MEET THE TEAM
Say “hello!” to the expert advisors at House of Travel
House of Travel’s home base is in Dubuque, Iowa—but we have wonderful advisors across the U.S. who create magical vacations across the globe.
Meet the team, and explore their travel expertises, below:
Jo Klinkhammer
Long-time clients of House of Travel certainly know Jo; she was the owner of House of Travel for 22 years until she passed the baton on to her daughter Melissa in 2022! Today, she loves designing special travel experiences for her repeat clients. A veteran of the industry, she has extensive experience booking a wide variety of vacations, from family getaways and fun n’ sun resort stays to corporate travel and groups.
Over the last four decades as a travel advisor, Jo has picked up many “secrets of the trade” that other advisors don’t know—and she uses that insider knowledge to enhance her clients’ vacations. She prides herself on fostering deep relationships, both with her travel clients and the trusted travel suppliers she works with to bring her clients’ vacations to life. When she’s not planning vacations, you can find Jo spending time with her grandkids Eloise and Olson, enjoying live music, and tearing up the nearest dance floor.
Fun n’ Sun | Corporate | Family
Pam Rausch
Pam has been with the House of Travel team for more than 20 years, first as our agency’s manager. Today, she designs vacations for clients who are drawn to her spunky personality and deep care for the client experience. Pam can truly book it all for her travelers, but she focuses on Fun n’ Sun escapes to Mexico and the Caribbean, destination weddings and group travel, and guided tours to Europe.
Pam is a Top 50 advisor with ALG Vacations, a status earned through her dedication to building client relationships and extensive travel industry knowledge. In fact, Pam has always worked within the travel industry; before joining HoT, she built a career at United Airlines. Outside of HoT, Pam enjoys cheering on her nephew’s football team, watching Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball, and boating on the water.
Fun n’ Sun | Guided Tours | Destination Weddings
Jenni Klosterman
Jenni joined House of Travel in 2016 as our front desk assistant before transitioning into her role as a travel advisor—and she’s been loving every minute of it. From all-inclusive resorts and cruises in Mexico and the Caribbean to immersive European journeys, Jenni plans a wide range of travel experiences for our travelers. Jenni’s “superpower” is helping her clients maximize their vacation value; she believes that a vacation is an investment and so she makes sure her clients’ vacation dollars stretch far.
Travel is truly one of Jenni’s great loves, so when she’s not planning a client trip it’s likely that she’s on one herself! Her 11-year-old son is her favorite travel buddy, and you can often find the duo boating Lake Delhi and staying at their family’s cabin, or cheering on the Green Bay Packers.
Resorts | Cruises | Europe
Sharon Pitts
Sharon has been in the travel industry for more than 30 years, beginning her career at House of Travel while she was still in college. Her decades of experience have made her an ace at pulling together all the “little” details for her clients’ trips. She loves putting the puzzle pieces together to make sure her clients’ vacation visions come to life, and that all their unique specifications are met.
Sharon specializes in planning travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe. She has extensive personal travel experience exploring Mexico and the Caribbean and has toured top European destinations like Paris, London, Ireland, and Italy. A certified travel agent, Sharon has earned “Wavemaker Plus” status with ALG Vacations, a designation reserved only for their top 150 agents. When she’s not designing vacations, you can find Sharon camping with her husband Roger, exploring in their “side-by-side” off road vehicle, traveling, and spending time with their kids and four grandkids.
Caribbean | Mexico | Europe
McKenna Dalsing
McKenna is House of Travel’s Caribbean resort and honeymoon specialist. McKenna has traveled to the Caribbean multiple times, and as a recent bride who loved planning her own honeymoon, she’s now thrilled to help other couples design their dream honeymoon experiences. Her goal when working with her clients is to always keep them calm and collected—without overwhelming them with too many options—as she plans out all the details on their behalf.
Outside of her role at House of Travel, McKenna also works as a paraprofessional with the Dubuque, Iowa, school district, as well as a part-time hair stylist who specializes in bridal hair. In her free time, she enjoys traveling (of course!) and spending time with her husband and two pups.
Caribbean | Honeymoons
Sarah Daily
Sarah is House of Travel’s Disney and Universal Studios vacation specialist. She grew up visiting Disney and Universal with her family, and now she frequently does the same with her own kids. Sarah strives to always try new things—like checking into a different resort or enjoying a new parks experience—every time she travels, so that she can bring back more “insider intel” after each trip. No two trips have been alike for her family!
Sarah also works as a teacher and loves sharing what she learns with her clients at House of Travel. When she’s not lesson planning or designing new vacation experiences, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching her kids take part in their various activities, visiting the pool, and taking walks around her neighborhood.
Disney | Universal
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JOIN OUR TEAM
We’re always on the lookout for new travel advisors to join HoT as independent contractors, where they get the opportunity to plan trips for our wonderful clients.
