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The Kind of Travel I Care About Now
On comfort, planning, and enjoying the experience
Susie Hawkins
February 03, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
FROM MY DESK
Hello Red Tail Travelers,
Let’s rewind for a moment.
When we were young, travel itself felt like the adventure. Comfort mattered, but it wasn’t essential. Tight connections, long walks with heavy bags, figuring things out as we went…it was all part of the story.
For me, that’s changed.
These days, I’m much less focused on the act of traveling and much more intentional about how it feels. I’m careful with my energy. I won’t gamble on a one-hour connection. I’m perfectly happy to pay more to avoid hauling luggage through stations or squeezing into standard class rail when there’s a better option.
When travel is planned carefully, I arrive curious instead of tired. Present instead of distracted or frustrated, ready to experience the place rather than recover from getting there.
— Susie Hawkins
Hey there,
You’re reading Field Notes from Red Tail Travel — a mix of client stories, travel tips, personal reflections, and updates from behind the scenes. It’s where I share what’s inspiring me, what I’m learning, and the moments that make travel feel meaningful.
Let’s dive in.
— Susie
IN CONTEXT
Over the past few weeks, travel headlines have been loud.
Weather disruptions across the country caused flight cancellations that rippled for days. I’ve seen countless posts from travelers whose tight connections suddenly became missed ones, leaving them stranded in U.S. cities for hours, sometimes days. A clear reminder of how quickly a trip can feel stressful when plans leave no room for flexibility.
What most people forget is that the best trips don’t stay calm because nothing goes wrong. They’re calm because there was margin for error built in from the start.
It’s why I encourage longer connections, purchasing travel insurance, choosing hotels for location and reliability, not just optics. Make decisions early and with context, not at the last minute under pressure.
The goal isn’t to prevent every disruption. It’s to make sure a disruption doesn’t derail the entire experience.
THE TAKEAWAY
Not every inquiry is a good fit.
Some travelers want the most flexibility and countless options right up until departure. Others want to feel steady, supported, and confident once they’re on the ground. I work best with the second group.
The trips that feel effortless are the result of good decisions made early and a lot of careful planning. I want my travelers to be present and to have the space to notice small moments, like where they had the best croissant of the trip, or to enjoy people-watching on the drive into the city.
You can recognize a well planned trip by how little disruption the traveler has to manage when plans change.
When that’s done well, you don’t notice the planning at all. That’s the point.
If Europe is on your list for 2026…
and you want help shaping your itinerary and pacing, I’d love to help you think through it.