Karen Reif

Karen selected great properties and made travel arrangements that met our needs. She provided good information about experiences we could enjoy and selected 2 tours (monkey sanctuary and ATV trails excursion) that were outstanding. Unfortunately, Karen's communications were a chore. A single email became a long chain and in reply to a request for information, she would say "it is in the email I sent." I have a travel app that is my preferred resource for all my travel plans. For the first time ever, Karen was unable to provide my travel info in a format that my app could read and organize. I suspect she was forcing me to use the Fora app. Unlike my app, Fora's app always starts on day 1. On day 6, it another treasure hunt. Her repeated assurances that everything was in the Fora app became a problem when my last hotel was not in the Fora app. Karen insisted on me confirming certain requests by email. I made a substantial change and canceled the end of my trip... about 10 days of travel accommodations and flights. She had me confirm my request in response to an email. Done. There was charge/fee for the cancelation of a flight. Again, She asked that I confirm the charge/fee. In the email seeking confirmation she detailed the actual amount of the fee charge/fee but I did not know how the deduction affected my refund because she only referred to the "price" of my tickets and not the actual amount that I paid. When I protested she reminded me that her work on cancelations and rebookng was a concierge service (apparently I was not entitled) and she was seeking transparency. Not detailing the actual amount paid and just referring to the price was another example of a communication style that des not take into account the information that is important to a customer. Multiple communications were burdened by this deficiency. Two additional communications are noteworthy. Though I have over $100,000 in my personal operating accounts, charges for my hotels and flights were repeatedly denied. Again, this never happens. She expressed her frustration way too freely and then disclosed it was an unidentified 3rd party who was actually attempting to make the charges. I expressed a concern and her response was both dismissive and slightly accusatory. The other communication was when my girlfriend's flight from Vietnam to Bali presented some challenges, Karen said it would be acceptable to put my girlfriend in economy instead of business class. It was not OK with me and I found her suggestion to be offensive... as was her explanation for a delay in some step in the process was because she was playing golf. Sure, my arrangements were complicated but that is precisely why I used a high-end travel agency. Those arrangements were made more complicated by an ineffective communication style that seemed motivated by what she wanted to tell me and not by what I needed to hear. The repeated reference to other sources for the information I was seeking from her was unhelpful and ultimately became frustrating enough that I will not use Fora again.

Karen Reif was wonderful to work with. She provided many options based on our budget and never pressured us into booking "extras". She was attentive and helped us strategically plan our trip so that we weren't running all over Paris each day. Her recommendations were wonderful and we enjoyed the excursions/tours she booked for us. Karen's knowledge and patience with clients makes her such a pleasure to work with. Thank you Fora and Karen for a fabulous week in France.

Karen's knowledge of the Bordeaux area is extensive. She found us a beautiful hotel conveniently located to the city center. Karen suggested doing two full day wine tours to experience both wines in the Medoc and St. Emilion area. Each day were small group tours led by highly knowledgeable guides that selected a combination of large wineries and smaller boutique ones. We loved both days! Karen also had great restaurant recommendations. One last thing, Karen made herself available while we were away answering emails in real time! She is amazing and I can't wait to work with her again.

Karen was extremely helpful with planning our trip to Barcelona. She knew exactly what we wanted and chose the perfect hotel and excursions for us. I highly recommend working with Karen.

Karen is the best travel agent if you need any help or advice about your trip, planning and booking flights, hotels, and or activities, or if you just don't have time to do it yourself. She is very knowledgeable and applies her personal experience about a wide range of destinations at various price points. You will not be disappointed. Highest recommendation!