Recognitions
Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for 2026
New York City, Tuesday, March 10, 2026
My dear friends, family, colleagues, partners, esteemed and most interesting travelers, and Tasteful Croatian Journeys Team.
Just in time to help me celebrate another substantial birthday on March 22, 2026, my gift has arrived.
I am delighted to share that I have been named a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for 2026 — and especially proud to be recognized as the first specialist for Croatia ever included on this prestigious list for the past 20 years.
This recognition comes at a particularly meaningful moment as we celebrate 30+ years since founding VisitCroatia.com – Tasteful Croatian Journeys, a company born of a lifelong passion for travel and a deep personal connection to Croatia — the place of my birth and a country that continues to inspire my work every day.
My journey into travel began long before founding the company. Born when it was the Italian city of Fiume — today the Croatian city of Rijeka — I spent my early childhood in refugee camps in Italy and later immigrated to the United States. Travel awakened my curiosity about the world. Adventures across Latin America, Africa, and Asia shaped a lifelong belief that travel is one of the most powerful ways to understand cultures, build friendships, and expand our horizons.
When I returned to Croatia in 1994, as the country emerged from its War of Independence, I felt a calling to share the beauty, history, and soul of this remarkable place with travelers from around the world. That inspiration became VisitCroatia.com – Tasteful Croatian Journeys, where for the past three decades we have designed thoughtful, immersive journeys across Croatia and the Adriatic region. I have approached every itinerary much like composing a musical work — carefully listening to each traveler’s wishes and weaving together the people, places, and experiences that create a harmonious journey.
Being recognized by Condé Nast Traveler is a wonderful validation of the intent, dedication, and expertise built over many years. It also deepens my commitment to continue this work with even greater care and alacrity — always striving to remain worthy of the confidence placed in me.
This recognition also reflects the extraordinary people who work beside me — a team dedicated to care, integrity, and excellence. I have been incredibly fortunate to mentor and work alongside a remarkable team that shares the same philosophy of care, ethics, and excellence in service.
Tia Lovisa Moreira, the Senior Top Luxury Travel Designer at Tasteful Croatian Journeys, whom I have had the pleasure of mentoring and guiding, designs exceptional journeys across Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina, and more…. Her work has been recognized by Travel + Leisure as among the best for the past two years — a testament to her extraordinary talent and dedication.
In Rijeka, Croatia, Mirela Benić, the Tasteful Croatian Journey Concierge, is the quiet force behind every seamless journey. She is our travelers’ guardian angel — the thoughtful concierge who, behind the scenes, accompanies them with care and grace, ensuring that when dining, the best table is reserved for them and that every moment on the ground unfolds with comfort and confidence. She is also our Product Development specialist — our team’s “Sherlock” — who continuously searches for, interviews, evaluates, and uncovers exceptional guides, hoteliers, captains, artisans, and partners who enable us to deliver experiences worthy of the world’s most sophisticated and discerning travelers.
And Diego, our Operations and IT professional, who ensures that everything functions with precision. His disciplined approach keeps us organized, technically sharp, and always moving along the straight and narrow that leads to excellence in execution.
Travel is about people — the travelers we serve, the communities we visit, and the professionals who bring every journey to life. In that respect, I truly feel that I have hit the lottery for good fortune to collaborate with such exceptional colleagues who share our philosophy and commitment to thoughtful, meaningful travel.
To our wonderful travelers, to our partners across Croatia, Slovenia, the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the island, the cities, the tiny towns, the sailors along the Adriatic, and to my extraordinary team — thank you for being part of this journey.
As the adventure continues, my heart dances to the happy notes of gratitude.
Travel + Leisure Recognition – A-List Specialist 2026
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Honored once again by Travel + Leisure. |
| Tia Lovisa Moreira: A proud repeat honor from Travel + Leisure A-List |
 It is with immense pride, deep gratitude, and genuine joy that I share the wonderful news that our Vice President, Tia Lovisa Moreira, has once again been named to the 2026 Travel + Leisure A-List — the distinguished directory of the world’s most influential travel specialists.This recognition is a beautiful affirmation of Tia’s extraordinary destination expertise, her deeply rooted local relationships, and her intuitive, thoughtful way of curating journeys that are both meaningful and unforgettable. It is also, for me, a moment that reflects the heart and history of VisitCroatia.com – Tasteful Croatian Journeys — more than 30 years after I first set foot into the extraordinary discovery of Croatia and its neighboring countries with nothing more than passion, belief, and a dream. |
 Tia has not only honored that original vision — she has elevated it. With grace, brilliance, and unwavering dedication, she has carried it forward and refined it into something even more exceptional. She embodies our philosophy of luxury travel: authentic, personal, meticulously crafted, and delivered with genuine care. Watching our travelers fall in love not only with Croatia but also with the artistry and attention to detail behind every experience she designs fills my heart with gratitude.
On a personal note, Tia honors the intent of my dream in ways that move me deeply. She has grown into a remarkable leader and an extraordinary caretaker of the wonder of luxury travel — thoughtful, elegant, and passionately committed to excellence. She makes me proud every single day. |
 My heartfelt thanks to Travel + Leisure for this esteemed recognition. To our cherished travelers, thank you for the trust you continue to place in us. And to our exceptional professional team, along with our treasured network of local friends and partners — your dedication, creativity, loyalty, and commitment are the foundation upon which these journeys come to life.
Warmest congratulations to all of the outstanding travel experts recognized on this year’s A-List. It is a true privilege for Tia to stand among such distinguished peers. She makes me — and our entire team — immensely proud, and I am confident she will continue to elevate the standard of excellence that this honor represents. With gratitude, celebration, and a full heart, TASTEFUL CROATIAN & SLOVENIAN JOURNEYS |
Gratitude at the Crossroads of Prestige and Purpose – A proud moment for our team!
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Dear Friends, Travelers, and Partners,
We are honored to share a proud and deeply meaningful moment for our entire team at Tasteful Croatian Journeys.
This year, as we celebrate over 30 years of crafting immersive, luxurious travel to Croatia, we are thrilled to be recognized by two of the most prestigious names in travel: Travel + Leisure’s A-List and Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Travel Specialists. These honors are not only a reflection of individual achievement, but of the shared spirit, vision, and dedication that have defined our journey for three decades.
Tia Lovisa Moreira named to the Travel + Leisure A-List
We are thrilled to announce that Tia Lovisa Moreira, our Vice President and Senior Travel Designer, has been named a Travel + Leisure A-List Advisor for Croatia and Slovenia. This recognition celebrates her intuitive ability to translate travelers’ dreams into unforgettable journeys—each one a tapestry of culture, connection, and personal meaning.
Her meticulous attention to detail and heartfelt storytelling through travel continue to raise the standard of excellence that defines our work.
Continuing a Legacy of Excellence:
Wanda S. Radetti: Honored again by Condé Nast Traveler
We are equally proud to celebrate Wanda S. Radetti, our Founder and President and mentor, who has been named a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist for the 19th consecutive year.
A true trailblazer, Wanda is widely recognized as the first to organize luxury travel to Croatia following the country’s independence. Her work has helped shape how the world experiences Croatia—as a place of deep cultural richness, refined hospitality, and seductive beauty.
This honor celebrates not only her unwavering commitment to excellence, but also her 30-year legacy of innovation, leadership, and passionate advocacy for the place she calls the unadulterated destination of her heart.
We are profoundly grateful to our travelers, colleagues, and partners who inspire and support us. To be recognized among so many esteemed peers is both an honor and a reminder of why we do what we do.
With sincere thanks,
The Tasteful Croatian Journeys Team
Travel+Leisure A-List
December 4, 2024
Celebrating 30 Years of Passion and Dedication
Thirty incredible years devoted to exploring and promoting the culture, art, history, and culinary treasures of Croatia Full of life —and its neighboring countries.
It has been a journey marked by challenges and countless moments of joy and discovery.
I am deeply grateful for the recognition of the effort, expertise, and passion we share with our most curious and inspiring travelers.
Thank you to Travel + Leisure for this honor, the extraordinary VisitCroatia.com – Tasteful Croatian Journeys team, and our cherished partners, friends, and service providers. You have guided, supported, and held my hand from the first moment my heart landed in Croatia.
Here’s to many more years of creating unforgettable journeys!
– Wanda
We did it again! T+L Top Travel Advisor!
We did it again!
Thank you Travel + Leisure!
https://www.travelandleisure.com/a-list/wanda-radetti
Gratitude reigns and makes my heart dance!
Thank you Croatia Full of life, thank you to all the “people” that held my hand and provided direction, help and support.
THANK YOU to my beautiful, capable, superlative, people persons that are the team that fuels the energy, imagination, adventures, flavors and pleasures that VisitCroatia.com – Tasteful Croatian Journeys regularly delivers to our most sophisticated, intrepid and generous travelers.
Thank you Tia Lovisa Moreira, Top Tasteful Croatian Journeys Designer of experiences that forever remain a point of reference of travel pleasures, Thank you Mirela Benic, for investing your heart as you provide welcome and care when our travelers trust us to deliver highest quality of service when traveling with us. Thank you Diego, for entertaining and for responding to my many idea and wishes and for making so many of my IT dreams come true!
Thank you Julie Webb, Agnes Evangelista, Tanya Fable, Sanja Uhac, Maxi Menne, Bryan White.
Thank you Mr. Jay Keay! Thank you every gentle partner, brilliant guides, drivers, skippers, captains, hotel general managers, front office managers, owners of faboulos villas and yachts, chefs, artists, designers, mayors that help us find the families that are still tending to our travelers roots. story tellers, wine makers, thank you wine drinkers, truffle hunters, scuba divers, lace makers.
Thank you Maria Santalesa for making that very first trip a reality – Istria and Kvaner Tasteful Journeys – for the Histria Association for Women.
THANK YOU ALL!