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Monday,  November 11, 2024   10:09 PM
PAX checks in with Marlin Travel’s Leanne Mckercher
Marlin Travel's Leanne Mckercher on location at Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa in Tulum, Mexico.

Leanne Mckercher worked in real-estate before getting into the travel business five years ago. 

“I already had such a love for travel and knew it would be a fun and exciting business,” Mckercher told PAX.

Today, as owner and manager of Marlin Travel in Kingston, ON, Mckercher oversees a staff of more than 30 “very experienced people,” in addition to having a hand in two new Ontario branches in Hanover and Port Hope.

Here, PAX checks in with the tireless travel pro to talk about Italy’s Amalfi Coast, the biggest splurge she’s ever made on a trip and sleeping through train stops.

PAX: What are three essential items you always travel with?

Leanne Mckercher (LM): A book, my phone to take lots of pics, essential oils.

PAX: What are some of your favourite vacation spots? 

LM: The Amalfi Coast in Italy is an easy favourite because it checks off all the boxes: food, people, culture…and the scenery doesn’t get any better along the Amalfi. It’s so beautiful, it blows your mind. Mexico is also on the top of my list because of how beautiful it is from the north right down to the south.  Stunning beaches and sunsets, amazing food. The people are also so wonderful and hospitable.

Italy's Amalfi Coast is one of McKercher's favourite destinations. Photo courtesy of Leanne Mckercher.

PAX: What’s your favourite airport?

LM: Toronto Pearson International Airport because it means I am travelling somewhere.

PAX: What was the first vacation you ever took?

LM: Florida was one of my first vacations. It was the most memorable because it was with my whole family.

PAX: What’s the biggest splurge you’ve ever made on a trip?

LM: Renting a private boat in the Amalfi Coast for a day.

PAX: Most memorable food/meal you’ve ever eaten on a trip?

LM: It was at a restaurant in Venice.  The first taste of pasta in Italy.

PAX: What’s your biggest travel pet peeve?

LM: People who complain in airports.

PAX: Checked bag or carry-on?

LM: Checked for seven days or more, carry-on for less than seven days (well I make the attempt at least).

PAX: What's your funniest travel anecdote?

LM: Taking the train between Cinque Terra and Florence.  I decided to have a nap and woke up to the man asking for our tickets to Rome, when we were going to Florence. I slept through all the stops and all the announcements of what the next stops were. Only a four hour mistake.

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