Travel Experiences Tailor Made for You
TRAVEL SERVICES
The Travel Prospect Difference
How you see & experience the world matters. A successful travel experience is not just about dates, rates, and space. It starts with gaining insight into your vision of what matters to you and continues with leveraging our relationships with partners all over the world and Virtuoso (a consortium of the top travel agencies, travel providers, and destinations worldwide) to deliver a customized itinerary & experience that is valuable and memorable for you.
When you work with Travel Prospect you will be working with an advisor who cares about your trip almost as much as you do. Someone who will be accessible at all times during the planning process, while you are on your trip if anything comes up, and when you are back to share stories and pictures with.
We appreciate the trust our clients place in us and we don't take it lightly. Our goal is to give you exactly what you want in your travel experiences, because as we all know you cannot get your money and time back on a bad vacation.
DESTINATIONS & EXPERIENCES
Our preferred Destinations & Experiences partners worldwide help make the most of your precious leisure time. Wherever you travel, they are a true extension of our services, ensuring that your itineraries perfectly match your tastes and preferences. You will receive:
· VIP treatment & recognition
· Custom-tailored experiences & itineraries
· Private and exclusive access
AIR, AUTO & INSURANCE BENEFITS
We partner with over 75 of the world’s top commercial and private air carriers, car rental programs, and travel insurance providers to secure special products and fares for our clients to receive exceptional, personalized service from departure to destination and home again. When we manage your travel transportation needs, you’ll enjoy benefits like:
· Advantageous pricing & upgrades on fares
· Special car rental & travel insurance rates & perks
HOTEL & RESORT BENEFITS
From sea to sea we have personal contacts and relationships with the hotels you want to be in, and with the hoteliers who will take care of you during your stay. They offer the perfect home away from home, and, through our exclusive arrangements, we are able to offer our clients VIP treatment and complimentary extras such as:
· Preferred rates
· Room upgrade upon arrival
· Virtuoso-only amenities
· Daily breakfast for two
· Early check-in & late checkout
While these perks are part of the Virtuoso amenities we can pass on to our clients, our services are not limited to Virtuoso properties, and we have worked to arrange similar amenities with some of our favorite properties who might not be part of the Virtuoso portfolio.
Travel Prospect is part of the following esteemed memberships with amenities we can pass on to our clients:
*Abercrombie & Kent 100 Club* *Belmond Bellini Club* *Hyatt Prive* * Four Seasons Preferred Partner*
*Mandarin Oriental Fan Club** Marriott International Stars|Luminous* *Relais & Chateaux Preferred Partner*
*Rosewood Elite* *Shangri La Luxury Circle* * Tauck Certified Agent*
CRUISE BENEFITS
We partner with the world’s leading luxury cruise lines to custom-tailor your at-sea and port experiences. And, as our client, you’ll automatically be eligible for complimentary extras reserved exclusively for our travelers such as:
· Shipboard credits
· Exclusive shore excursions
· Welcome aboard receptions
· Dedicated onboard hosts
· Private car & driver
· Specialty dining
· Pre-paid gratuities
PLANNING & CONCIERGE SERVICES
Our services include designing corporate and wellness retreats, destination weddings, honeymoons, as well as providing concierge services to design minute details of your occasion.
about us
At Travel Prospect we believe in providing a personal touch beyond just making your reservations. We have traveled extensively and have first-hand knowledge of the destinations we book, and have deep relationships with the people who represent the hotels, tours and cruises we work with. We’re in the business of making your travel arrangements and your vacations hassle-free.
The depth of service we offer goes well beyond the status quo. Once we understand your individual interests and preferences, we put our industry knowledge and global connections to work for you to orchestrate imaginative, highly customized vacations.
DISCOVER & UNDERSTAND
Unlike many travel agents who simply ask "Where would you like to go?" and "What is your budget?", at Travel Prospect we start every client relationship with an interactive session so we can learn about you and your preferences. The information learned during this session will allow us to tailor your trip that will meet all of your requirements and preferences.
DESIGN TRAVEL
Once we have a clear understanding and have discussed all of your travel goals, we will sculpt a custom designed travel plan. Travel Prospect has a vast network of suppliers and personal connections that will allow us to design a unique and memorable experience.
MONITOR AND MANAGE
There is nothing more important than having the peace of mind that after booking with Travel Prospect we will continue to monitor and manage your travel before and during your trip. Think of us as your travel guardian angels!
Lauren Raps, Founder and Leisure Travel Planner
A lifetime of personal and professional travel led Lauren to this wonderful career in travel.
Lauren built Travel Prospect after working in News Media for over 15 years. During this career, she traveled to all corners of the globe – including the series “Where in the World is Matt Lauer,” several Olympics Games and other global world events. Travel is in her core and Travel Prospect was created by a hybrid of her personal and professional passions and experience.
Lauren treats every trip like a research project and has acquired vast amounts of expertise, experiences, lessons and memories that she loves to share with her clients. Not only with suggestions of destinations and hotels…but with details such as where to find the best cup of coffee in Torino, a restaurant in Nice with a really great and affordable wine list, a village in Italy with an local artist who you can watch as they create a mosaic you can bring home, tour guides that will make your children survive (and even enjoy) afternoon long museum visits --and childcare advice in most places too…..while she is a big advocate of traveling with children, even she acknowledges that you need a break from time to time!
She has taken her three young boys to cities, beaches and foreign lands all around the globe. and wants to get families out on the road and spend family vacations in destinations they never dreamed of, and creates a seamless, worry-free experience that they will treasure for years to come.
And as important as the family travel is…time with your significant other and friends is equally as important and necessary. It’s a time for ultimate relaxation or adventure and Lauren has the experience and advice for both. She will be your go-to partner to create an experience that takes you a world away from your busy life, even if you’ve only traveled an hour, or show you that, yes - you can plan a spontaneous Machu Picchu adventure a week or so in advance and only be away from home for 4-5 days…she can talk first hand about that.
At 14 years old, Jake fell in love with the world when he embarked on a family vacation to Europe. Having grown up in the rural south, it was no surprise that the culture, history and people were completely different from what he knew - it quickly fascinated him. When he returned home, something had changed within him.
He had sleepless nights dreaming about faraway lands, sailing the oceans and meeting indigenous peoples from undiscovered locations. It wasn’t until he got older that he realized the effect that Europe trip had on him. It had sparked a deep curiosity and passion within himself.
Jake had caught the travel bug.
Flash forward 20-something years and 30 countries later, Jake has joined the Travel Prospect team as a Travel Manager. Having provided logistical support and managed extensive travel for large television crews during his 10+ years in television production, Jake also planned and executed his dream destination wedding in Iceland with over 50 people in attendance. This was Jake’s first time curating a meaningful and adventurous trip for those closest to him - and it went off without a hitch. It was at this moment he knew travel planning was his true passion.
Travel planning is an incredibly personal experience - everyone has different qualities they look for when spending their hard earned money and Jake doesn’t take this responsibility lightly. During the planning process, Jake utilizes a balance of creativity and logistical forethought to achieve a flawless trip that will exceed expectations and come in on budget. Jake’s extreme attention to detail cannot be emphasized more – in an industry where every tiny detail matters, it’s Jake’s greatest pride to be exceptionally organized and meticulous with his clients’ information.
Jake has worked with celebrities, on-air personalities, corporate executives and various culinary talent. It’s this caliber of clientele that ensures Jake is constantly challenged with his clients’ changing needs. Jake consistently goes beyond the call of duty to ensure he is always reachable no matter the day or time. 24/7 access is not the exception, it’s the rule and Jake takes pride in providing unparalleled support for his clients before, during and after their trip.
As a James Beard Award Winner, Jake’s culinary focus and connections with top chefs around the world will provide his clients with exclusive access and the best foodie finds of your dreams. Couple those experiences with unique and adventurous excursions in off-the-beaten-path destinations, and you have a perfectly curated trip to anywhere you spin the globe.
When Jake isn’t planning incredible experiences for his clients, he can be found practicing his baking skills, working on his travel photography and planning future trips for himself and his husband.
Jake hasn’t been everywhere yet, but it’s on his list.
CONTACT
(917) 572-8545
