Allan Hoffman, CTC has been a certified travel consultant for over twenty years, and rated as a source for travel service and consultation for over three decades! His work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, Travel and Leisure, the "Oyster Pointer", US Today Newspaper, Caribbean Travel & Life, Business Week, (BTN) Business Travel News, Adventure Travel Magazine,Arthur Frommers's Budget Travel, Vacation Magazine, Cruise Magazine and many other publications.


Allan R Hoffman III, CTC was born in Newport News, Virginia , a city in the Tidewater [Hampton Roads area] of the Commonwealth of Virginia . Here his father worked as a harbor pilot with the Virginia Pilot Association. His brother currently works on the bays, rivers and ports of Hampton Roads. While most people have a few hobbies, Allan had one major hobby growing up, collecting and distributing travel information. In fact He used to be a major referral source for some of the largest regional travel agencies in the United States. These early years of educating Himself about travel at the height of airline deregulation and the birth of major tour companies had a major impact on his life.

People watching and assisting others with their travel planning has always been one of Allan's favorite activities. Driven to understand people better, Allan majored in Social Work at East Carolina University. Ultimately, His compassion for people was not only to understand but help people weave dreams and apply the best resources for their travel needs in this super charged and very tecnological travel world. It took a while, but Allan would learn how to use the medium of travel to help others to acheive their best (optimal performance) in life. During highschool and college Allan's teachers and family, introduced him to travel and specifically travel writing and photography. Specifically Allan would assist and participate in beta development studies of some of the world's best travel planning and tourism oriented resources and photojournalism. He discovered how to turn his hobby of watching people and assisting them with their travel planning into a career. So while in both high school and college Allan worked hard on developing a broad based education that focused on business, people skills (psychology and social work), hospitality and geography (tourism). After four years at ECU (East Carolina University), Allan earned his Bachelor of Science in Social Work with a concentration in Developmental Disabilities in Children and Adolescents/Addictions Management and a second concentration in medical social work (specifically Oncology and Rehabilitative Medicine). This was significant because in many cases He continues today working with non profit organizations regarding their travel planning and the physically challenged in fufilling their dreams.

After graduating from ECU Allan went to work at a child and adolescent psychiatric hospital in Virginia. Allan enjoyed the work in His chosen field but longed for travel and the ability to assist people one-on-one with their travel dreams. Shortly after his first professional presentation in the field of social work at the National Association of Social Workers Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois, He realized the warmth and further education at Southeastern Academy in Kissimmee, Florida (Orlando area) was calling His name. Through the help of a South Carolina based recruiter and the predecessor of American Airlines Travel Training Academy and Cendant International, Allan enrolled at Southeastern Academy. The training was able to refine his skills within the context of vacation, meeting and group travel planning. This allowed Him to capture those moments he had been seeing all his life and put His hobbies to use on a global perspectve. One evening after the conference while processing the new knowledge, Allan, got a call from Sharon the admissions counselor for Southeastern Academy. Sharon later came and met with Allan and His family in WIlliamsburg, Virginia. We discussed the great value Southeastern Academy and future career opportunities and internships with airlines, hotels and tourism programs that were ahead for Allan.

Travel planning requires a great deal of understanding of technology to produce a desired dream consistent with the client's chosen image. Allan enjoys the sciences and engineering and putting together the perfect itinerary. Meeting new clients and meeting their needs on a regular basis is exciting. Each day is filled with new people and the work that they do. People are very much interested in talking about their love of their work and hobbies. It is through this avenue that Allan has gotten to know people and helped them achieve desired goals. A new challenge is what is exciting for Allan. Going to a new location and learning or experiencing something new or difficult is highly rewarding for Allan.

He also has a natural knack with computers. He is often called upon to help people with their computer problems. His interest in technology and specifically computers has led Allan into web design and image database consulting. Allan is married to Dawn Hoffman. They met on a retreat at Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Dawn and Allan began a walk on the beach that would ultimately culminate into a life of bliss where God and Family are first and beach and travel are paramount. It was during a beach walk that they began a discussion about God and theology along the beach. They spoke about dreams and aspirations and how travel and family was so important to both of them. " Looking back it could be viewed as strange by some, but for Dawn and Allan, they are often in conversations with people about God and the value they can experience in a fufilled life together and combining it with travel. They have one child Heather. His wife Dawn a graduate of the North Carolina Chiropractic Association's Chiropratic Nurse Program and has fufilled additional coursework thru the Florida State Chiropractic Association. She sees her ministry to be with patients and physicians in the healthcare industry. We are members of Celebration Church of Jacksonville. My favorite aspect of Celebration Church is the multi-site organization of the church and the missions oriented sending approach of the church hat is making a difference worldwide and the outreaching missions programming is substantial. Unrivaled access, special connections, destination savvy—these are just some of the tools each of these süper-agents can deploy to bring the most to your next big trip. In parsing the day-to-day events of an actual itinerary, Allan Hoffman, CTC, MCC demonstrates how the intuitive maneuvers of a great travel planner can turn any journey into a smoothly orchestrated, magical experience.

Over thirty years of interviewing and working with great tour operators, hotels, airlines, bed and breakfasts, cruiselines and destination specialists (convention and meeting planners) for clients and other Condé Nast Traveler consumer news articles have given me a well-thumbed Rolodex of the most trusted consultants—people who offer the best combination of specialized knowledge, insider connections, user-friendliness, and value. Each year, I evaluate more than a hundred new applicants, and only a handful make the cut. Our recommended specialists undergo a rigorous screening process that includes a 27-question application, sample itineraries, extensive phone interviews, and client references. Those who have inadequate firsthand experience of the destination they claim to specialize in or who send an insufficient number of clients there annually are disqualified. So are those who do business with only the superrich and those who normally design trips for clients not as savvy and authenticity-seeking as the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. Other red flags: agents who unnecessarily book every trip through a tour operator (as opposed to directly with local hotels and suppliers) or who use on-site contacts that charge exorbitant rates.

The specialists who make the list do so by meeting our expectations and those of our readers. I regularly receive feedback from readers about their experiences. Any specialist who merits few raves or is the object of a valid complaint is removed from the list. To share your impressions of our specialists or to nominate someone new for consideration, e-mail me at travelexpert.allan@gmail.com. If you prefer not to hop from specialist to specialist but to develop a relationship with one generalist, then I am your consultant. Marked as a "Generalist," I am your best bet. Even if you settle into a long-term relationship with me, when booking a journey where the right guides and local connections are critical, it's still advisable to contact Hoffman & Hoffman International and Allan Hoffman, CTC, MCC.