The thought of strapping little kids onto a long-haul flight is enough to make most parents quietly close the browser tab and stay home. Erin Schiemann is proof it doesn’t have to go that way — and she’s built a business around making sure it doesn’t.
Schiemann, an Upper West Side mom of two, caught the travel bug while living in London for two years, where she and her husband made their way through 26 countries by plane, train, boat, and car. Coming back to New York didn’t slow them down. They’ve kept exploring with their young kids and extended family in tow, from Iceland to Paris, with a recent adventure that took them all the way to Cape Town, South Africa and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
That hands-on experience is the whole pitch behind her business, Global Horizons Travel, where she works as an independent travel advisor through Direct Travel. The agency counts itself among the top one percent of travel agencies in North America and is a member of Virtuoso, which means clients can tap into perks that are hard to book on your own — think complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, onboard cruise credits, and welcome amenities at some of the best hotels and resorts in the world.
For local parents, the real draw may simply be that Schiemann has done the thing they’re nervous about. She knows which destinations actually work with little ones, how to pace an itinerary so nobody melts down by noon, and how to make a family trip feel like a vacation for the grown-ups too. Whether it’s a first big international trip with the kids, a multigenerational getaway, a cruise, or a quiet escape for two, she handles the planning so you don’t have to.
You can reach Erin Schiemann and start planning through her Direct Travel page, or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
