WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
to plan, and gear up for adventures.
When you enter our space, we want you to feel energized by the travel experiences that await you and be inspired by our carefully selected travel products.
Our customer is often an intrepid traveler and they understand why quality travel gear is so important.
We select our products with care, focusing on details related to size, weight and overall design to make sure we have a curated collection of the best travel merchandise.
All of us at Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters are passionate travelers who also embrace the idea of simply taking a day off to play, hike, bike, rappel, raft, float, skydive, sample craft beers, sip wine, or hike the entire Rivanna Trail loop (which takes about 5 hours without stops).
The choices we’ve made in our retail shop display our passion for well-made, thoughtfully designed gear – and create conversational spaces for our travel consultants to meet with you and plan tailored vacation experiences. It is also a space for our packing specialists to showcase their knowledge through Packing Demonstrations. Watch our Happenings page for these and other in-store events.
We are available to help with ideas and gear for vacations that are far-afield, or in our own backyard. As a full-service travel agency, we are ready to help you book your next great getaway – be it by car, plane, train, ship, or rocket (coming soon). Julie and Rochelle have travelled the globe and forged terrific relationships with travel providers to offer our clients a complete travel experience, where you do the dreaming, and we do the planning
I opened Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters in 1993 after a year spent travelling in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. That year truly opened my eyes to the many incredible aspects of travel. I immersed myself in various cultures and new experiences and, above all, cherished my interactions with the people I met from all corners of the world.
That first stamp on my passport truly changed my life and became the foundation for my life’s work.
I, and the travel consultants and packing specialists at Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, spend every day creating custom-designed travel experiences for our clients as well as gearing them up for any adventure with our curated selection of top quality travel products
When I established Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters and created an overall mission for the company it was important that my business stay focused on
the joy and inherent discovery created through travel –
that feeling of leaping into the unknown followed by the thrill of landing on one’s feet. Whether going to relax on a beach or immerse oneself in a new city, I believe the ultimate reward to travel is gaining distance from and perspective on our daily lives while also tapping into the joy and liberation of experiencing something new. That is why, at Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters we focus on planning trips to destinations around the world and have cultivated relationships with other travel providers to enhance our client’s experiences in a multitude of destinations.
At Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters we recognize that the time dedicated to travelling for pleasure is precious. Therefore, it is our goal to make the trip planning process an exciting and fulfilling part of the entire travel experience. Our approach is collaborative and, we hope, fun. Throughout the years we have remained acutely aware that we are planning or outfitting your vacation. We simply want it to be the best vacation ever.
As Travel Concierge it is my responsibility to make sure our clients understand how we work. I enjoy my role at Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters because as a traveler, a mother, and a person who genuinely wants to assist, I get to speak with nearly every client before they’ve begun working with us. This sets the tone for their collaboration with our staff. I hear about all the unique travel plans people are trying to make happen, and I help clients with general travel questions and travel gear needs as they move through the booking process.
Our forte is creating a vacation experience that is geared to the way that you want to travel. We understand that everyone travels with different interests, tastes and needs and I keep that in mind with every client interaction.
Here are the basic steps to describe how we work on the travel planning side:
- A potential client will call, email or come in and talk with me first. I collect basic information and then set up a 30-minute appointment to come in and meet with a travel consultant to begin planning their vacation (this initial appointment can happen over the phone, too). It’s important that we get a complete picture of a client’s wants and needs before the trip planning begins.
- I generally ask a lot of questions about preferences for flights, types of accommodation (we start with 3-star hotels and go up to 5-star luxury properties and villas), and personal travel style. If a client doesn’t know all the answers at this time, it’s an effective way to get them thinking about the things that will make the initial travel consultant meeting most efficient.
As a lifelong traveler, I’ve learned a thing or two about packing for a wide variety of trips. I’ve packed for road trips across the US; flights to and from my home country of Jamaica; bi-annual family reunion cruises; and these days I pack for family vacations with my kids and husband.
At Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters we look at packing as an art and a skill. I am here to help our globetrotting clients pack for their unique trips using the most effective packing strategies and tools that we can find. I know the products we carry in the store inside and out and am also always looking for the latest in travel gear innovation.
I host group and private packing demos, both virtually or in person, for clients interested in taking a deeper dive into packing tips and tools. but I am also happy to advise you if you just want to pop into the store for a look.
I love that so many of the products that people invest in for a special vacation can also be used for a weekend getaway or even in their everyday lives.