Margaret Critz, a Virtuoso travel advisor, goes the extra mile to design trips that unfold like perfectly paced, heartfelt stories. Through her agency, For The Good Times Travel, Margaret tailors itineraries for travelers seeking more than just a unique destination to check off their bucket list.
“I want to create travel experiences that feel personal, immersive and emotionally memorable long after people come home,” Margaret says.
When constructing each adventure, Margaret considers every nuance — what inspires the traveler, what experiences they enjoy, how they want to feel and what memories they want to bring back. To uncover these details, she starts with an in-depth consultation.
“What I really want to understand is deeper than the destination itself,” she says.
Using these initial conversations as a foundation, Margaret pieces together the framework for the client's journey and then refines it with them.
One of her standout trips was Saddle Up & Slow Down in Northern Ireland, where guests stayed a week in the historic city of Derry. After making bespoke hats in Donegal and riding horses down the beach at sunset, everyone shared fish and chips around a bonfire.
“It was this incredible mix of guests from different parts of the United States, some of whom had never met before, sitting together with Northern Irish locals who were opening their homes and lives to us,” Margaret says.
Margaret also strives to leave room for spontaneity, ensuring there’s always space for those unintentional moments that can make the whole trip.
“I naturally think in terms of people’s stories,” she says.
Witnessing a live cow birth on a farm in Ireland was not on the to-do list, but it’s a tale everyone wanted to tell back home.
“Sometimes luxury is a stunning suite overlooking the sea. Sometimes it’s having a private guide bring history to life in a way you’ll never forget. Sometimes it’s being welcomed into someone’s home for tea in Northern Ireland and leaving feeling like you’ve made a genuine human connection.”
"It’s a stunning world, and the stories you hear, the people you meet and the moments you experience stay with you forever. They become part of who you are.”
Margaret grew up traveling, spending summers with her extended family at East Coast resorts or horseback riding out West. In fact, the name For the Good Times Travel is an homage to Margaret’s grandparents, who always requested that song during family getaways.
“What I remember most is not just the destinations themselves, but how travel brought all of us together,” Margaret says. “Those trips were full of closeness, laughter, learning, exploring and spending meaningful time together. I grew up experiencing travel as something joyful and memorable, and that had a huge influence on me.”
After exploring careers in television and project management, Margaret returned to what truly fulfills her. She joined Gifted Travel Network, completed a travel MBA and began curating custom itineraries, changing lives one trip at a time.
“Even now, working in this industry and traveling as much as I do, I’m still amazed by how much there is out there to see and do,” Margaret says. "It’s a stunning world, and the stories you hear, the people you meet and the moments you experience stay with you forever. They become part of who you are.”
For more information, visit forthegoodtimestravel.com.