Jody Bear

Bear has organized multigenerational vacations, around-the-world private-jet tours, family reunions, team-building trips with executives, and educational expeditions for families. Her on-the-ground connections allow for intriguing opportunities. For travelers to Israel, she arranged a two-hour jeep ride near the Golan Heights led by a member of the intelligence community. “They drove off road into a demilitarized zone along the Syrian border,” she says, “viewing hidden Israel army bunkers and positions while learning about the geopolitical situation in the north of Israel.”

Bear also identifies herself as a “global and lifestyle concierge.” She stays on the pulse of what's trending, knows all the insider addresses, and familiarizes herself with the newest and hottest restaurants. At the same time, she has a wide knowledge of the most reliable establishments, can secure tickets for hard-to-get events, or arrange private access to tours not offered to the general public.

ADDITIONAL SPECIALTIES: Family travel and multigenerational travel

Languages Spoken: English

Minimum Daily Spend: No minimum

Trip Planning Fees: From $500

jodyb@beartvl.com | 212-340-0301 | New York

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"We’ve been with Jody Bear for about 10 years now, and every trip she has planned for us has been sublime. We have come to expect and depend on her and her team’s special kind of attentive, personal, and troubleshooting travel help. We travel all over the world for work and vacation, and we are not easy customers. My husband is extremely detail oriented and needs a tremendous amount of information before we travel, and the Bear & Bear team has never failed us. Their work is meticulous. They are also very good about getting us room upgrades and making us aware of bargains and packages. Also, there are strong dietary issues in my family, and Jody and Laurie always check with hotels in advance to be sure they can accommodate our needs. Last spring we traveled to Paris, and Jody made sure that gluten- and dairy-free options were available at the hotel. When I checked in, they assured me that they had been made aware of our dietary restrictions, and sure enough, each time we ordered, the room-service manager confirmed what was safe to eat. She also booked us into a couple of French restaurants that were sold out, and again somehow miraculously made sure the maître d’ was aware of our dietary restrictions." - Elizabeth Cuthrell