About
Hi, I'm Sandy.
Veteran-owned. Based on the Emerald Coast. Planning trips people actually remember.
I'm Sandy Holton, co-owner of Sandy Sea Vacations, a veteran-owned Cruise Planners franchise on Florida's Emerald Coast. My husband and business partner Craig is a retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot, and we built this agency around the values that guided his service: integrity, dedication, and follow-through.
I spent over 20 years as a military spouse, planning every trip our family took and plenty of our friends' trips too. When Craig retired and our kids left home, our own travel shifted toward luxury and adventure, and that's the direction I bring to my clients.
I grew up in Houston, Texas, then married an Army man and spent 20+ years living in countries all over the world. Craig and I have called the Emerald Coast home for the last seven years, and I serve clients across the United States from here in Northwest Florida: Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Pensacola, Panama City Beach, and the surrounding Emerald Coast.
Training and certifications
Credentials that back up the planning.
- ASTA Verified Travel Advisor
- Certified Autism Travel Professional
- Signature Travel Network member
- Viking Rivers & Viking Oceans Certified Expert
- Silversea Certified (Expeditions) and Silversea Specialist
- AmaWaterways Specialist
- Uniworld Preferred Specialist
- Tahiti Specialist
- Jamaica Travel Specialist
- Cayman Islands Specialist
Why work with an advisor
Before I did this for a living, Craig and I were flying Atlanta to Frankfurt to Nuremberg for a Viking river cruise. Our connection into Nuremberg got canceled. It was a weekend, and Viking's customer service line just didn't pick up.
We'd lived in Germany for years during Craig's Army career, so we figured it out. Train to Nuremberg. Googled the cruise terminal. Grabbed a cab to the ship.
Once we were on board, I talked to other guests who'd hit the same cancellation. The ones who'd booked through a travel advisor made one phone call and got walked through the whole thing. Craig and I solved it ourselves, in a foreign country, with no help.
That's part of why I do this now. When something goes sideways, and eventually something always does, you get one call. Not a hold line. Me.
Why I do this
Travel is about making memories before it's too late. Life is short. The trips you take with the people you love are the things you keep. My goal is for every client to come home with a story they'll still be telling years from now.
Start planning