your personal escape artist

The highlight of the trip was seeing Denali National Park in the fall with all the colors. We also enjoyed Valdez, where we visited with one of the local fisherman, and ironically, he happened to be at breakfast the next morning when we walked in! I'm glad there were two glacier-viewing days on the itinerary because on 1 of the days, the waters were too rough to view the glaciers. We did see whales! But the other time, we got right up to the glaciers and saw all the colors. Really neat experience. Our tour director, Sylvia, was the best there is! Very informative and super organized & efficient. She pointed everything out so that we made the most out our trip to Alaska!

Now that I’ve overwhelmed you all with photos from our trip to England and Scotland, I have to give a huge thank you to Cassie Stroup of Oddball Escapes. She helped us put this amazing trip together and took care of so many of the little details that made this trip smooth and nearly effortless. With Cassie’s help, we got to stay in incredible hotels near all the things we wanted to see, and our transportation from location to location was easy. If you’re in northeast Ohio or western Pennsylvania and want to take the trip of a lifetime, give Cassie a call!

Also, on our last day in Edinburgh, I got hit with a nasty stomach bug, and I was seriously unsure that I’d be able to take our flights home. I messaged Cassie, and she immediately put together a contingency plan for us – told me who to call and what to do to get our flights rescheduled and so forth. Fortunately, I was feeling better by the time we had to leave and our flights home were without incident, but I can’t tell you what a comfort it was to know that we had a backup plan if I was still sick. Thank you so much, Cassie!

It had been 16 years since our last “real vacation,” plus we wanted to do something special to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Cassie was very patient and informative about selections, while remaining sensitive to our apprehensions and budget… the result, the most wonderful, relaxing vacation we have ever had – a cruise to the Bahamas! From the fun and informative videos that walked us through each step, to the welcome home text message, she was watching over us with updates on any changes or delays. It was so nice not to have any worries and just be able to relax and have fun! I would never hesitate to recommend Oddball Escapes and Queen Oddball – Cassie, she totally rocks! Thank you for making our dreams come true – we loved it Cassie!

Cassie truly made our relaxing beach vacation a stress free experience. I’ve never thought about myself as a beach person but after starting a stressful job I wanted to go somewhere where I could truly unwind – somewhere warm with a beach and alcohol! We told this and our price range to Cassie and before you knew it she sent my husband and I some great options. We were a little too far away to meet with her but she created these really great videos to talk to us and help us make decisions. For almost never having talked in person, Cassie’s communication was stellar. Seriously, the best. From videos, emails, texts…and even sending us that wonderful folder with all our travel plans over the mail – Cassie made the planning and preparing for a relaxing vacation just as stress free. I’m actually not sure I would ever want to plan a vacation without her again.A HUGE thank you to Cassie for a stress-free vacation planning and a stress-free vacation.

And the Excellence Resort in Punta Cana was everything I hoped it would be. In the words of my husband, repeated over and over, “Now THIS is a vacation.”

Oddball Escapes helped us plan the perfect vacation to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Cassie gave us options to narrow down our vision of going to Hawaii. And, she quickly adjusted to the curveball we threw her of adding a couple days in San Diego. I loved Cassie’s encouraging texts keeping us updated on our flights, and wanting to hear how we enjoyed each leg of our vacation. Cassie’s heart, enthusiasm, and attention to detail truly make her one of a kind, and I can’t wait to plan out next adventure with her!”

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Our honeymoon was such an amazing experience! Italy was always a dream of ours, and to be able to spend our honeymoon there was a dream come true. Your help planning all the details made it truly an unforgettable trip. Everything went exactly as planned and you were there for us the whole time in case it didn’t, which was very comforting. We are so grateful for your hard work and attention to detail and always going above and beyond. We’ll never forget this trip and we can’t wait for the next one!

If I had to describe our experience in one word, it would be “FANTABULOUS.” I know – that isn’t really a word, but it was fantastic and fabulous. Over the course of the cruise/tour, we saw beautiful glaciers, mountains, and wildlife (including whales, caribou, moose, bear, ptarmigan, and eagles). The cruise itself was perfect, with great food, friendly people, and helpful staff. The excursions we had signed up for at stops in Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Skagway were great. Seeing the glacier calving in Glacier Bay was one of the highlights, as was seeing Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley) during the land portion of the tour. Jim has always liked trains, and after disembarking at Whittier, we had a 9-hour train ride in a glass enclosed car to our first lodge in Denali National Park. The train ride was really nice and comfortable, with gorgeous scenery all the way.

JANET'S EXPERIENCE: Back in the good ole USA 🇺🇸! Even though we were spoiled rotten in the Dominican Republic 🌴🍹 by their service, their hospitality and the beauty of it all…there truly IS “No Place Like Home” ….A special SHOUT OUT and huge thank you to Cassie aka Oddball Escapes for all her personal attention to this trip. You made it so easy! Will highly recommend you to everyone I know….and to Caroline, tell Jim I said thanks for recommending Cassie!

JENNA'S EXPERIENCE: Cassie is truly great at what she does. She pays attention to the little details to make sure your vacation is exactly what you are searching for. We will definitely use her for our future trips and HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking to book a vacation.