Marylin Marcus

I was helping people with their trips long before I was a travel agent. My husband and I used to subscribe to the London Chronicle, a newspaper for Jewish communities in England, which covers kosher restaurants around Europe. My husband is a rabbi, and I started sharing this information with people in our Congregation who turned to me when they were planning trips traveling overseas.

More and more people were calling and referring me to friends for information on kosher food abroad. They were amazed that I could find them great kosher food in the most out of the way places. I also managed to work out the logistics to have my son’s bar mitzvah in Israel long before becoming a professional. I have always loved the country and usually visit several times every year, even during times of strife, so I also had become the go-to person for questions about Israel. 

Then, about 45 years ago, when my husband and I were on vacation, I was talking with the owner of a travel agency about travel. Pretty quickly, he offered me a job. I accepted and began learn all phases of the industry. 

I still specialize in international Jewish and kosher travel, especially bar mitzvah trips to Israel, but that is only about half my business these days. The rest of my time is spent handling corporate travel and upscale leisure trips around the globe. 

I especially enjoy planning family and extended family trips and I try to get everyone involved in the planning, especially the kids. I believe that your trip begins way before you set foot in a destination, so I send over brochures and maps to get people excited and familiar with the destination before they even get on the plane. 

Through my connections, built via Protravel International and my decades of personal travel, I can plan wonderful trips for families, groups, couples, and business people practically everywhere in the world and offer them access to special experiences and upgraded amenities that they would never find on their own.