Judy Bloomberg, president and owner of A Different Path, was a traveler long before she was a travel agent. To her, travel is not a business, it's a passion. For 35 years, she's been wandering the globe, to over 50 countries, in search of adventure, unique cultural experiences and memorable accomodations. From Papua New Guinea to Tibet, from the Loire Valley to the Andes, from Japan to Botswana, chances are that if you want to go there, Judy has been there first and can tell you what it's like from personal experience. She also loves cruising on ships of all sizes and has personally traveled with 8 different cruise lines, to destinations as diverse as the Panama Canal, Alaska, the Baltic, the Greek Isles, the Galpagos, the Caribbean and others.

Personal travel, however, is not the only way in which she has enhanced her knowledge of travel destinations and products. A lifelong student by nature, she has taken numerous specialization courses offered by the travel industry. The most significant of these are the CLIA Master Cruise Counselor Program and the Australia Tourist Commission's Certified Aussie Specialist Program" .

Although she did plenty of traveling on a shoestring when she was younger, these days Judy's personal travel tends to fall in the luxury range. If you're thinking in terms of Leading Hotels of the World, Relais et Chateaux, Crystal Cruises, Abercrombie & Kent and the like, you want to speak with someone who speaks your language. The vast majority of travel agents, even very experienced ones, have not actually stayed at the most deluxe properties or sailed on the top-of-the-line ships. If you want someone who has, you've come to the right place ...