Maria graduated from Webster University with a degree in General Studies, with an emphasis in Management and Media Communications, in 2020 Before coming to Brentwood Travel, she spent 10 years working for The Walt Disney Company as a Management Lead and Store Ambassador at The Disney Store, and as a Cast Member in Merchandising at Walt Disney World Resort. Most recently, Maria worked in hotel management as a Guest Service Supervisor for Drury Hotels and Hyatt. Her favorite travel destinations include the Disney Parks and her family’s homeland country, Greece. Growing up, Maria was very lucky to travel cross country as often as she did with her parents and siblings, visiting extended family and seeing the sites from coast-to-coast. Her first trip was to Disneyland just before she was born! You could say her love for travel (AND Disney) started way back then, because she’s been dreaming of visiting far-off destinations ever since! Maria lives her life by the Greek word meraki, by doing everything with soul, creativity, and love; immersing a piece of herself into every unique experience. This especially is true when it comes to creating magical memories for loved ones and clients alike.
A few of Maria’s favorite travel memories include: swimming in the volcanic hot springs of Nea Kameni on the island of Santorini, sailing on a catamaran exploring the secret beaches and Christian catacombs on the island of Milos, kayaking down the Weeki Wachee River to the Gulf of Mexico, enjoying the seasonal beauty of the Ozarks at Big Cedar Lodge, and meeting Paige O’Hara (the voice of Belle from Disney’s Beauty and The Beast) during Epcot’s Festival of the Arts at Walt Disney World Resort.
Outside of work, Maria loves to be a tourist in her own city as well! Checking out the newest/best bars, restaurants, museums, concerts, and festivals in the Saint Louis area are some of her favorite things to do. When she is not on a local adventure, Maria enjoys painting, reading folklore/mythology, and spending quality time with her close friends, family (especially her nephews), and two dogs, Caleb and Elsa.
my certifications
College of Disney Knowledge
Celebrity Cruises
Holland America
Princess Cruises
Viking Cruises
Virgin Voyages Certified First Mate
Avalon Waterways
Globus
Cosmos
Insight Vacations
Rocky Mountaineer
Sandals Resorts
Marriott International Hotel Excellence!
ALGV Pro Certified Specialist
Where I've Been
Who I've Traveled With
"Maria Kazanas was an angel and helped us out so much on our Disney Cruise. We had been on many cruises before and did things ourselves, but going through Maria made everything so much easier. We had so many things we didn’t even know we could get, and so much information we had no idea about, with Maria’s help! We will be using her for every Disney trip from now on!" -L.G. 2025
"Maria planned our dream family vacation to Disney. She explained everything we needed to know. Answered all questions. More importantly she helped with our set up for Disney app so we could book our activities. We could not have done it without her. Use her, she's great!!!" -P.F. 2024
"Maria Kazanas and Brentwood Travel helped plan the perfect 10-day Honeymoon/Babymoon to Greece for my husband and I. We went to Santorini, Crete, and Athens and each part of the trip was so smooth. Maria helped us by planning tours, transportation, and providing us with all of the important contact information we would need while we were away. Can't wait to travel with them again!" -J.S. 2024
"Our trip was amazing—Paris to Mykonos to Athens. Maria kept us in the loop regarding changes and updates, it was like having a guardian angel on your side. Even when a few things didn’t go as planned (timing you have to be flexible) things were wonderful. Our accommodations way beyond expectations, food amazing and the scenery was like we were in a movie. Maria’s attention to detail made the trip as effortless as possible ( if you could only do something about the airports)! We were gone twelve days and they went by fast, fast, fast. I would whole-heartedly recommend Brentwood Travel, Maria was easy to work with and a wealth of information and didn’t mind that I always had another question. Thanks" -B.L. 2024
"Maria ROCKs!! Our trip to France / Greece was unbelievable! Maria was available to us anytime we contacted her and was able to take care of any hiccups we might have had. Her vision for our trip and information provided was spot on which made us have a wonderful experience. Hands down very much worth it." - J.J. 2024
"Thank you Maria Kazanas for planning a beautiful, relaxing trip to Jamaica! Brentwood travel has amazing packages and very reasonably priced. I was taken care of from the moment I set foot in the door and my travel agent had excellent customer service. She checked with the resort when hurricane Beryl blew through to ensure it would not affect the timing of our trip to Montego Bay and she checked with me upon our return to see how the trip went. Maria was very thorough and explained necessities and expectation perfectly, which made travel flawless. We had an amazing time!" -D.A. 2024
"Maria at Brentwood Travel was a dream to work with as she planned our family trip to Dreams Natura! ;) We contacted her in late March, and she was able to pull together the most cohesive, seamless 4 night trip to Mexico in May. I am so impressed with the options she was able to provide for us in such a short amount of time. We were traveling with an infant, and she was so considerate and accommodating in her recommendations. Additionally, she was prompt and professional in every correspondence. We are extremely happy!" -M.S. 2024
"Maria was great to work with. She helped plan our entire vacation from beginning to end. She was always available and answered any questions or concerns that we had. I will definitely be using Brentwood Travel and Maria for all my future vacations. They made everything so easy!" - B.T. 2024
