Meet the Founders
Two single baby boomers, each with decades of experience in different areas of the cruise industry, sat down to chat one day and realized that no travel company offered cruises they'd personally like to take. Rick White, who owns White Travel in West Hartford, CT, and Anne Campbell, a journalist and one of the leading experts on ships and the travel industry, decided to form SoloCruiser, a unique travel company catering to those who want to cruise solo.
SoloCruiser is an affiliate of White Travel of West Hartford CT, which has specialized in cruises for 33 years, with a staff of more than 18 experienced travel professionals to insure your cruise is of the highest caliber. Below are profiles of SoloCruiser's two principals, Anne Campbell and Rick White.
Anne Campbell's passion in life is helping cruisers have the best experience possible aboard the ship of their dreams. She is co-founder and past editor-in-chief of two leading web sites: CruiseMates (1999-2006) and Cruise Critic (1995-1999). Prior to that, she authored Fielding's Guide To Worldwide Cruises (1994, 1995 editions). As a journalist, she has cruised to every continent on earth (including Antarctica ) on vessels ranging from tiny luxury ships to the largest mega-ships, and also including tall ships, expedition vessels, riverboats, and even a self-drive houseboat. For years, millions of cruisers and travel agents have relied on Anne Campbell's ship reviews to help decide which vessel is the best for them or their clients. As an expert on the cruise industry, she has been interviewed by major publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal , USA Today, Travel + Leisure and Money Magazine, among others. Campbell has been interviewed on TV by CNN and Good Morning America, and has appeared in numerous ship documentaries.
How did someone from Corning , NY , (pop. 12,000) become a cruise expert? Start with a wanderlust for travel and toss in a first job at Cunard Line that she got through a blind ad in The New York Times. The glamorous QE 2 really was "The Greatest Ship In the World," she says, and Anne was suddenly meeting celebrities like Salvador Dali and Julie Andrews. She became enraptured with the operations of the then-enormous vessel, hanging out with the ship's hotel manager, chef and surgeon every 11 days when QE 2 docked in New York . "Some of the older Cunard reservations agents still referred to
passengers as 'souls'," she recalls.
Anne's favorite cruising regions are the Greek Islands , the Baltic and Antarctica . She resides in New York with Micky, her shih-tzu puppy. You can reach Anne by emailing info@solocruiser.com.
Rick is at the helm of White Travel, started in 1972 by his mother Edie White (who is still active in the business). Based in West Hartford , Connecticut , the company is one of the largest independently-owned cruise agencies in the United States , with clients in all 50 states and 30 foreign countries. White Travel Service, now in its 34th year of serving the traveling public, is considered the nation's leading expert on cruise travel. White Travel's staff is considered among the most knowledgeable in the industry; many of them previously worked for major cruise lines. White Travel's executive staff has served as consultants to many cruise lines, and sits on the national agent advisory boards of most major lines. White Travel Service, Inc., is certified and bonded by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). The agency has won numerous awards from most major cruise lines.
"My mom, a widow, met a terrific guy on a world cruise, and today they're a very happy couple. Neither took the cruise to meet a mate, but for the joy of seeing the world by ship. This is why it's such a joy to launch SoloCruiser - there are millions of solo travelers who would love to take a cruise with like-minded people," Rick says.
Rick has traveled on more than 500 cruises to all parts of the world, and has sailed on every major cruise line and most cruise ships. An attorney by training, Rick learned long ago that cruise travel was a lot more fun. He has traveled as a solo passenger on hundreds of cruises, and therefore knows the ins and outs of cruising solo. He is a frequent contributor to several publications with articles about the cruise industry.
As a cruise industry expert, Rick has been interviewed by major publications including Consumer Reports, USA Today, The New York Times and by frequently by travel expert Arthur Frommer.
Rick has the fun job of planning the actual cruises for SoloCruiser, and uses this as an excuse to travel to far-off lands in search of special events for our hosted cruises. Whether it's the Caribbean or the French Riviera, Alaska or the Greek Isles, transatlantic or around the world, Rick has probably been there. When at work in his office, Rick is always accompanied by his Golden Retriever, Maverick. To reach Rick, email info@solocruiser.com.
