future travels to this beautiful part of our world.