Bespoke International Itineraries, Designed Around You
Building itineraries around how you actually want to travel, where you want to go, and what you’d quietly like to be true about the trip when it’s over.
What a Custom International Itinerary Actually Is
A custom — or bespoke — international itinerary is the opposite of a packaged tour. There are no fixed departure dates, no group of 28 strangers, and no “included excursions” you didn’t choose. Instead, every flight, hotel, transfer, guide, and reservation is selected for one trip and one set of travelers: yours.
I plan custom international travel across Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, and South America, with a particular focus on first-time international travelers, milestone trips (honeymoons, anniversaries, big-birthday reunions), and well-traveled clients ready to graduate from packaged itineraries to a fully advisor-led trip.
What You’re Actually Getting When You Hire
an Advisor for a Custom Trip
An itinerary that fits the way you travel. Every trip begins around a conversation. Whether you’re a couple who wants two-hour lunches and one museum a day, or a family of seven that needs a villa with a chef in Provence and a guided private day in the Calanques, the itinerary is built from there — not from a template.
Properties and experiences that have been vetted.
I work with a network of trusted suppliers, destination management companies (DMCs), and private guides across Europe the globe — relationships built one trip at a time, not pulled off a screen.
One advisor, accountable end-to-end.
Flights, transfers, hotels, guiding, and on-trip troubleshooting all run through me. You aren’t passed between three departments; you’re not on hold with a 1-800 number when a flight cancels in Frankfurt at 11 p.m. local.
A trip that holds up under pressure.
Strikes, weather, missed connections, sudden change-of-plans — I plan the itinerary so it absorbs the unexpected, and I’m reachable through your trip via our mobile app and direct line.
Time back.
The single most consistent reason clients hire me — across honeymooners, retired travelers, and time-poor professionals alike — is that they don’t want to spend forty hours researching a country they’ve never been to. I do that work. They land prepared.
Where I Plan Custom International Trips
Europe — A first-time tour through London, the Cotswolds, and Edinburgh. A multi-generation week in a private villa in Tuscany. A self-drive through County Kerry and the Wild Atlantic Way. A two-week France that pairs Paris with the Loire and a small-ship Rhône itinerary.
Asia — A two-week first run through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hakone with a private guide and ryokan stay. A Mekong-river itinerary through Vietnam and Cambodia paired with a few extra nights in Siem Reap. A culinary-led trip through Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the southern islands.
South Pacific — A honeymoon split between Tahiti, Mo’orea, and Bora Bora. A multi-week Australia + New Zealand itinerary built around the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, and the South Island.
Africa, South America, and beyond — A private safari through Kenya or Tanzania paired with a Cape Town and Winelands extension. A Galápagos expedition cruise with a Machu Picchu add-on. A private-yacht week in the Mediterranean for a milestone birthday or family reunion.
Add a Custom Pre- or Post-Trip Extension to a Cruise, Tour, or Business Trip
If you’re already crossing an ocean for an ocean or river cruise, a guided tour, or a business trip, the smart move is almost always to add a few private days on the front or back end. A common example: three nights in London before a Seine cruise that embarks in Paris; four nights in Cape Town and the Winelands after a Kenya-Tanzania safari; a privately-guided Tokyo extension before an Asia cruise embarking in Yokohama.
I plan extensions for clients who booked the cruise or tour with me, and for clients who booked it elsewhere — either way, the goal is the same: turn a one-week base trip into the kind of trip that’s worth flying twelve hours for.
Bespoke Itinerary FAQs
What exactly is a custom itinerary?
A custom — or bespoke — itinerary is a trip designed for one set of travelers and one trip only. Instead of booking a packaged tour with a fixed group and fixed dates, I build every component — flights, hotels, ground transfers, private guides, dining reservations, and the unscheduled hours in between — around how you actually want to travel. The same week in Italy looks completely different for a couple celebrating an anniversary than it does for a family of six.
How far in advance should I start planning?
For most international trips, six to nine months out is the sweet spot — long enough to lock in the right rooms in the right hotels (which sell out a year in advance in Italy, Japan, and Africa), short enough that flight schedules are confirmed. For peak-season travel, multi-stop itineraries, or anything involving safaris, river cruises, or villa rentals, twelve months ahead is not too early.
How much does a custom itinerary cost?
Custom international travel is priced per trip, not per person from a brochure. The total depends on length, accommodation tier (premium 4-star vs. luxury 5-star vs. ultra-luxury), level of guiding (group, private, or fully-private with a dedicated driver-guide), and the experiences built in. Most of my custom international itineraries fall in the $8,000–$15,000+ per person, before flights range. We’ll get specific on the consultation call.
Do I have to book everything through you?
The honest answer: the trip is smoother end-to-end when one advisor owns it. Hotels, transfers, guides, and reservations all hand off between time zones and languages, and when one of them slips — a flight cancels, a strike hits, a guide gets sick — the fix happens fast only if one person has the whole picture. That said, I plan plenty of trips where the client wants to handle their own flights, or has a hotel loyalty program they want to use directly. We’ll sort that out on the call.
What kind of support will I have during my trip?
Three layers of support, by design. First, a mobile itinerary app — every confirmation, voucher, address, and time, in one place, with real-time flight updates. Second, the on-the-ground supplier or DMC for each leg of the trip, who can solve a same-day problem in country. Third, me — directly reachable by phone, text, or email through the entirety of your trip, regardless of time zone. If something goes sideways at 11 p.m. in Florence, you don’t get a call center. You get me.
Do I need a passport?
Yes — a valid passport is required for international travel. Most countries require that your passport be valid for at least six months beyond your return date and that you have a certain number of blank pages available for entry stamps and visas. I’ll guide you on specific requirements for your destination during the planning process.
Do you charge a planning fee?
Yes. Custom international travel takes meaningful research, sourcing, and coordination — most of it before a single component is booked — and a non-refundable planning fee is the way that work is paid for. The fee covers itinerary design, supplier sourcing, flight management, document prep, the mobile itinerary app, and on-trip support. The amount depends on the complexity of the trip (number of countries, level of customization, group size) and is quoted at the end of the consultation call, before any work begins.