Meet Joan Qualls, Your Travel ExpertJoan here! I’m the culinary travel specialist behind Tasteful Voyages®, and I’m here to help you indulge your senses in downright delicious ways.
How did I get here, planning culinary travel? It certainly wasn’t a straight and narrow path. For 30 years, I was in the healthcare industry, where I worked my way up to a position as a finance executive. Turns out, combing through complicated hospital contracts is great practice for planning travel--you can count on me to read the fine print, juggle all the complicated logistics, and smoothly manage the challenges that detailed travel itineraries present! When I wasn’t knee-deep in numbers, I was indulging my passion: food and wine (and a bit of beer, too!) And I firmly believe that the best way to explore and expand my culinary passion is through travel. I’ve taken cooking courses all around the globe, from Chicago to Tuscany, Barcelona to Abruzzo, La Jolla to aboard a ship in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. I’ve toured and tasted at vineyards in France’s Loire Valley, Italy’s Chianti region, and bright, young vineyards up and down the U.S.A.’s West Coast. And I’ve sipped brews in iconic locales, like the beer gardens of Belgium and the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam. If it makes my taste buds sing, it makes my heart soar — and that’s why I love working with travelers who share this passion with me, and with those who are just dipping a toe into the realm of culinary travel. |
For the past four years, I’ve helped fellow foodies indulge their passions by planning seamless trips that connect travelers to a destination’s food culture and history — and to each other. Every culture shares meals together, and food is one of the best ways to connect with those in the destination in which you have chosen to stay, as well as with those who have traveled with you.
If you are a business owner strengthening your relationships with your best customers, leading a group culinary travel experience is absolutely the most fun you can have building your business. And if you are taking this trip to rejuvenate away from work, I can almost guarantee that a vacation based around tasting the most flavorful foods and drinks, learning about their history, and connecting with the people around you will become your model for future time away from home.
Get ready for a travel experience that spurs growth, strengthens your relationships (customer or otherwise), and takes you to incredible culinary sites with elegance and ease.
What kind of trip should we whip up next?
Get in touch and we’ll chat travel and all sorts of tasty things on a complimentary consultation call.
— Joan