About Joseph Fasel Jr. | Senior Travel Advisor | Escape World Travel
I’m Joseph Fasel Jr., a Senior Travel Advisor with Escape World Travel specializing in escorted tours and river cruises. I combine firsthand escorted-tour and river-cruise experience with specialist training from Globus, Avalon Waterways, and Image Tours when helping travelers understand and compare vacation options.
Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we work with travelers throughout West Michigan and across the United States who are planning vacations throughout Europe and around the world, with particular experience in escorted tours and river cruises.
My goal is not to steer everyone toward the same type of vacation.
There isn’t one right way to travel.
There is a right way for you.
Travel Experience I Bring to the Planning Process
I’ve personally traveled to Europe on four escorted tours, two independent vacations, and two river cruises.
Over those journeys, I’ve experienced destinations throughout Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, England, the Netherlands, and Hungary. I’ve traveled through major cities such as Paris, Florence, Venice, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Munich, as well as smaller cities, towns, and regions that can be just as memorable.
Those experiences have also allowed me to see Europe in very different ways.
I know what it feels like to follow an escorted-tour itinerary, travel from one destination to another, spend time sightseeing with a guide, and then have opportunities to explore independently. I know the different rhythm of a river cruise, where the ship becomes your home base while the scenery and destinations change around you. And I’ve experienced independent travel, where you gain flexibility but also take responsibility for considerably more of the planning and logistics yourself.
Having traveled in those different ways helps me understand what an itinerary may actually feel like once you are there — not simply what it looks like on paper.
Supplier Training & Specialist Credentials
In addition to my firsthand travel experience, I have completed specialist training with several of the tour and river-cruise companies I work with through Escape World Travel.
Globus — Tour Specialist
Avalon Waterways — Cruise Specialist
Image Tours — European Escorted Specialist
That training gives me additional product knowledge about each company’s travel style, itineraries, inclusions, and approach to organized travel. I combine that training with firsthand travel experience and current supplier information when helping travelers compare vacation options and understand which may be the better fit for the way they want to travel.
There Is No One Right Way to Travel
One traveler may love a tour that visits several countries and fills the days with sightseeing. Another may prefer spending several nights in the same place with more time to wander independently. Someone else may like the idea of unpacking once on a river cruise and returning to the same ship each evening.
None of those choices is automatically better than the others. A vacation that is an excellent fit for one traveler may feel too fast, too structured, or simply too ambitious for someone else.
That is why I believe the more useful question is: Which experience fits the way you want to travel?
My role is to help you understand what to expect so you can choose a vacation that makes sense for you.
Where I’m Traveling Next
Avalon Waterways — Romantic Rhine, Southbound
October 25–November 3, 2026
This fall, I’ll be taking my third Avalon Waterways river cruise, this time traveling southbound along the Rhine from Amsterdam toward Basel.
I’ve previously cruised the Danube twice with Avalon, so I’m especially interested in seeing how the Rhine experience compares. I’ll be paying attention to the things travelers often ask about before their first river cruise—accommodations, meals, sightseeing, walking, free time, and the overall rhythm of the journey.
After I return, I’ll be able to add a firsthand Rhine perspective to what I’ve already experienced on the Danube.
Globus - Peru Escape
November 29–December 5, 2026
Later this year, I’ll be traveling on Globus’ Peru Escape, visiting Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.
This will be my first escorted tour with Globus, which is one of the things I’m most interested in experiencing firsthand. I’ve traveled on escorted tours before, but this trip will give me a new point of comparison as I look at how Globus organizes the itinerary, sightseeing, transportation, pace, and overall traveler experience.
I’m looking forward to sharing what I learn during the journey and, after I return, giving travelers a firsthand perspective on what this Globus itinerary is actually like.
Planning Travel for Individuals, Couples, Friends & Groups
I work with individual travelers, couples, friends, and groups, and people come to me at very different stages of the planning process.
Some already know the specific tour or cruise they want. They may simply need help with the reservation, airfare, accommodations before or after the trip, or other arrangements that bring the vacation together.
Others know where they want to travel but are still deciding which itinerary or style of vacation makes the most sense.
In those situations, I help travelers compare the details that can make seemingly similar vacations feel quite different — daily pace, walking, included sightseeing, free time, hotel changes or accommodations, and how much of the trip is structured versus left open for independent time.
Group travel brings another set of considerations. Different interests, budgets, activity levels, rooming arrangements, and travel preferences all need to come together in one workable plan.
And depending on the group and the trip, I may occasionally travel with the group as a host.
Whether I’m helping one traveler or an entire group, the goal is the same: create a plan that makes sense for the people actually taking the trip.
Travel Advice & Travel Chronicles
I also write many of Escape World Travel’s Travel Chronicles, where I share practical travel guidance, destination stories, and comparisons designed to help travelers understand their options before choosing a vacation.
Some articles answer questions I hear from travelers regularly—how much pace matters, whether an escorted tour or river cruise may be the better fit, what first-time travelers to Europe should consider, and practical details that are easy to overlook while planning.
The goal is the same as it is when I’m working with a traveler directly: help you understand what the experience may actually be like, not simply where the itinerary goes.
First-Time Travelers to Europe: How to Choose the Right Trip
How destinations, pace, walking, free time, hotel changes, and travel style can influence your first European vacation.
Read the Travel Chronicle →
Fast-Paced Tours vs. Leisurely Tours: Which Travel Style Is Right for You?
Why the number of countries alone doesn't determine how fast a tour feels—and what to consider when comparing pace.
Read the Travel Chronicle →
About Escape World Travel
Escape World Travel has been helping travelers explore the world since 1960. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we work with travelers throughout West Michigan and beyond.
Patrick is the owner of Escape World Travel, and I serve as Senior Travel Advisor and the primary voice behind our Travel Chronicles, website travel content, and social media.
Our strongest focus is escorted European tours and river cruises, along with select escorted vacations in other parts of the world. We work with tour and cruise companies including Image Tours, the Globus family of brands, and Avalon Waterways.
Travel has changed considerably over the years. Travelers now have more destinations, itineraries, tour companies, cruise lines, and online information available than ever before. But good travel planning still comes down to something fairly simple: understanding what you are choosing, knowing what to expect, and finding a vacation that fits the way you want to travel.
That is the approach I bring to my work at Escape World Travel.
Ready to Begin Planning?
Professional Profiles: You can also find me through Travel Leaders and connect with me on LinkedIn.
You don’t need to have every detail figured out before getting in touch.
You may already know the exact tour or cruise you want. You may have narrowed your choices to a few possibilities. Or you may simply know where you would like to go and want some guidance on the best way to experience it.
I’m happy to help you with the next step.