Cruise Planners of Valrico - Konitzer Family Travel

Cruise Planners has a tremendous reputation for quality, service, and very competitive pricing for ALL of your travel needs. I decided to turn my passion into my business. I am already passionate about traveling and successful in business, so why not decide to help others enjoy traveling with less stress in the meantime as my business? I am ecstatic with my decision to become a franchise owner with Cruise Planners. Cruise Planners travel advisors will help you discover exciting adventures around the world. From cruises to land tours and completely packaged vacations, we specialize in all types of travel and will create an unforgettable vacation just for you.

We are located in Valrico, FL and service all of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee, Polk and surrounding counties in person. We service all of FL and the world by phone, email, website and zoom meetings. We have multiple trainings and experience in the travel industry along with many of our own adventures around the world. We are here to help you realize that you are not just living until you have had your own adventures and crossed items off of your travel bucket list!

An Unexpected Journey

 

Life has an interesting way of revealing one’s journey, and Kendra Konitzer learned her business path through the midst of trial. Two weeks after returning from a European vacation in 2018, Kendra found herself without a job. Laid off, she set out to a job fair, looking for her next work opportunity. Friends and family members had suggested perhaps she start a business of her own, and a conversation with a franchise consultant she met at the job fair, started the wheels turning about finding a franchise she could buy. It hit her then that she should turn her passion for travel into her business, and Konitzer Family Travel was born. 

 

One Lifetime to See a Beautiful World

 

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us,” has been Kendra’s motto since her company’s inception. She appreciates the opportunity to help people create priceless memories and truly find the joy of living through exploration of our world. Whether she’s teaching people how to see beautiful destinations without breaking the bank; planning a client’s dream luxury vacation; or coordinating groups for travel, she wants to exceed their expectations and create an experience they won’t soon forget.  

 

Kendra strives to provide seamless, stress-free, start-to-finish service for her clients. She believes people should start enjoying their vacations from the moment they start dreaming about them. As a full service travel planning and booking agent, from the time a client contacts her with an idea of where in the world they wish to travel, she will build a detailed itinerary taking into account each individual clients’ desires for their vacation. Kendra can eliminate the hours of online researching and guessing people do when trying to research and book their own vacations. Best of all, her services have no cost to the clients she serves. 

 

A Bit More You Might Want to Know

 

A mom of two young adult daughters, Kendra loves spending time with her own family traveling or at home reading, writing, or exploring photography. An almost native Floridian, moving here from Wisconsin when she was four years old, she loves living where people desire to vacation. Kendra’s own travel bucket list includes seeing as many of the 179 countries around the world as possible and taking a world cruise. She has some aspirations that take her feet off the ground such as a ride in a hot air balloon and skydiving. Plan B, if she chickens out on skydiving, is an indoor skydiving adventure.

 

If you, your family, or a group are ready to explore places near and far, Kendra hopes you’ll reach out to her. Konitzer Family Travel is here to take you where your dreams lead you.  

 

Kendra Konitzer

Kendra Konitzer

813-343-3727     kendra.konitzer@cruiseplanners.com    

Life has an interesting way of revealing the paths which we should take. Two weeks after returning from a wonderful European vacation in 2018, I found myself laid off from work. I set out to a job fair, looking for my next work opportunity. Friends and family members had suggested perhaps I start a business of my own, and a conversation with a franchise consultant I met at the job fair, started the wheels turning about finding a franchise I could buy. It suddenly hit me then that I should turn my passion for travel into my business, and Konitzer Family Travel DBA Cruise Planners of Valrico was born. “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us,” has been my company’s motto. I love the opportunity to help people create priceless memories and truly find the joy of living through exploration of our world. Whether I’m teaching people how to see beautiful destinations without breaking the bank; planning a client’s dream luxury vacation; or coordinating groups for travel, I strive to exceed their expectations and create an experience they won’t soon forget. I want to provide seamless, stress-free, start-to-finish service for my clients. I believe people should start enjoying their vacations from the moment they start dreaming about them. As a full service travel planning and booking agent, from the time a client contacts me with an idea of where in the world they wish to travel, I will build a detailed itinerary taking into account each individual clients’ desires for their vacation. I can eliminate the hours of online researching and guessing people do when trying to research and book their own vacations. Best of all, my services have no cost to those I serve.

A mom of two young adult daughters, I enjoy spending time with my family traveling or at home reading, writing, or exploring photography. An almost native Floridian, I moved here from Wisconsin when I was four years old. I love living in Florida, a place where people desire to vacation. My own travel bucket list includes seeing as many of the 179 countries around the world as possible and taking a world cruise. I also have some aspirations that take my feet off the ground such as a ride in a hot air balloon and skydiving. Plan B, if I chicken out on skydiving, is to take an indoor skydiving adventure.

If you, your family, or a group are ready to explore places near and far, it would be my pleasure to serve you through Konitzer Family Travel DBA Cruise Planners of Valrico. We are here to take you where your dreams lead you.

Certifications held:

  • Disney Vacation Specialist,
  • River Cruise Specialist,
  • Viking River and Ocean Cruise Specialist,
  • CLIA Luxury Certification,
  • Travel Insurance Specialist,
  • Virgin Voyages Specialist,
  • Romance Specialist,
  • American Cruise Line Certification,
  • Carnival Cruise Line Certification,
  • Cunard Cruise Line Certification!

Debora Gatzke

Debora Gatzke

813-682-1702     debora.gatzke@cruiseplanners.com    

Hello! My name is Debora Gatzke, and I’m proud to be an associate of Kendra Konitzer with Cruise Planners of Valrico. I proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years, retiring with an Honorable Discharge. My time in service took me to incredible destinations — from the Panama Canal to Japan, Guam, and Mexico — as well as unforgettable coastal cities like California and South Carolina. Traveling was one of the greatest privileges of my Navy career, and it inspired my passion to keep exploring the world.

As a Navy Corpsman, I had the unique honor of crossing the equator, being at sea for extended periods, and training alongside the U.S. Marines. Each duty station brought experiences and friendships I’ll cherish for a lifetime. Now, in retirement, I’ve found the perfect second career — helping others turn their travel dreams into reality through Cruise Planners. I’m thrilled to work alongside such an experienced, supportive, and knowledgeable team, and I love hearing the incredible travel stories shared by clients and fellow agents alike.

Beyond my professional life, my proudest accomplishment is my 33-year marriage to my husband, Clint, and raising our six wonderful adult children — each one respectful, loving, and adventurous in their own way. Whether over the phone, in person, or via Zoom, I’d be delighted to connect with you, learn your story, and help you craft unforgettable journeys. Together with Cruise Planners of Valrico, we’re here to make your travel dreams possible — and create meaningful connections along the way.

Certifications held:

  • Travel Insurance Specialist,
  • Celebrity Cruise Line Specialist

Samantha Mann

Samantha Mann

813-682-1982     samantha.mann@cruiseplanners.com    

 

 

Certifications held:

  • Princess Cruise Lines Specialist,
  • Virgin Voyages Specialist

E S

Ely Schmitz

813-433-0467     elizabeth.schmitz@cruiseplanners.com    

Se Habla Espanol, llamame hoy!

 

Certifications held:

  • Disney Vacation Specialist,
  • Virgin Voyages Specialist,
  • Romance Specialist,

Additional language: Spanish