Our Goal
Our goal at Custom College Visits is to ensure that every family has a stress-free planning experience and that every itinerary meets each family’s specific needs and interests.
We want you to feel confident that every campus visit will be worry-free, enjoyable, and informational. Custom College Visits’ ultimate goal is for your teen to come away with a good feel for the culture and vibe of each campus they visit.
About Janice Caine
Our Founder
Planning immersive, multi-day, multi-college campus visits began for Janice Caine when researching colleges with her daughter in 2008. She could see as they traveled together that Brittany was benefitting tremendously from the in-depth visits. These trips allowed her to engage with current students, faculty members, and others, and she came away with a thorough feel for each college she visited.
Soon, friends and family were asking for her help. While working with them, she realized there were many college-bound teens and their families that could benefit from her planning expertise. Knowing how long it took to plan the itineraries, she could be their go-to person to save them time and confusion.
In 2010, Janice founded Custom College Visits and since then has worked with families from all regions of the U.S. and from countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
At Custom College Visits, Janice loves working with students and their parents on initial consultations, college and travel research, itinerary planning, and on-campus arrangements. She also handles college relations. Favorite memories over the years include….
Working to make sure that four different families traveling during the same week, with four different itineraries, experienced trips that ran smoothly, all while she was attending Accepted Students Day with her son!
With five days’ notice, successfully planning a five-day college tour itinerary for a mom and son coming to the U.S. from the UK who wanted in-depth visits for colleges in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina
She worked in the travel and meeting planning industry, gaining valuable experience and skills that she calls upon in her work today.
Brittany, after many visits, chose and graduated from Smith College, and is an MFA graduate of the University of Central Florida. Janice’s son Philip graduated from Skidmore College.
Janice has contributed her expertise to many publications, including The New York Times, Travel Age West, and U.S. News & World Report.
Janice Caine is a member of the following professional organizations:
Custom College Visits’ Principles
Custom College Visits’ ultimate goal isthat your teen will come away with a good feel for the culture and vibe of each campus that they visit.
All arrangements and consulting services offered by Custom College Visits adhere to the following principles:
Dedication to provide the highest quality, personalized college visit experience
Flexibility that facilitates adaptation of our strategies and programs as per the preferences of each individual family
Availability to respond to client inquiries and needs in a timely manner
A commitment to remain true to our core values of integrity, reliability and hospitality
Our Team
Alan Caine
Co-founder
As Co-founder, Alan is the behind the scenes guy. He is responsible for Custom College Visits’ technology as well as marketing and business development outreach. Throughout the 10-year history of Custom College Visits, Alan has been the one to bounce ideas off of, to proofread, and to do the driving to many, many colleges that he and Janice have visited. For two years, Alan has been a mentor to high school students as part of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!).
Kirsten Danekind
Founder of Alacrity Travel & Lifestyle
Alacrity Travel & Lifestyle has been collaborating with Janice and Alan Caine at Custom College Visits since 2016 to plan seamless college tours for students and their parents. Kirsten Danekind, the founder of Alacrity Travel and Lifestyle, is a certified travel and lifestyle concierge with over 30 years of experience helping clients maximize their enjoyment while minimizing their stress. Kirsten Danekind, CTA, VTA and Alacrity Travel & Lifestyle, is an independent affiliate of The Travel Society, a Virtuoso® member.
Diane Bidna
College Counselor
Diane has worked with Janice for over 25 years, the past 10 years with Custom College Visits. With over 7 years as a college counselor and 20+ years in corporate meeting and event planning, Diane has a keen eye for details. She has worked as a counselor both in a high school setting as well as independently, and has advised students of all levels including IB, AP and college prep. She strives to help students create a diverse list of schools that are a good fit for each student, instead of focusing solely on “brand name” schools.
