Meet the Team
Karen Essafi
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Karen, a veteran of the travel industry, has been planning travel for over 30 years. Her passion for travel has taken her to the four corners of the world. From sipping sundowners at sunset on the Serengeti to chasing the blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos Islands, travel has been a driving force in her life since before she can remember.
Karen’s first-hand experience and long-term relationships with hoteliers & tour guides around the world allows her to create highly specialized, tailor-made itineraries for her clients.
Nike
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Simply the cutest, the most gentle, the smartest and … the most spoiled dog!
Meet Nike at our Closter location where he “works” every day from 9am to 3:30pm.
Wahid Essafi
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His goal is to create a team of travel professionals with a true passion for travel and a sincere motivation to serve our clients.
The world is becoming a smaller place and the internet is overwhelming. Now more than ever, I believe that a good travel consultant is extremely valuable.
Deanna Cavaliere
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With a serious devotion to travel, Deanna has a lot of knowledge when it comes to exploring the world. With a background in luxury concierge and guest services, she can really narrow it down with great recommendations in each itinerary. Her travels have brought her to most of the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica. She also has a passion for Italy which she has been many times and where some of her family resides. Deanna has done extensive domestic traveling that she plans to expand this year!
Deanna is very eager to plan and recommend your next itinerary filled with many restaurant and tour recommendations.
Kristyn Dellapi
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When joining the E. Clarke Travel team, Kristyn has translated her life long passion for travel into a career.
Her curiosity to explore new landscapes and her love of people are her drivers. For Kristyn, it is not just about the travel, it’s about immersing herself into different cultures so she can experience all of the many facets each destination has to offer. In the last year, Kristyn has journeyed through the wondrous, awe-inspiring country of Iceland…. explored the Italian coastline… meandered around some of Italy’s most beloved cities, including Milan, Lucca and Venice. She also witnessed the stunning sunsets on Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos.
Kristyn prides herself on providing the highest level of customer service. By forging new relationships with travel industry experts and staying current with newest trends and properties in travel, she is able to assure clients that they are receiving a first-in-class experience when booking their vacation.
Lori Banks
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After a long, successful career in the fashion industry, Lori’s love and appreciation of exploring interesting destinations while traveling on business and with her family led her to a new career at E. Clarke Travel. An avid photographer, Lori, her camera and keen eye have traveled coast to coast, as well as to Hawaii, Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, England, France, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands, capturing the unique essence of each. One of her favorite trips, as evidenced by her stunning photographs, was last year’s visit to the Amalfi coast where she reveled in the exquisite beauty of Capri, Positano, Sorrento, Amalfi and Ravello.
In addition to her role as Administrative Coordinator, Lori, a former editor and director of research, has an astute way with words and oversees our travel newsletter and customer communications. Exceptionally detail oriented, Lori takes the utmost care in assisting clients with their travel needs.
Arlette Strauss
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As an accomplished businesswoman Arlette Strauss still plays an active role in the two-location travel agency she has owned and operated for decades, E. Clarke Travel. She has explored every continent on the planet and helped countless clients experience the joy of travel, no matter what their personal tastes may be.
Her proudest accomplishment, however, is raising a family of “good, nice people.”
Arlette was born and raised in Paris, so traveling to other countries was something to which she was accustomed. “It was easy to go from country to country by train, so my family always traveled,” explains Arlette. “Belgium, for example, was a quick two-hour train ride away.”
Arlette has no plans to stop working, stop learning or stop being curious about the world around her.
Marlene Finkel
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Marlene has been a team member of E. Clarke Travel since 2003 and believes that to experience the world through travel is one of the greatest gifts there is. She has traveled extensively through Italy, France,Spain,the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Baltic including Russia, Central & South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada and of course, the United States including Hawaii and Alaska.
Her greatest reward from her work is helping her clients make memories to last a lifetime, whether it be for a honeymoon, special anniversary or birthday or just to see the world. She specializes in honeymoon travel to Italy, Hawaii, Tahiti, Thailand and Bali.
Marlene handles all your travel needs as a travel concierge taking care of every detail to ensure a flawless and memorable experience for her clients as well as using all her industry contacts to make sure her clients are VIPed to the max!
Karen Rybak
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Karen Rybak has been a travel consultant with American Express for over 28 years, previously earning the prestigious American Express Pacesetter award for exceptional sales and service; one year achieving the highest travel sales in the country. She is a specialist on the Caribbean, Europe, and all types of cruising – from 3 or 4 night jaunts to 100+ day World Cruises and everything in between.
She is a Tauck Certified agent. Karen has also helped scores of couples begin their lives together with a storybook honeymoon in paradise.
Contact Karen today to begin planning your trip of a lifetime.
Donna Moore
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Donna Moore has been a travel consultant for over 20 years and is ready to help plan your next vacation. She has cruised over 25 times to a variety of cruise destinations and can recommend the cruise ship and itinerary that’s right for you. Donna also has extensive knowledge of the Caribbean and many US destinations.
If you’d like to cruise the high seas, relax under a palm tree, or see firsthand what makes our nation great, contact Donna today to begin planning your trip of a lifetime.
Laura Monahan
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Read what our clients say about us:
There is such a misconception that booking a vacation online is easier and less expensive than using a travel agent. Our recent experience booking a Punta Cana vacation with Kristyn at E. Clarke Travel was so easy and such a pleasant experience. She found exactly what we were looking for at The Hideaway, an all inclusive including a swim up pool, top shelf liquor, 24/7 concierge, 6 5 Star restaurants, a private beach, a spa and much more. The package also included non-stop flights and airport transfers. I highly recommend using Kristyn at E. Clarke Travel!
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