l to r: Meg Austin, Mike Connolly, Gillian McLornan. Enjoying a summer Saturday morning on the patio at the Westin Riverfront Resort, Avon, CO
This section usually stays close to home — using Eagle Airport vs DIA, vacation rental features, local hotel info – things that help someone plan a trip to the Vail Valley.
But I want to go a little “further afield” this time.
Regardless of where you live, the itch to travel can be irresistible. In today’s world, with information at your fingertips, it’s all the more important to get help planning a memorable trip from professionals who have directly experienced much of what they can recommend.
If you've booked a trip to the Vail Valley through me, you already know the drill: I draw on 28 years of accumulating local knowledge to help you find the right lodging for your travel party, understand getting to/from the ski mountains in winter, where to go for meals, who are the best activity providers – essentially all the things that prompted us to start this newsletter!
But my own knowledge has real edges. So when the question isn’t “where should I stay in Vail or Beaver Creek”, I rely on two people I trust completely.
The Two People I Lean On
Gillian McLornan and Meg Austin are those people. Gillian and I have been friends for over 25 years — long before either of us made a career out of travel, back when she was in the luxury hotel world and I was running vacation rental companies here in the valley — and Meg has her own long history with both of us, from this same small circle of Vail Valley travel professionals.
Over the years that trust has turned into real collaboration: we've sent each other's clients on trips to Vail, Las Vegas, Brazil, the Bahamas, the Hamptons, and Europe, planned by people who actually know the destination rather than someone reading reviews.
Gillian splits her time between Dubai and right here in the Vail Valley. She spent more than 20 years working with leading luxury hotel brands — Jumeirah Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, and One&Only Resorts — in global sales and marketing roles, and for more than a decade now she's built on that experience from Dubai.
She not only specializes in that region's top luxury hotels and resorts, but has extensive knowledge and connections in Europe and Asia as well. That blend of hospitality pedigree and award-winning advisory work is what makes her such a trusted partner for a high-end, personalized itinerary — she leads with service excellence, structured organization, and a customer-first approach on every trip she plans.
Meg is based right here in the Vail Valley and has been selling travel for decades. She specializes in the kind of trips that take real firsthand knowledge to plan well: adventure travel, family trips, and destinations like Antarctica, Chile, Columbia, Borneo, The Caribbean and more.
What This Actually Means for You
Traveling somewhere I don't have direct experience of? Odds are good Gillian and Meg will - or they know exactly who has the knowledge personally. Relationships are key – it’s not just what you know but who you know! Combined? The world is yours: exclusively, authentically and with value
Want a serious luxury hotel recommendation almost anywhere in the world? That's Gillian’s specialty, and I send my own clients her way without hesitation. She excels at accessing added value and amenities!
Dreaming of Antarctica, the Australian Outback, or an adventure trip most people wouldn't know how to plan? Meg Austin has decades of experience doing exactly that — and she's just down the road.
Planning a trip to Europe? Between the three of us, we've already got that covered.
The bigger idea here: a good travel advisor isn't a website you search, it's a person who knows things a search engine can't tell you. And the best ones tend to have a small, trusted circle of people just like that in the places they don't personally cover. This valley is my expertise. The rest of the world doesn't have to be a guessing game either — between the three of us, it's backed by decades of firsthand experience and a lot of trust.
Thinking about a trip — near or far? Reach out and let us help you.
Mike Connolly – [email protected], +1.970.390.2467
Gillian McLornan – [email protected], +971.50.655.7582
Meg Austin – [email protected], +1.303.932.0434
