Andrea Nims
I grew up in a country manor house in Northern Germany and raised in the environment of a country hotel. I studied Business Administration with emphasis on Tourism at Worms College. I worked for tour operators in Germany, the United Kingdom and Mexico before moving to the United States 12 years ago.
I used to work for a tour operator offering luxurious wine & food vacations to France and Italy. One thing I learned was that many American travelers missed getting to know local residents. When we provided local contacts — however brief — it became the highlight of their trip.
So in 2004 I created a new travel concept called InTouch Travel, a program for experienced travelers who want to "Journey Further"...who want to spend at least part of their vacations getting closer to the people and the culture of the places they visit. InTouch provides introductions to compatible, reliable friends in those communities.
You as the traveler become a visitor, an honored guest free to explore what interests you. With your new friends you get to know their streets and sidewalks, their shops and cafés, their children and their pets, their lives in different cultural settings.
That said, I offer a Close Up program here in Seattle: a day where you live as locals do, running errands, meeting friends.
As your host, I invite you along... I'll pick up the tab for your meals and incidentals. Your hotel is prepaid. All you do is enjoy the enriching experience.
I invite you to join me on your next vacation to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. There cannot be any better way to travel with a European living in the US.