an independent travel agent with Escapes.ca
ABOUT ME
It all started with a desire for adventure after University that found me living and working in Ireland. When I returned to Canada all I wanted to do was get back out and explore. I had learned so much about myself and had grown as a person and that feeling was exciting.
Travel has a profound ability to connect us not only better with ourselves, but on a broader level as global citizen. It enables us to see beauty more vividly, to love compassionately with more depth, and feel connected to a world that's so much bigger than what's immediately outside our front door.
In January 2018 I began as an agent, with a desire to connect people to travel experiences that would hopefully enrich their lives as my journey's had. In 2021 I began specializing in Destination Weddings and I absolutely love the complexity of group travel and assisting couples on creating lasting memories.
In addition to weddings I also work with family groups, businesses, and individuals on their travel dreams.
When not traveling I enjoy photography, attending festivals and concerts, reading, singing and driving my cat crazy with a laser pointer.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Dorina Brown Travel's goal is to provide exceptional client experience by being:
RELATIONAL
My business is about you - getting to know you, serve you, support you. I believe strongly in building that rapport to help reduce your stress and provide you and your guests a good booking experience. I care deeply about every guest on a booking and want everyone to feel cared for and understand that they matter.
AUTHENTIC
I don't believe in gimmicks, high pressure sales tactics, or selling you something that doesn't fit with who you are or what your budget is. I promise to always be authentic and honest with you.
INCLUSIVE
I believe in adhering to a business model that is designed to be safe for all people. When you work with me you should feel heard and respected. Whether you are neuro-divergent, LGBTQ2S+, or require particular accessibility considerations - I won't judge and will work with you to make sure you feel supported.
CULTURE-FOCUSED
Travel is all about heading to a new destination - which means interacting with a different culture, language, and history. My goal is to honour that as best I can to support and promote authentic local experiences and services.
SUSTAINABLE
We only get one world and as complicated as it can be sometimes, I love it. But in order to continue to explore and engage as a global citizen, there has to be something for us to explore. Thus, whenever I am able, I promote and support sustainable-minded companies and tourism practices.
EXPRESSION OF
INCLUSION
We believe strongly in equity and operate under an umbrella of acceptance, inclusion and accessibility. Our service respects, and is attentive to, the unique needs of all people.
This is a safe space.
This safety is extended to all, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, children, people with disability or other barriers (such as folks who identify as neurodivergent, live with mental illnesses or require specific accessibility needs) or those who may fear discrimination for their particular needs (such as polyamorous folks). We are excited to work with you to find a trip that fits best for you in a way that is open and respectful!
Fun And fast
facts
Favourite Destination:
Outside of Ireland, I love Prague. A cool Old Town, quirky vibe and a variety of things to see and do, Prague should be on every travelers bucket list.
Favourite girls' trip:
When I graduated from University my mom surprised me with a trip to California - Disneyland, Universal Studios, San Diego and Tijuana. I think it was the first trip we took as just the two of us and has kicked off a series of adventures that have brought us closer together.
Favourite international food:
Two stick out in my memory. The first is Iskender Kebab, a Turkish dish featuring lamb, butter, pita, tomato sauce...so good. The other - Rye bread baked in the ground for 24 hours in Iceland. I've never had anything else like it!
Where I've traveled:
I've been to a number of countries including: Canada, US, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Iceland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Italy and the Czech Republic.
Where I want to go:
I have many places I want to go. Some of the ones on my mind are Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam), South Korea, Japan, Netherlands, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Longyearbyen and New Orleans.
TESTIMONIALS
Dorina made our dream wedding become a reality. She was extremely helpful planning our travel/wedding with over 50 guests. Guests were able to email her and would receive a quick response with questions answered in great detail. I thought the planning of a destination wedding would be tough. Dorina made it very easy. She recommended the PERFECT resort and from there it was all seamless. I would 100% recommend using [her] for planning a destination wedding. Thank you Dorina.
It is sad to think that we won’t be planning anything else together…. I have truly enjoyed the process and for that, I will always be grateful!
I can only thank you for all your time and dedication. If I think back to the beginning of the process, you were the one that guided me into discovering what I was looking for in my wedding! It ended up being the most special moment for us all!!!
Our wedding was not easy (as you know), and we had several hiccups along the way. But you were there, always willing to help, with the visa issue, translating emails and information from English into Portuguese and Spanish so I wouldn’t have to do it. Getting back to me on Sundays, even when you were moving. Working with me on my worries…. And always helping me feel like we had things under control.
You are awesome, and I will miss planning things with you!!
What can I say, IT WAS AMAZING! Beyond expectation. The resort was beautiful, the facilities comfortable enough, the design the commodities, everything was dreamy and went perfectly.
As for your help, I think you are amazing, and having you as a transition/bridge between the customer and the hotel just facilitates things so much. Also another good thing is your response times, every time I needed you you were available, that is always a good thing, especially when a client doesn't have any experience when planning an event far away from home.
Thank you so much, you were so helpful and your guidance made our dream wedding possible!
Thank you again for your hours and hours spent on this for us. I am blown away by the amount of information you know and am thankful we aren't tackling this alone.